Today is day 48 on the road. It’s hard to believe that it has been over a month and a half since we left Ottawa. I was thinking about it the other day, and realized that I haven’t had any real bouts of homesickness yet. There could be a few possible explanations for this: perhaps I don’t miss home at all, or I’ve somehow found something else to fill in the gap…
The first is definitely not true. When I stop to remember the life that we left behind, with all of our wonderful friends and family, I know that there are things that I do miss a lot. So that’s not it. But why, if I was so happy back home, don’t I feel the nag of homesickness yet? Is it because I’m so much happier out here on the open road? I don’t think the two things are mutually exclusive. It’s definitely possible to be extremely happy and still feel pangs of nostalgia for things in the past.
Another possible reason is that the places we’ve visited so far are “familiar” places. What I mean by that is that they are places where many things, including the language, are easy to negotiate. We understand people in the UK, even though the accents have proven challenging on occasion (though in an entertaining way more often than not). We can read signs, order food and drinks, and find places to sleep. We also spent a significant amount of time visiting with family in England. That sort of thing definitely fends off homesickness.
Is it because I’ve got my Meggie by my side? Perhaps that’s it. What more does a guy need anyways? It is wonderful to travel with the person you love most, but that can’t be entirely the answer. I mean, we both have other friends for a reason, right?
I’ve come to the conclusion that this website has actually played a big role in keeping the homesickness bug at bay. Posting our adventures here and reading the great comments that everyone responds with makes Meg and I both feel like we’re still very connected to all of the people that matter to us. At first we thought that we had a bit of an unnatural obsession with finding wifi access as we went, but now we’ve realized why. It’s because we miss everyone, even while we are having the time of our lives, and this website connects us with them. So as we sit in this cozy pub in Fort William, Scotland, we raise our glasses to you. Here’s a toast to all of our wonderful readers, friends and family. Cheers!
September 10th, 2009
Oh, Mark, you made me get all teary!! Hugs and love to you both!
Mom
September 11th, 2009
Awww, so nice Mark. Cheers to you and Meg, the person you love most…
September 11th, 2009
Awwww – I really really miss you both. So does Metric. She now has her very own climbing tree. It reaches the ceiling and has three perches. I’ll send you a photo somehow soon. Maybe she will make you feel homesick ;o) Love Mother Goose
September 11th, 2009
Hi Megan & Mark,
Stu and I are keeping track of your moves as you venture around the UK. We both really enjoyed meeting up again at the wedding, after so many years – and you haven’t changed abit Megan, although the Guide outfit could be tricky to get back into!
Stu and I really admire you both ‘wandering off’ and reminds us so much of our world trip a mere 19 years ago. One of our first stops was with you guys having Kentucky chicken in your parents kitchen.
We too started our trip visiting extended family and didn’t feel homesick at all. We went on to meet so many different people with so many cultures and customs. We love the memories that we have of our trip exploring our planet and occassionally have the time to look back on the photos, although with our brood we don’t get too much chance for that.
Be sure to call in on us in Southport if you get chance before you hed off from the UK.
Take good care of each other and enjoy the ride.
Lisa & Stuart
X 0 X 0 X 0
September 12th, 2009
Mark,
How can you be travelling with the person you love most when you left me back at home in Canada…
Just kidding Megan, however he is a catch and when you come back to Canada you may want to keep your eye on Mark when your around me, wink, wink.
-Paul