Luggage worms and sluggishness

Yes, I'm still alive. Why do I not find or make the time to update this blog more? I love to write. I just don't get around to it. Today I am. I'm not posting any photos or anything fancy. Just writing.

Hello again. Are you out there?

We just got back to Kathmandu. I'm still adjusting, meaning I'm not sleeping a full night yet and I'm still in a bit of a fog. It's been over a week, so I have no excuse. In that amount of time the kids have started school. One has started preschool. I have started a great new job at the kids' school. Life rolls right along like we never left.

We are complicated travelers. There are a lot of logistics, bags, preparations. Anyone who has watched me pack, ship, fit, weigh, manage, count, plan, prepare, and load my luggage knows it's a bit of a project. To say the least. I would rather just pack a few things in a backpack and go -- but no, our life is not like that. There's a lot of us. We travel a long way. We often go to different seasons altogether. It’s complicated, trust me.

This summer we spent in the good ole U.S.ofA. and loved it. We ate fresh fruit and veggies, ran around barefoot until late at night, rode bikes, played at the park, saw wonderful friends and family, hiked, swam, watched the Olympics, played frisbee. I’m sure I gained 5 pounds. It was wonderful.

Now we’re back to real life again and I’m feeling a bit sluggish. I don’t have time to feel sluggish. I have a new job to perform for. I have three (yes THREE!) graduate courses this semester. I have church and volunteer work. Oh yes, and four sweet children and dear husband who would like to have a piece of my time. I’m already feeling overwhelmed. Yet sluggish.

It’s hard to get going again. Food doesn’t taste very good. Mud is everywhere. Monsoon rains are frequent. Roads are extremely bumpy and frustrating. I’m just having a rough time calling it all normal again. 

Yet, this is my life. This is my normal. I can either mope about it or make the most of it. All will be well. All is well. I have what really counts. Life is really, really good.

Even with the worms in my luggage. Yes, worms. I will spare you the details, but let me just say not one of our six pieces of luggage made it back to KTM with us. Not one. We later found out they got separated in Paris and have made it to various corners of the world and back. They look like the planes themselves ran over them. All of my trips to Target and Wal-mart, my school shopping preparations, my treasures collected all summer were seemingly gone. It’s just stuff, I know. But it’s hard to replace here, and much of it meant something to the kids. Bronte just got a new white dress for her baptism this Saturday. Yared had his cowboy boots and gear from Grandpa. At this point, irreplaceable. So I was glad when 5 pieces eventually, one at a time, over the course of the week, made it. 

Then today we got #6, which still has me grossed out. Some of my protein drinks exploded, then rotted. All of our clothes and suitcase are ruined. Everything reeks and is stained. My olive oil from Costco is the only salvageable item from the entire bag. When I opened the bag (which I smelled before I opened), I saw thousands of worms (weevils? who knows...) crawling all through everything. The smell was nauseating. I couldn’t even snap a photo, as the image will remain imprinted on my mind. [I’ve sent similar drinks like that before, but they are not made to be run over by a plane on various continents. This little green suitcase, bless its heart, has been all over the U.S., Paris, Qatar, Thailand, Bahrain, and who knows where else. It was more than it could bear.]

I tried to throw the entire piece of luggage away, as it was rotted and infested and I couldn't bare the thought of trying to clean it. I later noticed my guard carefully spraying it down and setting it out to dry. He has found a treasure and will use it, I'm sure.

So, life goes on. Home sweet home. Welcome back. Maybe I’ll try to update again sometime soon.