I’m finally back at Reed! I left Auckland Saturday evening, and arrived in Portland Saturday afternoon. I never knew time travel to be so exhausting… :) At least this time I had my mom’s shoulder to lean on, since she got surprise tickets home as a Christmas gift. She hates flying, especially the turbulence–but despite the almost alarming notices from the captain during our second leg of the voyage (”In case of an emergency landing, please leave your carry-ons.”), the flight was completely smooth. I’m trying to change my own anxiety into the thrill of flying, but I can’t shake my subconscious conviction that the world is deeply ironic. I find this discovery interesting, because somehow I believe the world should react (negatively) to how I think! How bizarre.

Anyway… In addition to more sleep this time around, I got much better movie recommendations: Just Like Heaven for your romantic comedy, and Everything is Illuminated for you film-festival types.

Granpa and Dottie picked us up at the airport, and then I showed them around Reed. They were ready to head back to Gig Harbor, so we opted out of dinner. It was only after they left with my mom that I realized Commons was closed all weekend. Maybe the world is ironic after all?

Yesterday Tina, Cindy, and I trekked to Trader Joe’s for breakfast and dinner food, and then we watched Star Trek as I ate my first real meal in over 24 hours. Actually, I can see now how one could easily fast for several days–you just stop feeling hungry after a while! (Thankfully, I have no reason to try it out for an extended duration.)

My other little adventure happened last night when we (me and those dormies who have also returned) climbed over the fence of the Rhodi Gardens to enjoy the peace of a deserted park. Then we expanded our tour of deserted places in Portland by walking for over 3 hours, visiting golf courses, playgrounds, and train tracks. It was a wonderful opportunity to catch up with friends and do something a bit risky! Well, not like we did anything truly dangerous, but exploring those parks under a sky turned orange from reflected street lamps felt like urban bush-wacking. I returned late, cold but strangely fulfilled, ready to sleep in my soft warm bed.

Now, as the rain drips down my dorm room window, I dream of New Zealand, my family, and the time when we can be together again.