The weeks went by and the months have now passed, feeling like a dream. Two years are now wrapped up and shaped, forever being what they currently are: the best two years anyone could have hoped for. Its no longer a speculation what my mission will be or what will happen, but it is a fact, a record, and a history of people and places. What did I do with that time I had? I made the most of it, getting out on the streets and teaching people the way to real happiness. And as this time rolled on, friends were made, and my heart came to love the Ukrainian and Moldovan people. It was a strange sensation, saying goodbye. It was a mix of feelings, anticipation in seeing my family, and a loneliness in leaving behind the country and people I have come to love. I was leaving for a strange land, a foreign nation. I was not returning to the place I had once left. I said goodbyes to my friends, who once were strangers, and got onto the plane, feeling as if none of this was real.
But it was. The plane took off, and who knows when the next time I will walk on that soil. The next soil I walked on was much different. Here I was, back in the USA, the nations capital. Here was a place where for the first time in years, everybody spoke my native language, but that doesn't mean that everybody understands you.
And then the return home to the Salt Lake airport. We almost didn't make it home that night, but we were able to get off from the airport just in time before the storm came. And finally, at about ten at night, we landed in Utah. I didn't know what to do, or what to expect. What were people going to be like? What were they going to say? Were things different or were they the same? I guess I will just have to find out! To be honest, it was a little bit scary to see my family, but it was so exciting at the same time! It was just such a big moment, I didn't know quite what to do! Hugging my mother was the right choice. She started to cry as she hugged me for the first time in years. She was glad to have me home. Hello Family! Its good to meet again!
However, on the way home, we passed by the hospital where I had remembered reading that Opa had been admitted into. I asked my mom how he was doing. He passed away. It was sad thinking that I missed him by a day. I felt that I had developed a special connection with my Opa, having served in Ukraine, and he too, served in Ukraine, but in a different capacity. I had wanted to talk with him about the places he had been and the things he had seen while there. But that will have to wait for another day. Farewell Opa! Until we meet again!
The biggest difference in coming home from when I left has to be the fact that I spent most of my time with Amberlee before my mission. And so getting back I asked to myself "where did all my friends go?" But I could answer that one. I had let go of most of them before I had even left for my mission, spending most of my evenings with her. So, here I am in a new stage of life. Getting back into the scene of things. Life and past memories hit me at almost every corner I turn, but I am excited for this stretch of life. It should be good. Lets see what life will bring!
