Paradise Lost

I meant to write this final entry before now, but I've been busy looking for an apartment and catching up with old friends and generally feeling discombobulated since I've returned to the US, so it's just now that I'm finally getting around to it.

I meant to include pictures from my last few weeks on the island, but it seems that I didn't take nearly as many as I thought I had. Unfortunately, I seem to be missing every photo from the wedding in Rethymno, and I had a lot of them (videos, too). My sister mentioned something about copying my photos from my laptop onto a memory stick, so maybe she's got them (I really hope so).

The cats seem to have settled in pretty well to their new (temporary) surroundings in my parent's basement. They love the great, wooded, terraced back yard, and Rikki has been busy tormenting the various rodent residents (moles and chipmunks) that scurry around in the ivy. Hoping to be in my own place soon, and to find employment of some sort shortly thereafter. My parents have been wonderful and generous, and it's been really nice to be able to catch up with everyone face-to-face.

Things here are almost exactly as I remember them, and it doesn't feel strange at all to be back. In fact, it feels disturbingly normal. And it bothers me.

I don't want normal...I want Crete.

I hope to keep in touch with many people I met over there, to work hard to improve upon (or at least maintain) the little bit of Greek I learned, and to keep close in my memory all the things that made Crete so special for me.

And hopefully one day, in the not too distant future, I can take that trip back over the rainbow.

Addendum: Today is April 5, 2011 and I am back in beautiful Crete! I don't think I'll be posting much, if any, in this blog during this stay. I think it was appropriate for my first trip over, since it was one of discovery, but I feel that Facebook photos and status updates will suffice to keep in touch with friends and family.

It's great to be back!