Moving in Slow-Motion in a Fast-Paced World

Well, I'm home from Cambodia. Saturday at midnight to be exact. It was quite an adventure returning home. I left Siem Reap Friday evening for Bangkok. Because it was a separate flight than my one to the States, I had to go through immigration and customs to get my baggage (negative: hassle / positive: extra passport stamp). And since my flight to the States wasn't until Saturday, I couldn't check my bags and get to the other side of the airport. I felt like the Israelites unable to enter the promised land. On the other side I knew there was Western food, and cozy Starbucks chairs to sleep on. On my side, there was Thai restaurants and metal benches. So the night wasn't the greatest. But I slept a bit, and woke up early to check my bags and prepare for my endless day of flying. Flight left Bangkok at 8am, and landed in Tokyo at 3:45pm. Next flight left Tokyo at 5pm and 12 hours later landed in Chicago at 4pm. Yeah, I traveled back in time. Not as fun as it sounds. And of course, I had to go through immigrations/customs again in the States. Not a speedy process, but I made it through and ate a delicious Chicago-style pizza. After killing time in the Chicago airport, moving gates (not an eask in the giant airport), and running into a coworker (random!), I was finally Tampa-bound. I had never been so happy to stop flying in my life. My dad picked me up, and as we loaded up into his car, I realized I hadn't been in a car in 2 weeks. Weird! So the past few days have been a blur of sleep, not sleeping, catching up with friends, and fervently praying. One of my dear Facebook friends described this time as “When you step off the plane on US soil, it's like stepping onto one of the moving walkways at the airport. Pretty soon you're just swept up in it.” I went back to work Monday, and discovered life sure hasn't stopped. In fact, it's moving faster than when I left. So as I readjust to life in America, I'm faced with a a pretty big decision. Do I go back to the country that I just fell in love with? Or do I continue with life as I know it? I don't have an answer yet, but I will. I hope.