Soo… I was on the plane from Atlanta to Wichita, and I decided to write out what I was thinking – reflecting if you will…This is what I wrote:
I am so lucky. I am lucky to have friends from all over. I got to go around the world on a frickin' ship. How did I end up being lucky enough to be born in the United States – to be in the body that I'm in? Why do there have to be so many unlucky people in the world? The better question might be – are they really unlucky in the first place? There are many different views of luck. Many people we might think of as unlucky don't actually think of themselves that way at all; they are perfectly happy with their friends and families. Where do you draw the line between lucky and unlucky?
Catherine, Amber, Max – I love you so much! I don't know what I would have done without you. I can't imagine the voyage without you, and quite frankly, I don't want to. Should I feel bad that the thing I got out of this the most was the shipboard community? Well, I don't. I don't feel bad at all. Call me a traveler, an adventurer, a scholar, a tourist – whatever, I don't care. It was you who made the trip for me – not the people in other countries, not the souvenirs and T-shirts or the markets. It didn't matter where I was or what I was doing; it was you that would make me want to do it all again. They told us to reflect and think about how the voyage affected us and what it means to us. I don't need to change the world – I just want to be there for you – I want to be the best friend that I can be. I want to be significant enough to have changed your world because you have changed mine. I am so lucky.
HOLY SHIT, I JUST WENT AROUND THE F*CKING WORLD!
I don't remember the last time I felt this close to people. This whole going home thing is bittersweet.
I love friends! I will miss every single one of the friends I made on the voyage. I love you all – you know who you are!
-KW-
Glad you're home, Kendra.
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