As the Thingyan water festival wound down in mid-April, V and I departed on the second of the two R&Rs afforded to us during our Burma tour. During our January R&R, we had visited Vietnam and Indonesia. This time, we traveled to the United States for two and a half weeks for medical appointments, family visits, and the wedding of my eldest stepdaughter, A. It was a wonderful trip despite the long-haul travel from Asia and a domestic itinerary that took us across the country.
Our R&R unfolded in three distinct segments. First, the two of us spent several days in the Washington, DC, area. Next, we road-tripped to Georgia, where we stayed in an Airbnb with family, including my mom who’d flown out for A’s wedding. Finally, we flew to Washington state to visit my dad before beginning the long journey back to Burma.
At one point, while battling jet lag and exhaustion and noticing how quickly the days were slipping by, I found myself wondering, “Is traveling so far to ‘rest’ and ‘recuperate’ really worth it, just to have to fly all the way back?” The answer I ultimately arrived at was an unequivocal yes. Yes, it was worth it to fly all the way to the United States just four months before we leave Burma for good: to enjoy our lives, be there for our families and friends during important moments, and enjoy a little bit of good old ‘merica.
Collecting Postcards 