The end of the travels

Well, we are both back in Toronto now. Aaste still claims that, in general, she did not enjoy the 8 months that she was outside of Canada. Everyone tells me that one day she will thank me.... but I'm not sure that matters. What matters is that she saw a wide variety of ways that people live in the world. She observed and enjoyed or didn't enjoy (amoung other things):

• Shipboard life onboard the Queen Mary 2.
• The busy cosmopolitan existences of big city life in New York, London and Dublin.
• The laid-back, non-commercial and cooperative lives of people on Sherkin Island.
• The clean, organized, and socially respectful cultures of Scandinavia, remarking to me "You know what's different here from at home Mom? There are no homeless people here."
• The poverty and struggles of people in Nicaragua.
• The oddness of ex-pat culture in a tropical beach town.
• A solid introduction to the Spanish language (which she DOES acknowledge pleasure about already)
  

I believe that for better or for worse, these observations and experiences will shape the person that she is... and personally I believe that it will give her a broader view of the world - which has to be a good thing.

We are still speaking! Although 14 year old girls and their mothers have unique relationship challenges, and we are not an exception.

For me, this journey has convinced me that I am not ready to return to life in Toronto and perhaps I never will be. I have decided to return to Nicaragua for at least 6 months. I have sold my house in Toronto and am scheduled to return to Nicaragua in August of 2008. The adventure continues.