When In-Office...

The road is home, and "in-office" life is a busy but relaxing vacation.

We fit a lot into a States-side return, because we make up for the months abroad.  We fill our time with family, friends, preparation, and gratitude.

When our plane lands, our first stop is Sara Beth's parents' house.  We store our lives in their basement.  Our clothes, souvenirs, and domestic remnants are packed in over two dozen boxes and totes.

We take over their living room and unpack all our luggage.  From there, we shed the excess from our last assignment, launder and change out clothes, and grab gear for the next location.  We lighten our psyches by making room in our luggage.

Once our luggage is ordered, we decompress.

Family and friends are the most relaxed part of a return trip.  They contextualize the assignment past and distract us from the preparations ahead.  Our relationships pick up where we left them and pressing gaps get filled over our time together.

We squeeze as many people into those days as possible, and our time together never feels like enough.  We put a lot of miles on our rental car, visiting people.  I wish we could visit more, but it's out of our control; SB has to report to work during the week.

When SB's actually "in-office," we prepare for the next assignment.  She spends the first few days in-office learning about her next assignment.  She fills out paperwork for visas, organizes our flights and hotels, and researches the job.  We usually have to drive downtown to drop off visa applications and passports at a consulate's office, only to return the next day to retrieve our documents.

When we're in the suburbs, we stay at the Hyatt House in Schaumburg, Illinois.  The hotel is perfect for our resupply needs.  Woodfield Mall, Target, and other shops are nearby.  Our resupply lists usually include clothes, comfort foods, and medicine.

The Hyatt House is also near many of our favorite American restaurants, so we eat the meals we missed or will miss on the road.  I miss craft beers, and we can walk to two restaurants that have a wide selection on-tap.  SB misses steak, salads, and sushi; she never has a shortage of options.

Occasionally, we'll meet up with other roadies at these restaurants to catch up and debrief.  I hesitate to call our lunch/dinner guests co-workers, because they are part of the road family.  We talk about the intricacies and difficulties of an assignment and don't feel like we're gloating or complaining.  Some of the ex-roadies even tell us what to look forward to when this lifestyle is done.  It's like a roadie support group.

For the entirety of our time "in-office," we are grateful to be back in familiar territory.  Our surroundings fit our expectations, which is a comfort.  When we leave, we don't know when we'll be back, so we try to enjoy everyday to its fullest.  Simple things can rock our world and turn a good day GREAT, like coffee, unblocked internet access, salt and pepper shakers, blue skies, an obeyed stop sign, and courtesy to name a few.

I love traveling, but I love returning more.  Traveling is a workout.  We exercise our cultural perceptions, tolerance, comfort-levels, and tastes.  Returning is the recovery phase.  We heal, note how we've grown, and prepare for the next set.  We will always feel comfortable in the familiar, as we do in-office, but the road is where we live and grow...for now.