America, I'm home.

I'm back. I'm home.

I don't know what everyone was on about. I've been home nearly a month and half now and I've yet to experience any "reverse" culture shock. My re-adjustment to America has gone extremely smoothly. The only exception being my inability to re-enter the realm of full-time employment. I returned to America on the 1st of May, landing in San Fransisco to stay with my good friend Eric Persha. Also awaiting me there were John and Kyle. I couldn't have asked for a better group to welcome me home to America. For me the weekend was, simply put, amazing. The ability to hang out with three people who have known me for so long, to not have to tell back stories, for them to just know. It felt as if I had left for a long weekend and returned. There was no awkward moments, ones you may expect after not seeing people for years on end. It was the perfect way to enter America on the right foot; with old friends, making new stories and telling old ones. With all my other friends it has been the same. I count myself as very lucky.

I do apologize for the lack of blogs regarding the final 3 months of my cycle trip. I do plan on posting them. More so for my own behalf, than anyone else's. But I do hope you all check back here in a months time to see my blogs regarding Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

The trip itself was a large reason I have had little problems re-adjusting to life in the west, it was a gradual re-introduction. Coming across travelers throughout my journey and continually having to adjust to a new place, people, and scenery daily for 5 months. It made coming home less of a shock than it would have coming from such a community based culture (the Philippines) to such an individualistic culture (America). The trip proved to be the perfect buffer.

"So what is the next step?"

That is the million dollar question. The one I wince at every time I hear. I wish I fully new, but knowing may take all the fun and anticipation out of this exhilarating time. Currently I'm looking for work in the community outreach, economic development fields in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Why MN? Well my girlfriend, yes, I said girlfriend, is living there. She will be finishing her Masters in Public Health sometime at the end of next year. Seeing I need to find work somewhere I figured I'd focus somewhere close to her. So that is my current step towards my "next step."

I would love to hear from all of you, please feel free to contact me on my email; Lloyd_Banwart@yahoo.com or on my cellphone; 414 759 5379.

Its great to be home.