Well, friends, it's finally over. I am now sitting comfortably in my friend Nathan's house with my feet up on a cushion, my stomach full of sushi and miso soup.

It has been a rather strange few days. We spent the rest of our time in San Cristobal just as I told you before - shopping and drinking and eating. On our last day there we made a grand meal with our friends Jason and Kathryn. All four of us pitched in and made amazing spaghetti sauce, garlic bread with fresh garlic butter, and salad with homemade dressing.

It was really fun cooking all together! Although it took a long time, it was worth it. And to help us through the process we had lots of cheap wine. We'll definitely miss those two. They were the ones we met trapped on the island in Panama, so we really got to know them very well. But we'll keep in touch!

We met lots of very interesting people at that hostel, including three older gentlemen who have been traveling all over Central America. We also met a fellow named Charles who is living in Calgary right now. Meeting him was very fortunate, I think, as he rekindled my interest in Buddhism.

The morning after our wonderful last meal in Chiapas, George and I set out for the bus station. We left San Cristobal at 11AM on Monday morning, and finally arrived in Cancun the next morning at 9AM. I don't think I slept that night.

Once in Cancun we waited in the airport for a while, where we were lucky enough to see parts of Barack Obama's inauguration. Then we caught our plane at 4PM and landed safely in Seattle at 11PM. Once there, we swiftly found a little spot of floor along with some other weary and dirty travelers, and tried to sleep. I didn't do so well there, either.

Then finally, this morning at 9AM we left the United States on the Greyhound which took us to Vancouver at 1PM. In total, the trip from San Cristobal to Vancouver took 50 hours. Never again, I swear! We did it to be cheap, but I'm beginning to rethink the logic of all that!

Over the past few days of traveling, I have felt such a wide range of emotions. From desperately wanting to go home, to feeling nervous about the American and Canadian borders, to now wanting to leave, to not believing that I'm actually leaving, and now, to not believing that I'm actually in Canada!

And we have seen so many different lifestyles in such a short time. The differences between Mexico, the United States and Canada are vast. And there are many things about Mexico and Central America that I am going to miss.

I am going to miss the town squares, where people mill about all day. I am going to miss chicken buses and street vendors and Mayans. I am going to miss the rundown shacks, the brightly painted buildings, and the bright clothing. And I am even going to miss chicken and rice! They do know how to make tasty chicken, and it is cheap.

And coming back to Vancouver we have experienced many small things that will take some getting used to. Like not needing to boil the water for ten minutes, or not needing to search for matches every time we want to light the stove. We don't need to brush our teeth with bottled water and we don't have to put toilet paper in the garbage can!

There are so many conveniences here.

So one adventure has ended, and another one begins! Now we are in Vancouver and will be here until the end of April teaching english. Then we will go to Calgary for two or three months where George will be teaching children about insects. And hopefully (keep your fingers crossed!) I will be going back to school in the fall in Edmonton to finish my theatre degree.

I don't know about you, but that sounds like a pretty neat adventure too! And who knows what we'll do after that? We certainly don't!

Now as for this website, I hope you know it's not just the "Kaelin's Blog" website! It's Citizens Free Press! Where anyone can write about the things they feel are important, or the things they experience! It's easy! It's free! It's for citizens! So I encourage everyone to give it a try. I have really enjoyed it.

And I may likely continue writing once in a while, as we are going to be experimenting with various things this year. Our first experiment is with cheese making! Because we are moving around a lot, we can't try any hard cheeses just yet. That will have to wait until Edmonton. But here in Vancouver, we'll try to make mozzarella!

And at the end of the summer, I am going to experiment with canning! I am so excited! Now, I know many of you have done your fair share of canning. So maybe you can help me out with advice and stories! I would really appreciate it. But that's not for a long time.

Now I want to say thank you to everyone who read my journal as I traveled. It really made me feel loved, and helped me go on during the few times I felt down or lonely. Thinking of all of you always made me feel better! So adios for now, friends! I will see you all so soon! I don't know when, as I can barely guess what I will be doing at any given time, but I will see you!

With much love and gratitude,
Kaelin