As if "my last day on Lanta" didn't carry enough negative connotation, the day was filled almost entirely with unpleasantries. I suppose I should first mention that for about three days at this point I'd had a painfully swollen ankle that I didn't think much of. Come Tuesday I was meant to work my last shift from 1-7pm, but by noon I had a fever and was panicking that I was leaving the next day for a solid 45 hours of travel. Then the vet saw my ankle and told me it looked infected. Great, I thought, obviously this had to happen my last day. My best friend at the shelter, Miriam, took me to the clinic where they confirmed that it was infected because I had scratched a mosquito bite and, being on my foot, dirt had gotten in. That was why I had a fever and, just to make me feel worse, several other bites were starting to become infected. The first one was clearly the worst and had formed an abscess which she said they ought to open today or it would just become worse over the next few days. So here I am in Thailand, my last day, lying in a hospital with my foot numbed up so they can squeeze out all the pus...awesome. Not exactly my hopes for the day, but after they cleaned it out and gave me some antibiotics I felt so much better and decided to work the last half of my shift. I wasn't allowed to walk so I was doing chores around the shelter when in came another volunteer and we got into an unintentional argument. Unintentional on my half at least, but as she's been very disrespectful to myself and several other volunteers over the past weeks I wasn't afraid to defend myself or give her a piece of my mind once she had a go at me. Later that evening Batman the cat chewed apart my headphones right before I'm supposed to spend a good 16 hours getting to Bangkok across land. The day ended off with a nice dinner with all of the people I like, but these antibiotics I'm taking four times a day take away my appetite so I wasn't really able to enjoy my last meal on Lanta. Let's just pretend Thailand was trying to slow me down so that it might hold me in its arms a while longer.
The journey from Koh Lanta to San Francisco encompassed almost every form of transportation: from pick-up truck to mini van to ferries to overnight bus to taxi to airplanes to subway to Noa's house. For such an intensely long journey it wasn't as difficult as I was expecting and I met some very nice people along the way. I left at 2pm and got to Bangkok at about 5am. The overnight bus might well be the most uncomfortable thing I've ever experienced, and the bus employee kept asking me if I was going to Bangkok. Yes, I am going to Bangkok...that is why I am on the bus labeled "to Bangkok." I thought I'd be able to get a bus from the station to the airport, but the Bangkok bus station is really just a humongous parking lot filled with buses and lacking any signs or information booths that I could see. But it's very possible they were there and I just couldn't see them because I couldn't even see where or how to get out. By the time I made my way to the road a taxi seemed like a better choice and I got to the airport at 6am for a 12:20pm flight. Still, with my ankle it would have been impossible to run for my connection in the previous game plan. I met a nice, older French-Chinese man here who was also alone. The suitcase I borrowed from my Mom has a French flag for an ID tag and he thought I might also be from France. After I explained that I didn't he hopefully asked, "Well do you speak French anyways?" and I pulled out what rusty French skills I contain from high school and we had a lovely, grammatically incorrect conversation which ended with him inviting me to Paris and giving me his name, address, phone number, and e-mail...I think he means it.
The flight was fine; I got to watch my first movie in two months! I arrived in Taipei with a four hour layover and within the first hour met Felix. After we found out we were both flying to San Francisco we were instantly friends and spent hours laughing and exploring the Taipei airport, making use of its free massage chairs in the relaxation room, free cake samples, free internet, art gallery and small museum. It was undoubtedly the most fun I've had in an airport. The 11 hour flight to San Francisco stretched on and on and I was so happy to arrive and see my sister. I feel like I'm waiting for a major shock to hit about leaving Thailand but so far it's just been little surprises, like traffic and hot showers. I did feel a bit out of place on the BART subway in my brightly colored Thai pants which seemed even brighter against a background of denim jeans, but they're where I've been and what I've done and who I am and I'm going to wear them regardless.
It's a good thing I've already been to Berkeley and done a fair bit of exploring here because I'm not supposed to walk on my foot for a week. By the time I head to Arizona it should be fine. It's really bizarre to me that I'm going to be home in less than two weeks. It feels so close and that makes me feel so far away from Thailand and the home I created there. I do and I will miss all my pets there, but it was hardest saying good bye to the people. I know it won't be the last time I see some of them, though. Meagan from Canada invited me there this July to volunteer at a music festival with her and I plan on going. I feel sure that I'll see Miriam again whether it be in New Zealand, Germany, Ireland, Maine or somewhere completely new and unexplored. And I know if I'm ever in the UK, Sweden, or Australia I have people to visit. Now I just need to begin convincing my parents to let me adopt Julia, my cat, or Michael, my dog, from Thailand (please?).
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