FInishing my American Chapter...

..with an impossible schedule, an incredible cake convention, lots of shopping...resulting in sleepless nights of packing and unpacking of luggage.
In the midst of my attempt to bid all my friends goodbye with late nights of drinks and harmless fun; I got up at 6am each morning to make it to the ICES convention on time. Sleep was not a necessity. It was a luxury I couldn't afford that weekend. I used as many hours I could from my 24 each day.

This morning I finally cleared my entire apartment into drawstring trash bags filled with junk I wished I could take on the plane with me. The hardest part of packing was giving away tiny trinkets such as blankets; pillows, cutlery, mugs and the sort. I had a vivid memory of living with Katie and Mindy in every item. I can't say I won't miss them ever so dearly; You know times when you wished you could go back and spend more time with your friends? When you knew they were about to leave... possibly forever?..
Tying up lose ends in a mad rush at 6am helped take my mind off unnecessary emotion. Lucky me; I hate emotions.
I owe a big thank you to David and Kassy for keeping me sane the past weekend. I don't know what I would have done to myself without them. I had Kassy keeping the pressure there for me to pack and organize quicker and David to remind me constantly that it was going to be just fine. Going back and forth between "Look at the stuff you need to do?!" and "Don't worry, you'll make it there on time" really did help balance my focus. They both sent me off with hugs, I walked away through security with a rush of adrenaline... it's a new chapter in my life; and those were my first steps. In the next 27 hours; I was going to have different goals and bigger things to achieve. I wasn't so sure at that point if it was ready to let them go. I turned around to glance at them; they waved me off knowingly, I could sense they believed in me more than I did myself. I felt a tad bit ashamed of my lack of confidence in the matter.... but I realized that was who I am. My ability to progressively move forward is highly dependent on the confidence I fed off of others around me. I suppose that also is partially the reason why I share my thoughts and work in this journal of mine, for confirmation of my improvements through the years. I'm not certain where I would be without having began blogging 2 years ago; I'm not even certain if I was born a chef of any sort! It just happened to work out this way. In all honesty; everything fell into place for me a little to quick for comfort.Walking alone through the quiet halls of the Incheon airport in Seoul allowed me to realize how far I've come on my own. Dragging with me; a ridiculous 20kg backpack on my shoulders; I'm now returning home wiser, stronger and more ready than ever.I can't wait for morning!...when my 27 hour transition between flights are over and I'm safely tucked away in a place I used to call home.

I plop my bags down with a heaving sigh...glanced around me...the walls do look different... things feel different in my hands...the furniture odours are different and the house reminds me vaguely of my younger days. I've certainly changed lots myself; but it's alright... I'm sure I'll work it out eventually. :) There's no place better than home, right?
First thing tomorrow I'll be unpacking, publishing this...and working on sharing with everyone the many intriguing discoveries I've made at the ICES convention last weekend! I've taken some brilliant photographs which depict lots about the knowledge and skills shared by decorators around the world.