"Every new beginning comes...

from some other beginning's end". So goes the refrain of Semisonic's 1999 hit "Closing Time". Admittedly a bit cliche, but perfectly appropriate for Juleen and myself.

Today I am putting the finishing touches on my Latin American journey. I caught a minibus from the Miraflores district of Lima to the airport. Stepping aboard the minivan, I caught my 85-liter pack on the metal bars in the door frame. The bus, okay for backpackers but not meant for their backpacks, zigzagged through Lima's diverse neighborhoods. Forty-five minutes later, I descended more strategically, eyeing and controlling the pack's straps to keep them from catching on any part of the bus, and for the last time told a Peruvian vendor "no". None of the nightmarish scenarios I spent too much of yesterday worrying about presented itself. All seems to indicate that I will get into Chicago at 10:15 night, spend the night with old roommate Adam Lucas, and catch the early Megabus departure for Indianapolis, repeating the same process Juleen went through exactly four weeks ago.

Though reintegration into the US and workforce is likely to be a veritable personal adventure, it's an adventure whose stories we'll be harder pressed to justify sharing via the blog. Then again, maybe this new beginning will surprise us. We'll see.

As for what the summer holds, Juleen and I plan on spending a good chunk of it in Indianapolis. I've secured an eight-week position with a non-profit educational organization. Juleen is pursuing therapy opportunities in the Indianapolis area, too. After a summer in God's country, we'll be back in the same boat we only recently got off of: we'll be pursuing new, likely domestic pastures and employment. We're hopeful to resume international adventures come early 2011 with a trip to Oman and the Middle East. But that's the substance of a distant blog.

It has meant a TON to have you follow along and comment on the almost fifty blogs we've put up since September. Thank you for sharing our experience with us. We can't wait to meet up, catch up, and share more intimate relations with the start of our new beginning.