16 Countries. One Year Later. Finally Coming Home.

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July 19th 2009

Published: July 20th 2009

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Downtown Austin

After a year of traveling, a year of self-exploration, and many adventures, it was finally time to come home. Texas, U.S. of A.

Such a great feeling to be back!! I missed my family so much, my friends, and especially my little buddy, Pepe (my winnie dog). First stop was Austin, TX. My home for the last 10 years before leaving on my Latino America tour. Since I no longer have a home there, my friends hooked me up with a place to stay. They took care of me. Thanks guys!! I met my ex-coworker and friend, Jason out to lunch. We had us some good ol' Texas bar-b-que at Ironworks. It was as delicious as I remembered it. Got to visit my old job and see some more ex-coworkers. They were a little shocked to see my face. I guess because I hadn't cut my hair in over 5 months or shaven in more than 2 months. I looked a little like Charles Manson (not fond of that). At least that's what they told me. Bastards. With that reaction, I thought it would be a good idea to visit my girl, Lisa, who is an awesome hairstylist (works at

What can I say? Texans love to grill.

"Mantis"). I had no car and she was booked on Saturday, so what does she do? She picks me up Friday night and opens her salon just to give me a cut. How cool is that?! She gave me a beer, we got to catch up on things, and she cut like 10 pounds of hair off my head. No shit. Also got to see some other friends as we gathered to watch UFC fighting on T.V. at a local Austin bar. Overall it was a great Austin visit. Made me realize how much I really missed my friends from back home. Good people. Good times.

Next up, Dallas, TX. Time to see my family and yes, Pepe. Their reaction to my look wasn't as shocking as to everyone in Austin. I still had my huge beard, but now I had a cool haircut. However, the beard did manage to widen their eyes and put a smile on their face. And yes, the jokes came along as well. It was great seeing them. Big hugs were given and some tears were shed. I've never been away from my family for that long. We are a close bunch. They didn't

Sammer defeated with a choke hold.

waste any time in welcoming me back home. My sis Laura broke out with the grill and cooked up some mean steaks. Yes, we love our grills here in Texas. Ask my friend Geoff from Austin who owns three. Why? Cause he's from Texas goddamnit!

As far as living in Texas again, so far it's taking me a little time to re-adjust. Not used to things being so expensive, especially when being unemployed. I'm not just trying to adjust to the cost of living here, but also to the way of life. Being away for a year and learning how people in Latino American countries live, makes me realize and appreciate what really matters to me and what I feel is important in my life. People in the countries I visited lived life more simple. Like I said...just need to adjust. I am glad to be back though. However, my travels aren't quite done yet. At the end of this month my family and I are taking a road trip together. We're headed to New Mexico to visit my little brother and his family. Then I will continue moving westward to the Grand Canyon to camp out for