Gap Year Recap – What A Year Around the World Looks Like

I’ve been staring at my computer for a while now, trying to figure out how to sum up an entire year of adventure. This year was truly a remarkable experience for all of us. I’m so thankful we had this opportunity and that we were brave enough to take it. We have been back home in Colorado for a few days now and are staying with my mom until we get moved back into our house. I’ve had so many people ask me how it feels to be home, and I’m finding it’s a very difficult question to answer.

Some things feel extremely easy. It was amazing to wake up on our first morning here and not have to go searching for food in a grocery store where every label requires Google translate. We know where everything is, and if we don’t we can simply ask someone — in our native language! The kids are enjoying a freedom they didn’t have while traveling. On our first morning back, Alexis was thrilled when a stranger smiled and said hello on a walk — and Braxton spent hours riding his bike around my mom’s neighborhood.

Some things feel extremely hard. I can’t seem to find the right words to explain all the emotions I’m having and often feel the urge to cry. We’re still tired from jet lag, and everything we did to prepare for this year now has to be undone. I have a lot of family and friends who I want to see, but find that I get overwhelmed easily. It feels really strange to have so much “stuff” around us.

This journey is something I hope our family will reflect on for our entire lives. Here’s a final slideshow of all our adventures and some fun stats about our year:

Gap Year Life in Numbers

Number of miles traveled: 34,975

Number of countries visited: 11

Number of continents visited: 4

Number of times we traveled completely around the world: 1

Number of pictures taken by Jill alone: 4,958

Number of countries where we witnessed public urination: 7

Number of different accommodations we slept in: 22

Number of school days completed: 172

Number of times we listened to the in-flight safety instructions: 19

Number of hours spent flying in a plane: 81

Number of times someone declared “I quit gap year”: 27

Number of different modes of transportation used: 10

Number of different currencies used: 9

Number of times we had to use our global health insurance: 0

Number of days we spent traveling together: 365

Number of amazing memories made: countless!

One Family, One Year, Forever Changed

I remember back to our first night in La Fortuna at the very beginning of the year.  We had just made our first trip to a foreign grocery store and everything felt overwhelming. There were flies buzzing all over the eggs, we bought goat’s milk by mistake and got caught in a rain storm as we walked home. I told Dave that night, “this feels really hard”. He held my hand and said “I think that’s what growth feels like”. I can’t believe how much we’ve all grown this year! Together we have had a year of laughter, tears, and the most amazing adventures. My heart is full and now all I can think is, “Holy shit — we did it!”