Out with the old, in with the new?

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about finding that balance between going to new places and going back to places that you’ve already been.  I’ve always thought that there’s so much of the world that I haven’t seen, that I need to be spending my time seeking new experiences and living in lots of different places (be it other countries or parts of the US).  But then with each place, you develop connections that make it sad to leave, so there is definitely something to be said for going back and revisiting.

I bring this up because in the past year I’ve gone back to two places that I’ve lived in the past – first to Bangkok last March, and now to New Orleans as part of my road trip.  I remember even just getting off the plane in Thailand and seeing the airport – the flags and pictures of the king – made me so happy.  I felt like I was home.  And everything I did in Thailand brought back the most amazing memories.

Now, I’m back in NOLA after over 3 and a half years (WOW!).  Even just driving in, I was so excited about every little thing. I’m sure Juliana (who is joining me from Austin for this part of the journey) can attest that I’ve been kind of ridiculous, getting excited about the stupidest stuff, or suddenly remembering things that I’d completely forgotten.  It doesn’t have to be triggered by some big majestic place.  It can be something as simple as seeing a sky train map in Bangkok or passing Langenstein’s grocery store.

We’re staying with the family that I lived with while I was here, and it is so wonderful to see them!  We spent most of yesterday slogging through the swampland of western Louisiana, but we did have time to drive over to Tipitina’s, which is a sort of iconic venue in this area (I’d been several times before to see brass bands), and saw a band called Papa Grows Funk (who I’d also seen before).  Today the plan is to take the streetcar downtown to the French Quarter and explore and find some jazz.  The streetcar wasn’t running last time I was here, so I’m very excited.  Sunday is the marathon, and even though we decided not to run it, it’s going right through the neighborhood so we will at least check it out.

I think the joy from going back to somewhere you love is something you can’t necessarily get from going somewhere new.   If for no other reason than the flood of memories.  Living in NOLA was such an intense combination of happiness and stress that it kind of took going back for me to remember all of that.  I know I’ll have the same feeling when I inevitably go back to California, and hopefully I’ll find a new connection with Honduras.  But how many “homes” can I have?  At what point will I lose those memories of the old places?  And should I make it more of a priority to go back, balancing it with that go-go-go attitude of seeing other parts of the country and world?