That is all for now

Days: 28
Countries: 8
Bus: 18
Taxi: 10
Planes: 10
Metros: 14
Trains: 3


Today I sit and write my final blog from my parent’s home in Columbus, Ohio. Yes, I have come back early. Yes, this is a slight disappointment but it has been great being home with family during the holidays. I have no regrets about my decision to come back to the states.

So how did this happen? Well, there are a lot of small factors that added up along with one large looming injury. I was gone for four weeks and while traveling develop some viral infection. I was sick for most of my time in Israel, which was not enjoyable. I am still coughing and hacking up mucous three weeks later, but overall I feel healthy. Crossing borders and sleeping in different beds every night added to my exhaustion. Mainly because of overuse I have injured my right foot. On my second day in the Middle East Jeff and I did a lot of walking from sight to sight. In every country I have been doing lots walking but could not have foreseen this coming. After a long day walking I woke up the next morning and really couldn’t walk. Anytime I put pressure on my foot I was in extreme pain. I have always had ankle issues but still have never broken a bone. I thought I had a stress fracture, so I took it easy for a few days throwing aside my plans to the Sea of Galilee. I was hoping I would awake one morning and the pain would be gone. My sickness and pain came on the same day. Which was also the day JJ and I were planning on booking a 1,300 dollar climb of MT Kilimanjaro. I had to email him and say we needed to delay this commitment. After a few days I visited a local doctor in Bethlehem. He took an x-ray and through not the best English said that I had tendonitis but no broken bone. He also said that I needed to stay off the foot and take lots of pain meds for the next two weeks. This left me with a difficult decision. Do I climb the mountain next week or do I go home and rest? Do I chance the success of the climb? Do I travel farther and farther away from home? Do I risk further injury or surgery? I basically decided that it was not worth the money to travel to Kenya and risk being hurt more. I have had friends with tendonitis and I know that if you don’t take care of it, there could be trouble. I also thought a good deal about how maybe God was telling me to SLOW DOWN. Someday I will climb that mountain, someday for sure.

I arrived to Ohio late on Christmas Eve, just in time to take a shower, change clothes, and attend our midnight church service. It took me 28 hours of travelling to make it home. Ever since being at home I have been watching a good deal of college football and spending quality time with my parents. Coming this February I will travel to Seattle with my close friend Tim for the 2010 Winter Olympics. We are planning on flying into Seattle and then driving up to BC and staying with a connection in the Vancouver area. This trip is an epic one in itself. After going to one curling event and one snowboarding event we are going skiing at Whistler/Blackcomb for three days. I have been staying off my foot and it is now doing well. Because my foot is healing it makes me able to still take part in this exciting adventure. Until then I will direct all my time and mental thought to finding a JOB! I have some possibilities on the horizon. I will be patiently seeking out these opportunities as well as Christ in the hope that a door will be opened. I had a wonderful time while creating unforgettable memories. Thanks for the continual support.

With lots of love

Andrew Baumann