Home: For Good (For Now)

    On the long flight home from Istanbul to Washington, DC, I watched the movie "Wicked" on the little seat-back screen. The obnoxious kid in front of me insisted on reclining his seat for most of the trip, so I got to watch it about eight inches in front of my face. I had heard it was an excellent adaptation of the stage musical (that Becky and I saw on Broadway way back in 2004 with the original cast of Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenowith). One thing I noticed this time was the clever way the writers played with the word "good." There was the obvious theme of Good vs. Wicked, and the fact that Glinda was known as the "Good Witch." Was she really good, you had to wonder, with the path that she had chosen? Was she a "good friend?" Who's good in the movie vs. who's right? Is honesty good? Is being nice good? Is being wonderful good?

    The writers also played with the phrase "for good." (The sequel, in fact, is called "Wicked: For Good.") What does "for good" mean? It can refer to the adverb of "good;" to do something well (At one point, Glinda says: "Pink and green go good together." Elphaba corrects her: "Pink and green go well together."). You could do something for your own benefit, "for your own good." Or you could do something for the improvement of all society, for the "common good." Why do you do it? Also, "for good" can imply forever---permanently and absolutely.

    The two lead women sing, late in the second act, that they have "been changed for good." The line is thick with layers: For her own good? The good of society? Changed into being good (or correct or nice or honest)? Changed permanently, unable to change back, to reverse course? It's a rich and convoluted question throughout the story.

    When I arrived home last Wednesday, I unpacked and settled in, surrounded by souvenirs, dirty laundry, and two weeks of junk mail. I slowly reconnected with All Things Andy in RVA. Later that evening, I met my old friends for pub trivia. They were excited to see me and hear about my adventures. They allowed me to monopolize most of the conversation for the evening. I was happy to oblige.
Near the end of the evening, I told them, "This trip was a life-changing event for me." They were happy to hear that, happy for me.

    This trip, or, more accurately, the unparalleled success of this trip, broadened my horizons and kicked me in my lazy butt. It gave me the courage to get out of the house, to travel on my own, to face new places and experiences, to make new friends, to interact with people from different cultures (and languages), to prepare, to wander, to explore, to get lost and find my way back. It has truly changed me "for good," with all the rich and convoluted---and delicious and exotic and hilarious and awe-inspiring---layers the phrase can hold.

    As my tour mates and I were saying our finals good-byes that warm evening by the swimming pool of the downtown Cairo hotel, each new friend hugged me with a warm wish and kind thought. Last in line was Meg from Sydney, who must've learned much about me over our week together. Inside the temples, aboard the felucca, among the marketplaces. That final night, in the dim light by the pool, we hung on a little longer, and she whispered, "You did it."

    Then I rolled my suitcase to the elevator, the lobby, and the waiting shuttle bus, away from the safety and embrace of the group to continue my journey as a true solo traveler. My solo solo adventure in Malta. I was doing it. For good.

    After two weeks, it's nice to be home. For now.