From the Journal of Jesse Prothers

Going home after being on a ship for four months is gonna be really weird and sad at the same time. Leaving people that are basically your family now. These are people you love and care for, that you see everyday will become people you can only talk to on the phone or computer. You may only see them, maybe, if you’re lucky, a few more times before you lose touch. Or maybe, you will find a life-long friend that you will talk to everyday and be able to tell them how you feel and what you think. Most of all its gonna be hard to say goodbye. No matter how much you wish it was a “see ya later” or a “goodnight” …it’s now a “goodbye”. Goodbye—never knowing what will happen to that person, not knowing where they are, what they are doing, not seeing their face everyday. Maybe you will wake-up in your bed and think it was all a dream and continue on with your normal life. Or… maybe you won’t be able to sleep at night knowing the same familiar people are all gone and not a hundred feet away from you while everything “normal” has become alien. Adapting… is what will be hardest to go home to.