And now I'm here again, in beautiful but cold Poland. The fog at dawn disappears at about 9 a.m. giving way to brisk, sunny mornings. The trees are bare and fallen leaves rustle under my feet when I walk across the school parking lot. Red rowan berries invite hungry birds to a feast.
The eight weeks in the U.S. came and went, leaving warm memories of stunning Appalachian landscapes and exceptional people I met there.
The people... The mixture of cultures, experiences and characters. The group of individuals, each of them having their own story written in their eyes, gestures, languages, postures... Each of them willing to share some parts of the lives, thus enriching the lives of the others.
As the time went by, the culture differences faded away, highlighting the variety of colorful personalities. We completed one another, becoming the international Boone family. Evenings in the lobby, by the fire... Peals of laughter alternating serious issues being discussed. Endless conversation by the ashtrays in front of the hotel. And the willingness to share, to help, to be together... Support and and this great sense of humor. Invaluable...
Now I'm home again, back to the old (new?) reality, with the sudden realization of how much I've changed inside, how sharp and different my perception of the old ways is. The same view from the window but how different my view is... The same people around me but how much reshaped I am...
I'm sitting in the doctor's waiting room, my new bag, bought in Charlotte (only Alejandra knows to what lengths I went to get it!!!) is resting peacefully on my laps. The leather patches form
a colorful mosaic of various shapes, hues, shades and textures. Still, the bag is perfect, faultless, impeccable... One part is removed and it's never ever going to be the same.
You see, y'all are with me all the time...
The eight weeks in the U.S. came and went, leaving warm memories of stunning Appalachian landscapes and exceptional people I met there.
The people... The mixture of cultures, experiences and characters. The group of individuals, each of them having their own story written in their eyes, gestures, languages, postures... Each of them willing to share some parts of the lives, thus enriching the lives of the others.
As the time went by, the culture differences faded away, highlighting the variety of colorful personalities. We completed one another, becoming the international Boone family. Evenings in the lobby, by the fire... Peals of laughter alternating serious issues being discussed. Endless conversation by the ashtrays in front of the hotel. And the willingness to share, to help, to be together... Support and and this great sense of humor. Invaluable...
Now I'm home again, back to the old (new?) reality, with the sudden realization of how much I've changed inside, how sharp and different my perception of the old ways is. The same view from the window but how different my view is... The same people around me but how much reshaped I am...
I'm sitting in the doctor's waiting room, my new bag, bought in Charlotte (only Alejandra knows to what lengths I went to get it!!!) is resting peacefully on my laps. The leather patches form
a colorful mosaic of various shapes, hues, shades and textures. Still, the bag is perfect, faultless, impeccable... One part is removed and it's never ever going to be the same.
You see, y'all are with me all the time...
I Love the Bag-metaphor. I honestly and truly feel the same way about Boone, about my International Family and about the Best Friends I've made there.
ReplyDeleteOh, Margaret, I'm so happy that you wrote. You're such a good writer and a person who seems to be able to read other people's mind. I miss you sooooo much... I miss your clear voice and your words of wisdom.
ReplyDeleteGocha, what a beautiful entry! I think it recaps everybody's feelings, because we are not the "same" people that left our countries in mid-September. We may still trod the same paths we trodded a thousand times, but we see them differently.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you asked the shop assistant!