Well, what can I say? Things are quiet, but things are
happening. In the past several weeks, I put together a soap-making making
group, joined a church choir (and already participated in a singing competition!).
I also met the area business development reps, did a speech on the importance
of clean environment, and visited several local towns. On a regular basis, I
monitor my container gardens, make pineapple jam, grind egg-shells for calcium
intake, cook red-red and play “Oshiva-Oppale” with kids.
And yet, and yet….
I feel like I’m not doing anything. Worse, I’m getting a bit
moapy…
I’m starting to miss things from home (both from US and KZ).
Some things are not even something I expected to miss or crave: for example, I
really want Oreos, even though I did not care for them too much. I do miss
winter and snow (and yes, I should be happy being in a warm Africa now while Northeast
is snowed in, but I do miss this season with its skiing trips, snow days, borcht,
hot toddies and pub crawls with hashers). I miss walking in the city and
stopping by at any cafe where I can order a cup of coffee, sit on a sofa and
listen to whatever barista is playing at that moment on her Pandora station.
Or, going to Burren to have a pint of Shipyard and chat with Irish bartenders
with their awesome accents. I miss general feeling of being in a city and being
left alone in the crowd. Here, I’m not able to blend in – everybody knows me,
everybody wants to greet me, everyone knows where I live.
Yeah – the anonymity of a big city (and its abundance of
good eateries!) – is something I clearly miss at the moment. I know that it is
natural, that it is part of the adaptation process; I realize that missing
something from home will always be around during my service, so I’m not shocked
or upset by it. It’s like missing your old love, but not the actual person –
it’s missing the feeling of contentment and excitement, and reminiscing good ol’
days without focusing on any negative aspects of the relationship. And this is
how my urban nostalgia is currently functioning: I long for my favorite places
in Boston, Cambridge and Philly with their snowy streets, twinkly lights and
other winter delights, but I do not miss winter traffic and curses of
commuters; I do not miss being stuck in the office, or constant bombardment of
ads on T trains; I do not miss city loneliness (which is different from the
anonymity that cities give you). Also, I know that even if I could take off to
US just so I could satisfy my cravings for Yuengling lager or scones from
Flour, it is not enough of a reason for me to come back to the US, even for a
little while. In fact, it will be pretty ridiculous. So, in times like these, a
Skype call from a friend and a bottle of Club at a local spot would do a trick.
Besides, it is pretty warm where I am, and I do not have to shovel any snow.
Sorry-o.
No comments:
Post a Comment