Journal Entry 43

January 5th, 2005

"Abracadabra"

I’m in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Home. It’s been an interesting month. On 07DEC, I flew from Slovenia to London. On 11DEC, I flew to Germany and crossed by boat into Switzerland. On 14DEC, I flew to Washington, D.C. On 19DEC, I flew to Minneapolis.

Believe it or not, this was the cheapest and most convenient way to connect Ljubljana to Minneapolis.

London. I stayed with my friend Angel (Malaysia, Indonesia) who lives in central London. Four days of long walks, a couple museums, some pubs, the underground. I loved it. Never realized how much character London and all its neighborhoods have. And being back in an English-speaking country was great. I could read all the signs, catch pieces of conversation on the street, ask questions. My last night there, the two of us met up with Chris (Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea), a nice reunion.

Off to Switzerland. Met my friend Jeremy (Nepal). We spent a bit of the weekend at his family’s vacation home high up in the hills. The highlight was sitting out in the yard on lawn chairs, a clear cool day, seeing dozens of snow-capped peaks in the distance, rising above the cloud-filled valley. The day before I left, I met up with Nicole (New Zealand, China) in Zurich, where we spent a long day wandering around the city and eating raclette (traditional Swiss dish of melted cheese with potatoes and other vegetables).

Then my flight to America. I panicked a bit. Though nothing/no one was keeping me, I really didn’t want to return, and was stuck in a dark mood. Honestly, I would’ve cancelled my return had it been possible that morning. Going home felt like a betrayal of sorts, and I felt stuck on the up-ramp of a roller coaster that I couldn’t get off as I sat in that plane.

But since that moment, life’s turned into a whirlwind and I’ve had little time to think since. I landed in Washington, DC, home of my friend Kris (from Minnesota, but visited me in India and Myanmar). Five days in the nation’s capital was a great reintroduction to the USA. Free museums, a tour of the Capitol, long walks and talks. Our last night in DC together was late, and a bit fuzzy, making my flight home, to Minnesota unfun.

Minneapolis, the city where I spent eight years of my life prior to this trip. It was so foreign. I couldn’t make sense of the buildings, the roads. It was like a dream where everything is just shifted a bit, and you can’t quite grasp anything, and it generally just makes little sense. Anyway, I hitched a ride with a guy I met on the city’s new Metro line and ended up at the home of an old college roommate. Nobody in Minnesota knew I was back, including Mike, the guy on whose doorstep I stood, hoping for a place to sleep.

In typical Brian-fashion, I promptly broke a rib as I did some sort of running tackle/hug of my friend as the door was opened for me. Dammit. Anyway, the surprise went well. I spent the next week dropping in on people, having friends set up surprise meetings for me in random places. Quite fun. Christmas Eve, I went to my hometown, arriving at 7pm, and surprising my parents who were just about to sit down for Christmas dinner.

Here’s a quick primer on Minnesota weather: I arrived late on a Sunday afternoon and it was -2 F (-19 C). The following day, we had freezing rain that left a slick layer of ice on all the roads. The day after, it snowed a bit, and the temperature dropped to below 0 F (-20 C), where it stayed the rest of the week. I won’t soon forget walking around Minneapolis without a hat and gloves on that day when the windchill was -28 F (-33 C). But here, we pride ourselves on the ability to complain about the weather, and we do nothing about it.

So I’m back. And that’s it, I guess. I’ve met up with many friends, old and new. Life is hectic—unpacking and going through photos and running errands and visiting people. The rib begins to heal. And quickly, the misty veil lifts and things snap into place, feeling normal once again, whether I want them to or not.

“Anyone can tell the difference between farewell and goodbye.” (Jose Saramago)

 

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