Springing Forward!

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Winter is loosening its grip and there are signs that spring is on the way. The daily temperature is creeping upward, with slight dips along the way, but the trend is mostly upward and less often below 0 degrees C (that’s freezing for my American friends!) I can also tell things are changing because I’m seeing more flower vendors on the street selling tulips and the stores have hyacinths, crocus, and daffodils for sale. Easel and I were walking the other day and saw a pussy willow with silvery catkins showing. Walking home from the store, I saw some iris spears nosing up through a patch of bare ground next to a fence.

Just as the weather is making a change, so are Easel and I. We are now two months away from returning home. We don’t have an exact date, yet, but the visas expire at the end of April. We have begun thinking about making the transition back home. What have we acquired here that we will take back home? What have we acquired here that will stay and find a new home? What did we bring that needs to stay? What will Easel’s job be when he returns? How much work will it take to bring our yard back to what we want (we suspect that very little weeding has been done in our absence!) How crazy is the dog going to be when we get home?

Some of those questions are easy. I have acquired some very nice Boleslawiec pottery pieces and they will definitely make the trip home along with the other souvenir items we have purchased along the way. We have a couple of electrical appliances that will not be going home with us and that we will hopefully find homes for here. I brought a LOT of books to keep me company on this journey and the ones I’ve read will be donated to the library I’ve heard they have at the American Embassy. I’ll probably leave some clothes—moving is always a great time to “cull” the wardrobe! Easel’s job in Kansas City is in the process of being developed. We don’t know how it will all work but we are confident that it will be good. As for the yard and the dog, who knows? Just as there were unknowns in coming here, there are unknowns in returning.

I know I’ll be happy to be in MY house, with MY yard, to see MY family, to see MY (American) friends and to play with MY dog. Just a side thought here: I have enjoyed walking through the park and seeing people walk their dogs. I have particularly enjoyed the antics of some of the dogs as they play with sticks or romp in the snow. But, I have been homesick for my dog and to be able to walk her and play with her. The closest I’ve been able to come to being friendly with a dog is when I got to scratch the back of the little pug that lives in our building. He looks like a little old man as he waits patiently for the elevator then, he gets on and turns to face the door to wait for his floor. He usually doesn’t acknowledge us but recently, he came to me as we waited for the elevator—I’ve been exchanging greetings with his master for a while now—and allowed me to scratch his back.

I know we'll face some reverse culture shock. I think it will be hard just having to pay for gas! We use the bus or the tram or the metro so much, we've only filled the gas tank of the car we use a handful of times--in nine months! I probably won't miss walking to the grocery store.

This is a bittersweet time. While we are more than ready to go home, there’s a lot we’ll miss when we leave.