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Twinges of Homesickness

Posted by Stuart at 04:00 PM on December 24, 2004

So what have I done to celebrate Christmas in the cold mountains of North Carolina? It's been a lot of the Three S': Sleeping, shopping, and stuffing my face with my mother's excellent cooking.

I have to admit that I am starting to feel twinges of homesickness now that I am here. The claustophobia in San Francisco that I mentioned a few days ago slowly melted away as I enjoyed meeting up with old friends and going to my favorite restaunts, coffee shops, and walking paths.

The homesickness continued in a grocery store in North Carolina, of all places. To shop in an American-style grocery with all of the name brands that I haven't seen in years: Pop Tarts, Tostitos, Arizona Ice Tea, Samuel Adams Ale...

I realized though, that to move back the the US would take as much time and effort as the move to Thailand in the first place. Can I afford it? What about all my stuff? Where would I work? Where would I live?

I may move back someday, but for now, I don't even want to start down that line of questioning.

Comments

Posted by: Long on December 25, 2004 3:33 AM

Glad to see that you made it back to good ole' NC, Stuart. Enjoy your time with your family. It's been interesting reading your blog.

Posted by: him on December 25, 2004 9:02 AM

I read here:

"Once you’ve lived away from home for long enough, returning comes to seem simultaneously both alien and familiar enough to constitute its own realm of experience. You can never go home, yes, but nor can you ever quite leave."

Posted by: Long on December 26, 2004 11:02 AM

An excerpt from a Dickison poem that you/your readers might enjoy:

"The Things that never can come back, are several --/ Childhood -- some forms of Hope -- the Dead -- / Though Joys -- like Men -- may sometimes make a Journey --/ And still abide --/
We do not mourn for Traveler, or Sailor,/
Their Routes are fair --/ But think enlarged of all that they will tell us
Returning here...

Posted by: Beth on December 28, 2004 12:38 AM

The old saying of "Home is where the heart is," truly epitomizes the definition of home. Being with Mom and Dad and you this Christmas (for FAR too short of a time), was home, for we were all together. My heart is with my family, my loved ones .... the place, the time, the setting make not a difference.

Love you!!!