Endings are generally sad occasions... the end of August... the end of summer holidays... the end of summer... all made me sad this year. August was filled with family visits, much laughter, gigantic green trees that kept our house pleasantly cool, and seafood so amazingly fresh you'd swear it jumped out of the Atlantic onto your plate. Summer holidays meant doing things like tourists, even if it was only in our still fantastic hometown of Toronto... double decker bus tours... dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe... shopping in the Eaton Center. And summer itself... yes it was hot here in Tirana- over 40 celsius almost every single day since the beginning of June- but the end of summer means the beginning of winter, and with winter we'll have many cold days and nights and even less electricity available. Not something to look forward to.
Yes, I'm back in Albania. I arrived last night after a very long journey home. There were several times on the flights when I swallowed my tears and talked myself out of the overwhelming sense of sadness. Somewhere over the Atlantic my sad feelings slowly changed into feelings of excitement as I began to plan this next season of my life. I have a few new challenges on my plate, and new things to learn. And I'm once again with the love of my life, Peter, and my adorable little dog Coco. All of life is a search for home, a place to belong. I am certainly blessed with feeling at home in three places on this planet- Toronto; the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia; and right here in a darkened suburb of Tirana, Albania. Yes, blessed beyond measure, and for this I am grateful.
8 comments:
I just discovered your blog and spent many hours over the Labor Day weekend here in California reading all your archives. My husband, 17 year old daughter and I are going to Tirana for ten days in October, so it is great fun to get a view into the daily life of a very interesting individual there. I loved all your photos and your insights and thoughts. Keep writing. I enjoy it very much!
Marsh
Welcome back home Kim! I know just how you feel. It is always hard to say goodbye, but wonderful to return home too. I thought I was going to drown in my tears as I said good bye to my family at the airport. Now with my cute little niece in our family, saying good bye is harder than ever. But once our plane touched down on Italian soil, I smiled. It was wonderful to be back home.
Having your hearts in two (or more) places can be a curse, but it is such a blessing as well.
Cyn
Lovely post and it's nice to have you back. For me it's always the people that are so hard to leave behind. I can't say that I always look forward to coming back here, knowing that it's going to be two years until I see my "other home" again, but I do relish the rituals that go along with my real life in this place as opposed to that "touristy" feeling you talked about.
I bet you've got a ton of work on your new house to keep you busy now. Photos, please!
I know exactly how you feel! When I'm in one home, even if I'm enjoying myself, there's always something I miss about the others. We are fortunately to have so many places to call home though :)
Ps - Yay for new cameras!
Looks like you have many people understanding what you just went through. I also got through that every time I return from "home" to "home".
Welcome back to Tirana, Kim! Trust will see you again soon - should be back myself next month. As well said by Alison, notwithstanding some difficulties here and there, when in one place one cannot help thinking and longing about the other......
Keep smiling and stay well!
"All of life is a search for home, a place to belong."
That -- almost made me cry...
Kim, these words have never sounded so true to me.
I am happy for you, and wish that I will find a place to call home soon.
Love,
Thanks for each and every comment on this post. It is taking a few days but I am starting to feel "at home" here once again.
Marsh... nice to have you here. I hope the coming visit will be pleasant and a memorable experience for all of you.
Cyndi... I know you know how it feels... we are sisters aren't we?
Christina... Of course it's the people in our lives that give it meaning. Perhaps people are what give us the true sense of belonging.
Alison... I guess that feeling is what keeps our feet itchy!
CanSwiss... isn't good to always know that one of our homes is Canada?
DAI... Looking forward to seeing you back here too!
ITS... I'm pleased to have touched your heart in this small way. I've noticed in so many novels that a main theme is the search for home, a place to belong.
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