Wednesday, November 5, 2014

A Whirlwind Trip to the States


I'm sitting in the Detroit airport ready to go home.  By home I mean

Moscow.  In the last fifteen months it really has become that--home.

But being back in Michigan was good--really, really good.
I made this trip specifically to check out colleges with my daughter.
I had no intention on returning to the states during our two year
post, but Maddie is a senior and she has some big decisions to make
that we couldn't simply do using only the internet.  I don't know
where the time went, but here I am enjoying my last days having her
around all the time.  The girls and I were a brew of excitement only a
week ago as we sat in the Moscow airport at the beginning of this
journey.  We were laughing and giggling and talking about all the
things we would do during the week.
It hit me how far away we have been when we arrived in New York and
had a bit of time to grab a snack between flights.  We stopped at a
kiosk and all three of us stood there frozen, staring at the selection
of foods.  Finally Elena whispered "there are so many choices."  That
broke the spell and we began to marvel at all the products available.
The shock didn't stop there.  After arriving in Detroit we went to get
our rental car.  By the time we made it through the line Maddie
exclaimed at how nice everyone was.  Yes, this was in Detroit!
Russians have a reputation for being harsh, stoic people, but I also
think the barrier I create by not speaking their language adds to the
general feeling of isolation from society that we often feel.  My
wonder of America did not stop as I pulled onto the highway.  There
was so little traffic!  I could just sit back and relax as I drove.
Certainly the three lanes in my direction were busy with cars, but
after walking daily along the five lanes in each direction of bumper
to bumper traffic on the ring road just outside the embassy, this
driving was a breeze.  I had forgotten the wonderful feeling of a car
and long stretches of road!



We accomplished everything I had hoped during this trip.  We started
in Lansing with Damon where my parents joined us for the day.  It was
warm (compared to the snowy, frozen land we had left behind) and we
walked around the MSU campus enjoying the pre U of M game atmosphere.
 I happily showed the girls my old dorm room.  We splurged at The
Student Book Store on sweatshirts for all.  My mom graduated from MSU,
Chad's mom, Chad, myself and now Damon is a student.  We have a lot of
family history in this one spot.  The last MSU sweatshirt I owned was
25 years old and is long gone.  We watched the band warm up.  I sat on
the grass with my fingers buried deep in the green blades.  The fall
leaves glimmered like golden coins catching the sunlight.  An autumn
rainbow of colors floated to the ground as the breeze gently tore them
from the branches.  I have missed the red and orange colors of fall.
Moscow falls are beautiful but very yellow.  We followed the band past
Sparty before heading over to visit with a friend at a tailgating
party.  Marching bands are distinctively American.  They are energetic
and full of pomp.  Everything felt right.  The city still fits and
brings back warm memories of happy, carefree days.
I was able to see Damon's room, meet some roommates and friends, go to
church with him and get a little taste of his life at college.  He has
found a wonderful group of people to share his life with.  Now when he
mentions a name or place or activity I will have a little nugget of
information to roll around in my mind and create a picture.
Maddie wants to study American Sign Language and become an
interpreter.  She had the opportunity this week to visit college
classes, meet with academic counselors, shadow an interpreter for a
morning as she interpreted at a high school, and spend a night in a
dorm room.  We are going home confident about studying ASL.  I think
she has narrowed her decision down to two schools and just needs to
sit with the information and experiences for a bit before making a
decision.
We visited family enjoying the life of a house full of kids.  Games
came out and my girls were willingly led to floor where pieces were in
piles.  The air was filled with little voices asking questions and
small hands pulling us in different directions to get us up to speed
on their lives.  It's a busy house but I'm so glad things slowed down
for one night so we could visit.
I grabbed moments here and there to visit with friends.  The easiest
thing turned out to be meeting with a group of women for dinner.  I
only got a few minutes to catch up with each person, but the hugs
spanned the time and distance and will carry me with fond thoughts.
The laughter and spontaneous conversation will ring in my mind for
months to come.
I knew my time to shop would be limited so I came prepared with a
detailed list.  We packed lightly--even packing our carryons inside
the check through luggage so we would have lots of space.  Our first
shopping experience was squeezed between two appointments.  There was
a Walmart across the street so we ran in with my list in hand.   The
first thing that hit me was "All those silly videos about the people
of Walmart are so true."  It was a shock that I am still trying to
erase from my memory.  We did great sticking to "the list" but then we
hit the Christmas aisle.  I think it had just been created because
each item was neatly in its place.  Nothing was strewed about or out
of order.  All the fabulous new designs and products for the season
were too enticing.  The girls and I loaded up on gift tags and bags
with the comment that we would have space to squeeze it into on the
return trip home.  Thus the gluttony of shopping began for me.  I
actually did a marvelous job sticking to my list, but I simply hate to
shop this way.  There was no time to shop for my favorite item or the
best price.  The pile continued to grow uncontrollably and this
morning as I was shoving and weighing and sitting on suitcases it just
felt like my bags were vomiting my glutenous behavior of the week.
Living with a feast or famine mentality when it comes to things is
rough for me.  I want to stay balanced and content, but a one week
trip home throws me completely off kilter.  I was so relieved when the
checkin computer at the airport said I got two suitcases per person.
That was contrary to what I read online, but I was not going to point
that out to the airline.  We gladly checked our overstuffed carryons.
So now I am headed home.  I am exhausted from this whirlwind trip, but
I am deeply satisfied with how every element came together perfectly.

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