When I moved to be on my own for the first time, leaving Anderson, I wasn't sad or scared and I knew ahead of time that I wasn't going to be looking back. Anderson is not the sort of place you shed a tear for, no matter how many years you spent growing up there (luckily I only needed 14 years (moved there when I was 4)). I planned on fully taking advantage of the fact that I could leave that past where it belonged, and become anything I wanted to in a new city on my own. Which is exactly what I did.
Now that I'm leaving a city I chose, relationships I tendered and cared for and cultivated, and a history I fully created and approve of, it's much more of a challenge to walk away. Portland is very much alive in me. There was a moment on the plane from Seattle to London when a thought came into my head to sever ties just the way I've done before. I was feeling particularly cold and invincible, just for an instant. But of course, one by one I crossed off people I couldn't walk away from. Needless to say there isn't a single person I could actually turn my back on. I know Portland will miss me, and I can't even begin to pretend I won't miss it right back.
The journey to Stuttgart was mostly pleasant. In fact, besides the length of the trip and my lack of snoozes, it was entirely pleasant. The shuttle from PDX to SEA-TAC was short and sweet, and offered complimentary wine and beer. Of course I grabbed a glass of wine, and raised it to first steps to new beginnings. There wasn't really enough time to finish enjoying the glass before they came around with the last garbage collection. The lady asked if I wanted to "hurry and finish" the rest of my glass. I laughed at her, took one more gulp, and gave her the rest.
Once I arrived I spent a couple of hours wandering around that airport, ate a final Whopper, re-recorded my voicemail message to include my email addy, and pondered the wrapped gift in my backpack. Finally we boarded the gigantic aircraft. It was a double-decker; first class had big reclining seats with foot rests and raise-able partitions between each seat. It looked even nicer than it sounds. The rest of the plane had a touch-screen on the back of every seat, so that you could choose your own on-flight entertainment. This included plenty of new-release movies (I watched Slumdog Millionaire and Madagascar 2; they were both great), classic movies, lots of TV shows, and music selections from which you could make your own playlist, listen to full albums, or choose a station to listen to. There was also a "flight tracker," which showed you your position on the globe at any given time, as well as the estimated remaining time of the trip and a few other facts regarding the journey.
The dinner meal was delicious! Some chicken/noodle/spinach/white sauce dish (other choice was pot roast, I believe?), served with a dinner roll, your choice of red or white wine, a small bottled water and a salad of romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes and dried cranberries, topped with a balsamic vinaigrette. Then dessert consisted of a slice of apple pie with some sort of light custard on the side, a fun-size Kit Kat bar and your choice of coffee or tea.
I finally got to open the wrapped box from Drew that's been driving me crazy with curiosity. It was full of lots of thoughtful things that made me both laugh and cry. I very much loved it. Especially the 2 mix CDs that are a Requiem for the Past and an Anthem for the Future. I have never characterized us as being in a "relationship," and I'll continue to refrain since it really was nothing like one, and always had a definite end in sight. But I found that Drew has left a much larger and deeper impression on me than I ever expected he would, and although I never found myself in love with him, I still absolutely love and adore him for everything he's done, and everything it's worth.
I didn't sleep on that flight; I watched a final movie and stayed up to receive breakfast (a croissant with cheese and some healthier version of a candy bar) and tea. We landed in London when it was about 4am in my head. But the sunshine was blatantly disagreeing with me, and so I wanted to punch it. I didn't get much of a view when we were coming in for a landing because I was sitting on a ginormous wing, and the girl at the window didn't open the shade much. I caught my first glimpses of the countryside through a slit in the wing; first it looked like farmlands I've flown over many times, and I was slightly disappointed. Then the scene changed very suddenly; there were tall-ish quaint buildings perched right on the edges of the farmlands, which is not something I've seen. Everything was taller and older and quainter than the scenery I'm used to flying over. I liked it.
The London airport was much busier and larger than any I've been to! Everyone was bustling around. I thought there was a slight chance I'd have trouble getting around, but I'm blaming good design for my breezy passage to the next gate. My final flight, London to Stuttgart, was only a couple of hours long. I was awake only long enough to have a sandwich and tea before passing out for the remainder of the duration. When I awoke we had just come out of the clouds above Stuttgart. I was in the window seat, and looked out to find white all around the buildings and trees. Apparently it's still pretty 'winter' over here...
I grabbed my luggage (thank god) and found Aunt Sandy and little Frankie waiting for me with the biggest smiles I've ever seen. I'm here!! What a wonderful realization. It was a short drive to her house from the airport, and immediately I began noticing the small differences. For instance, a traffic light turns yellow before turning green, as a warning to get ready to accelerate. She pointed out all the restaurants we'll probably be eating at, and the shops she likes to frequent. She lives on a street that's equivalent to any "main street" in USA.
Aunt Sandy's house is beautiful. Like everyone else in the vicinity, the place has a bright red roof with wattle-and-daub siding (hooray for HMC...). In town the buildings and houses go 'up' instead of 'out,' and so I was a little surprised to find that 5 stories would be my new home. After a tour of the house, dinner (spaghetti and salad), dessert (strawberry layer cake with tea), more subtle differences (the toilets have no tank, just a hand-sized button on the wall you press to flush) and a shower, I could no longer fight to stay awake. I'd been up for approximately 23 hours, and traveling for 17 of them. I laid down in my huge comfy bed, curled up with my headphones and the book Coraline, and passed out before I knew it. The clock told me it was about 9 pm, my body told me it was about noon.
Now it's 7:30am and I'm wide awake. I woke up at about 5 this morning. There are blinds you can pull on the outside of the house which draw out ANY AND ALL SEMBLANCE OF LIGHT, making the room a great place to stay asleep, but also utterly disorienting if you don't know where you are when you wake up.
Now I've just had some strawberry cake and tea for breakfast, and I'm feeling drowsy and ready to go take a nap.
I'm happy to be here. :)
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