I’ve been terrible at writing text posts and there are all sorts of excuses. Last weekend, for example, I had my wisdom teeth out - other weekends have been taken over by friends or family. All together, this weekend-disappearance makes for the strange predicament in which I find myself: 2 weeks left in Detroit and 4 weeks left in the U.S.
This weekend has been spent thinking seriously about the practical matters ahead of me: vaccinations and security deposits, packing for two very different climates and leaving room in my suitcases for new acquisitions. I just spent an hour or so at Borders, drooling over photographs and stories about my soon-to-be homes; I sat by the statue in Birmingham across from the library after checking out three books about culture and travel in Laos.
I spent a great evening last evening with friends as a send-off for two of them, a pre-emptive birthday for another and an early Detroit send-off for me. The couple, who is leaving next weekend for their wedding in Utah, honeymoon in South America and new life in LA, doesn’t plan on finding themselves back in Detroit any time soon. As much as they’ve enjoyed their time here, it has been like a year studying abroad: nice, but not home. I, on the other hand, feel quite the opposite. Yes, I realize that I’m going to be away from this place for a year or two or three but I feel completely confident that I’ll find myself back here, after it’s all said and done. I’ve fallen so deeply in love with this place and the people here - especially the people who are as enamored of it as I am - I can’t conceive of this being my only year and a half as a resident of Metro Detroit.
It’s a truly great thing that, even though I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone, I know for certain that I’m coming back.
