Mom wrote me on Inauguration Day, saying how patriotic she felt. I know what she means. I was listening to the news this morning, President Obama's speech, and all the nationalistic songs. It made me feel hopeful. It made me feel excited about the future of America and the world. I was singing "O Beautiful" as I made my lunch, and I was choking myself up! O Beautiful, the World! O Beautiful, Zimbabwe! O Beautiful, four more years of Barack Hussein Obama! O Beautiful, Americans who voted for him.
Because so much of my life, I have not felt proud or hopeful. Sure, there is a lot to be proud of, but living abroad, talking with people from different countries that experienced policies of American leaders in not nice ways, I have felt ashamed. And if I'm honest with myself, it bothered me. I was not a flag-waving American, hand over heart, pledging allegiance with a tear in my eye. I did not feel happy. I felt cynical. I wanted to love where I come from, who my people are, who I am - but the face of America did not represent me or things I believe.
But now? Did you know that healthcare reform passed? Did you hear the President speak with conviction on reducing gun violence? Just yesterday, did the leader of my country say that climate change is a real threat and that the US needs to take the lead in developing clean energy?
But we have always understood that when times change, so must we; that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges; that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action.
He is preaching to the choir! Hello, community organizer, my brother! My fellow citizen!
They say expressing gratitude is good for your health and everyone else's, so I'm going to not be critical right now. I'm just going to soak this up and feel grateful. It's a pleasure.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Friends in Foreign Lands
New Year's Eve I found myself, legs draped over a case of beer, in the back-back of a bullet-proof SUV with another American mom on our way to a party. Country music came from an iPhone of a Texan marine sitting in the middle with our husbands. Somehow the American-ness of the talk, the sense of humor, the music, the behavior was surprising. Why? It dawned on me that I hardly ever hang out with groups of Americans. [Granted, the crew we were with have big personalities. American Mom J is brilliant and boisterous. She and the Texan were first on the dance floor, and I promise you, I have never in my life seen a man dance the way he did to "I'm Sexy and I Know It." Must have practiced in front of a mirror for months. I just stood there frozen, peeking through my fingers and giggling.]
Living like we do, here and there, for a few years at a time, we make friends from different places - a lot of them expats, too. This has always been a perk of our transient life, the downside being that we have to say good-bye. It can, in some ways, hinder the development of a friendship (the end will come so why invest too much), but it can just as easily intensify it (no strings attached, no predetermined assumptions about each other to get around). Curiosity about each other is deep - not only is this a unique person like anyone - but they are literally foreign, a totally different upbringing in a totally different environment. What was that like? And amidst that weirdness, finding common interests seems all the more special.
David and I were thinking about the friends we've had since we started this life together. I'm talking about the ones we were close to, the ones we went out with on the weekends, had over for the afternoons into evenings and all nighters for the family. The ones we traveled with, listened to and comforted in hard times, and confided in. They are from England, Belgium, The Netherlands, Austria, Zimbabwe, Germany, Palestine, Jordan, Denmark, Canada, Portugal, Ireland, India, Serbia, Italy, France, South Africa and yes, America.
Some of them are here now, but most of them are far away in other countries, and it will take a lot of luck and money to see each other again. But it's not impossible - take Clem, for example, an Italian who worked with David in Kosovo and Afghanistan has overlapped with us in Jordan and Zimbabwe. Reunions, as always are special - I just spent time with Austrian friend from Zim, Bettina, who had relocated to South Africa. For my 40th, we saw English friends from Jordan, Ben and Caroline, in Oman. Good, special times!
With email, Facebook, blogs and Skype, it's actually possible to keep in touch. So this is to you, friends! We love and miss you, and feel very lucky to have gotten to know you. As always, hoping our paths cross again...xo
Here are some of you...
Living like we do, here and there, for a few years at a time, we make friends from different places - a lot of them expats, too. This has always been a perk of our transient life, the downside being that we have to say good-bye. It can, in some ways, hinder the development of a friendship (the end will come so why invest too much), but it can just as easily intensify it (no strings attached, no predetermined assumptions about each other to get around). Curiosity about each other is deep - not only is this a unique person like anyone - but they are literally foreign, a totally different upbringing in a totally different environment. What was that like? And amidst that weirdness, finding common interests seems all the more special.
David and I were thinking about the friends we've had since we started this life together. I'm talking about the ones we were close to, the ones we went out with on the weekends, had over for the afternoons into evenings and all nighters for the family. The ones we traveled with, listened to and comforted in hard times, and confided in. They are from England, Belgium, The Netherlands, Austria, Zimbabwe, Germany, Palestine, Jordan, Denmark, Canada, Portugal, Ireland, India, Serbia, Italy, France, South Africa and yes, America.
Some of them are here now, but most of them are far away in other countries, and it will take a lot of luck and money to see each other again. But it's not impossible - take Clem, for example, an Italian who worked with David in Kosovo and Afghanistan has overlapped with us in Jordan and Zimbabwe. Reunions, as always are special - I just spent time with Austrian friend from Zim, Bettina, who had relocated to South Africa. For my 40th, we saw English friends from Jordan, Ben and Caroline, in Oman. Good, special times!
With email, Facebook, blogs and Skype, it's actually possible to keep in touch. So this is to you, friends! We love and miss you, and feel very lucky to have gotten to know you. As always, hoping our paths cross again...xo
Here are some of you...
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| Holly in Sudan |
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| Ben and Caroline with Emily, Oliver and Alex in Jordan |
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| Bettina with Noah in Zim |
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| Clem, Seb and Olivier in Zim |
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| Chuck, Andrea, Olga and Jovan in Zim |
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| David with Ammar in Jordan |
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| Melissa and Mike in Zim at the traditional handing over of the BBQ/braai to our guests |
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| Jim, Jesse and Maaike in Sierra Leone |
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| Great going away party: me with Joanna, Falastin and Andrea in Jordan |
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| Caroline with Jonathan in Zim |
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| Sheryl in Zim |
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| Katrien with Tarek in Sudan |
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