Home again, home again
Well, I have been Stateside for a little over two weeks now, and everything is, well, normal, and has been since the day I got here. You know, when you're away from home for so long, you build up your return, imagine how everything and everyone has changed, how thrilled everyone will be to see you, visiting people you missed, and when you finally return your wonderful, long anticipated "Welcome Home" ticker-tape parade is....well, nonexistent:
"How was your trip? Everything alright? Good....we're having chicken for dinner, glad you're back. And I need you to take the bottles back for the deposit tomorrow. And don't leave your shoes lying around." Anyway, good thing I never entertain expectations - it usually leads to disappointment. I suppose all homecomings are always a bit anticlimactic. This is reality, not a film.
I haven't done much for most of the time being home, but I suppose that's what I wanted and allotted so much time home for. I made the rounds visiting family, lent a laboring hand where needed, decided what to cook for dinner (it's easier when the cupboards are stuffed with food), dug through my stuff in the attic ("Oh yeah, I forgot I had that!!"), walked the dog, the usual. But I missed doing these things, going to the deli in the morning for a bagel, watching public television, drinking my coffee in the morning watching the river out the window - the dumb little stuff that's no big deal not doing but when you do it again you realize you missed doing those stupid little things, because that's what home is: the big things you don't really miss as much as you think you do and the little things that you miss more than you thought.
While I planned to loaf about a bit immediately upon arriving home, this was (pleasantly, I should add) interrupted by a visit from Kürşad, who I had to put up and show around. Actually, the week he was here was rather nice. I took him to Robert Moses and we went up in the Fire Island Lighthouse (finally), and went to the city drinking beer on the train. He was pretty blown away by the city, as I expected, and exhausted as well, because we hit the walking tour with a vengeance last Sunday morning (Times Square, Queens, Brooklyn Bridge, Chinatown, Little Italy, Staten Island Ferry, NYU, Union Square Park). We only stayed there for two days, but I was glad to show him around and see his eyes all agog at the city. I have to admit, it made me realize that I missed the city a little as well, a big little thing I didn't know I missed.
We didn't do much else besides that because the weather was so cold, so we mostly hung around the house like a couple losers. I feel kind of bad about that. But one day we did get a car, and we drove out to the North Fork to Orient Point in the screaming, biting wind and cold. It sure is beautiful in the winter time. Nonetheless, I think he had a good time here, and my family became quite fond of him and enjoyed his company. We missed him after he left; 30 min later:
"Man I kind of miss Kürşad."
"I was just going to say the same thing!" Mom replied. Well Abi, if you read this, we liked having you here and we miss you. See you back in Istanbul soon.
Finally made it to the top
What up LIRR
Welcome to Brooklyn.....Fuhgeddaboutit!!
The river is frozen, but our hospitality is warm!
So this weekend after Kürşad left, Mum and I drove up to Ithaca to visit Margaret and Chavez in their new house. The drive up was cold but the scenery was lovely, because it snowed pretty much all the way up there, blanketing the sleepy, New Englandish bucolic setting you dream of settling down in. We only went for the weekend, but we had a nice time - we did some hiking up a gorge to a fantastic frozen waterfall, ate some good food, talked a lot, and just took in the town. Ithaca is a nice place, but it is still a big college town, and walking around gave me memories of being at Delaware that made me shiver. Nonetheless, it still was an interesting place to visit. On our way out this morning, we bought some tasty upstate apples, and filled some jugs with clean, refreshing spring water flowing right out of the mountain. It was nice to visit the mountains, but I was more glad to visit Margaret and meet Chavez.
Looks small from down the stream....
...but is much higher than you think when you get up close
Icy mist blasting us in the face
I can still see you!
Up above...
And down below
Cayuga Lake, from Cornell
That last run upstate doesn't spell the end of my country adventures - this week I'll be returning to Delaware to visit my father, and some old friends from high school who, strangely, were happy to hear from me. More anticlimactic receptions to come, but I can't wait for the best one when I get to Italy at the end of the month! (which, of course, will be anything but anticlimactic ;)
Princess Piper really missed me!
