Well, the journey has begun! I'm in Philadelphia, enjoying the strangeness of the PHL airport. Ordering my white mocha from a staff of all black baristas and the way it came up -- WAyut MO-Ka fur Jaaaaaaaaiyne (with practically a full octave ramp up) was amusing, as were the tanned ankles and loafers without socks on the men I passed by on my way to said coffee. Some nationalistic and patriotic shirts in the kiosk made me wonder what country I was in, and if it's the same country I'm from. Certainly feels very different! My ethnographer/ethnologist brain is already engaged and I'm quietly observing speech patterns and fashion trends, which are as different as if I were in Bulgaria! It's funny how a southern drawl in Frankfurt after two weeks in Eastern Europe feels very much like home, but this different mix of ethnicities, t-shirts, and foods does not. Thank goodness I'm headed toward the familiar Northern lands of confident, singing, barefoot teenagers with unshaven legs & carefree spirits!
Meanwhile, two pairs of big, round eyes will be waiting for me for a long time. I got the "you're not leaving again, are you Mom?" looks from Aria before I left and it just about crushed me. I'm not sure Pangaea will be too bothered. Good thing they are good hands for ten weeks! Next stop, Burlington, VT, and then Marshfield.
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