Culmination

My arms are still riddled with goosebumps as I recover from watching Martin Luther King Jr's speech replayed today. It is a speech that most of us can quote at least portions of, and that we have heard referred to countless times. But tomorrow, for the first time since this man has had a holiday commemorated after him, will feel almost like a culmination. It took over 45 years, but look what has changed. Look what has become. Watching Barack Obama speak in front of the Lincoln Memorial yesterday was almost absurd with symbolism. A black man, on the virge of becoming the first black president, stands on the spot on which one of the most important moments of the Civil Rights Movement took place, in the shadow of the figure who was responsible for freedom to begin to become a possibility for black citizens of our country.

And although I miss Brussels often, being here as an active citizen during this unprecidented event in history, I feel so grateful I have been here while it transpires. For the first time I was able to vote on Election Day (my first vote had been an absentee ballot in college) and cry while watching the world react to the news of Obama's victory and see our country swell with pride again for the first time in a long time and, tomorrow, watch with bated breath while he is sworn in.
Here is the speech for anyone who feels like reviewing it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk

And here is a fun fact: the most memorable part of the speech, during the second half when MLK first refers to his "dream," is completely adlib. He is making it up on the spot.

And, politics aside, I have another exciting update: There are less than 3 months until I visit Brussels this spring! I can already taste the frites...

Some people can say it better

I love finding quotes, especially when they are able to articulate something better than I can.

“Nothing is more practical than finding God,
that is, than falling in a love in a quite absolute, final way.
What you are in love with,
what seizes your imagination will affect everything.
It will decide what will get you out of bed in the mornings,
what you will do with your evenings,
how you spend your weekends,
what you read, who you know,
what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.
Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.”
Pedro Arrupe

Ode to teaching

It has dawned on me today amidst another day of substitute teaching that I really like teaching. Perhaps this doesn't seem like an entirely mind-blowing revelation, but this realization stood out to me for some reason. I love working with kids again. I guess that makes me pretty lucky to have chosen this for my career. Now if only more teachers were getting sick...

You can take the American out of Belgium...

Today marks the 4 month anniversary of my return to the US. And as a consequence of now being almost completely reacclimated into the American way of life, there are some days that I forget about Europe, or Belgium, or the fact that I lived there for two years. Other days, I miss it. A lot. I have listed dozens of reasons of why I love Europe, and a dozen more about what I had missed about the States. The fact is, after you have lived in another place for a long period of time, and truly enjoyed your time there, it is hard to feel completely settled anywhere, including your original "home." There is a quote that articulates this idea better than I can:

Where We Are
i envy those
who live in two places:
new york, say, and london;
wales and spain;
l.a. and paris;
hawaii and switzerland.
there is always the anticipationof the change, the chance that what is wrong
is the result of where you are.
i have always loved both the freshness of arriving and the relief of leaving.
with two homes every move would be a homecoming.
i am not even considering the weather, hotor cold, dry or wet:
i am talking about hope.
-gerald locklin

Belgium isn't home anymore, but at times I do ache to be back. In the meantime, I am truly enjoying the perks of being an Iowan again.

The cause for the delay in this post is because this is also the first post that won't be read by this blog's most avid reader, my mom, Karen Luthringer, who passed away mid-September. I miss her every day, and acknowledge that without her encouragement (and occasional badgering) many of these blogs would have taken a lot longer to write. :)

American back in America...

A little over a year ago, I was sitting at this exact coffeehouse attempting to tackle this same topic: readjustment to life back in America. The not-so-slight difference being that this adjustment is permanent, rather than a temporary visit. Comparing Iowa to Brussels has become a common occurence, and I constantly find myself irritating my friends with endless phrases that start with "Well, in Brussels..." and "Oh, it's not like that in Europe because..." There are hundreds of differences that I have picked up on since arriving back (tundra-like conditions brought on by air conditioning, the inability to walk to most places, partaking in small talk conversation previously hindered by a language barrier, etc...) but what I think about most often is how what I learned or trained myself to think in Belgium has affected me here. The two biggest lessons I learned thanks to living in Brussels are the following:

1. Not to get worked up over the little things; it will usually work out
2. Take every opportunity to explore; who knows when you'll get this opportunity again

Being a traveler, I had to become accostomed to unexpected delays, encounters, or turns of events. If I had gotten grumpy over every missed bus or every delayed flight, I would have found myself in a state of grumpiness probably 87 percent of the time. I learned that patience and open-mindedness were absolutely ESSENTIAL to surviving my years abroad if I were to try to enjoy myself. How this translates in America is that I learn to check my watch a little less while waiting in line, and smile a little more, even if my vegetables at the restaurant are a little cold. Some things just aren't worth complaining about.

While the first life-altering lesson helps with how to deal with the unexpectedness of life, the second lesson is what helps me enjoy that unexpectedness. I have lived in Des Moines, on and off, for the last 24 years, and it wasn't until I lived abroad that I actually started seeking out new ways to enjoy it. With more freedom to my days, rather than frequent the same cafes and restaurants, I try to utilize every opportunity to try a new place or spend time with new people. And I must say, at times, it's as if I'm living in Des Moines for the first time. While previously, during my high school and early college years, I would complain about the lack of things to do in Des Moines, I know delight myself in driving aimlessly and coming across new coffeshops or parks or hearing about small concerts and obscure events (which is actually how I ended up being able to see my favorite singer Newton Faulkner in a small private concert just a couple weeks ago). My favorite feeling in Europe was that feeling of "how did I end up here again??" a feeling that, with an open mind and lots of free time, I have been able to feel again in Des Moines.

It's certainly a funny transitional period in my life right now without a stable job to bring routine to my day and the failing health of my mother. My limited obligations and practically unlimited freedom have brought an openness to my schedule I am not used to, but I value the opportunities I've been given to spend time with family and fall in love with the city that I had thought I had known so well.

I still hope to add to this blog periodically, thought it will have a different take, probably more reminiscent than retelling. But as long as I can find ways to compare these two fine countries, there will always be more stories to share.

The End of an Era...

...was the title of my last class newsletter sent last week. Thursday officially marked my last day with my students. I am still struggling to grasp that my first year is actually over, and that I made it. And not only made it, but had the most amazing experience a first year teacher could ever hope for. Maybe it was because it was my first class...maybe it was because I don't have another class to compare them to...but I just adored my class and am going to miss them terribly, each individual personality, each sense of humor.
I have to keep this brief, as I am off to Slovenia in just a few hours, but I wanted to touch base before taking off on my last adventure. I will try to include more photos and details from my last days as a teacher at ISB in my next blog.
I am so excited for Slovenia. From what I hear, it's quite small, quite beautiful, and quite filled with lakes and mountains. All I am hoping to get out of this trip is a serene experience with which to say goodbye to Europe. Should be nice. :)

Change

Well, here is a new topic for this blog: politics. Even though I've been overseas I have still, at least for the last 7 months, tried as best I can to stay up to date on the upcoming election. At least in my lifetime, never before has it been so crucial that we elect the right president. Living abroad has given me, I suppose, a relatively unique perspective on our government, becoming almost an onlooker surrounded by other onlookers who are just as passionate about this election as many Americans are. I feel like living in Europe has made me realize just how critical other countries are of our government and how important it is that we have their support.

I was elated to find out Barack Obama will be the democratic nominee. The way I heard about it, too, was a bit random. I will occassionally get ready listening to music on the radio in the morning, even though I usually don't know the music nor do I understand the radio DJ's when they speak between songs. I happened to be listening to a Flemish radio station, tuning out, as usual, to what was being said, when all of the sudden Barack Obama's voice came on stating,"I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for the President of the United States of America." I stopped brushing my teeth midbrush, and waited with baited breath for the explanation, only to be followed with the realization that I didn't understand what the radio DJ had to say to follow. It was an occassion I knew would be very momentous, the announcement of the Democratic nominee, and there I was alone in my bathroom, toothbrush hanging out of my mouth.

Today I listened to Hilary Clinton's speech to officially resign as a democratic nominee and to also endorse Obama. I actually found myself in tears, listening to the grace and humility of this woman as she expressed her relentless support for the very man she had, until just days ago, been rivaling with. I found her speech enthralling, but what stood out to me most was this quote:

"Every moment wasted looking back keeps us from moving forward."

Couldn't be better stated. These will be a very interesting next couple months.

PS: I don't know if this will work, but here is a link where you may be able to watch the video:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/06/07/us/politics/20080607_CLINTON_GRAPHIC.html#

Unspoken Understandings

Living in a country in which I barely speak the language has given me a newfound appreciation for one very important thing: understanding someone without having to speak. I have had to rely on a few things in order to either understand someone or be understood this year:
-My survival level of French
-The fact that almost everyone living here speaks English
-My incredible talent in miming and performing distressed sign language

The latter has been what has allowed me to buy tickets, find a pair of scissors, and even comment on the weather. But it is when all it takes is a look to understand a situation that I have come to appreciate most. This has happened several times, but two times that stand out to me now.

The first was when I, completely in character, was running late to an engagement. I was on my usual springing-on-cobblestone-in-heels mode when I turned a corner and ran past another woman who was doing the same thing. We made eye contact for only a few seconds, but both burst into laughter at the absurdity of both our situations. I keep running to and from places in hopes of achieving the same outcome, but normally am just greeted with looks of confusion, pity, or even hostility.

The second and more recent instance of an unspoken understanding was this morning when I was on my way back from church. I was stopped at a cross walk about ready to cross a rather busy road to get to my house. Parked in the street next to me was a car whose front was edged so far into oncoming traffic that a line of cars began to form, forced to wait until their lane was no longer blocked. The owners of the car, a middle-aged couple, scurried about the car, taking things out and putting things in, almost seemingly unaware of the angry honks directed at them from the line of cars that was steadily growing. They eventually got back into the car, drove out, and even gave a little wave of apology to the lead car, whose driver just glowered at them menacingly. I glanced across the street at a couple who, like me, was enjoying the spectacle and made eye contact with the woman sitting at the table. We both smiled at each other, shrugged our shoulders, and gave a "Wow, wasn't that guy an idiot" laugh.

Language has become something so fascinating to me since I've moved here, and the longer I live here and take visits to English speaking countries, the less I take for granted the fact that there are some places I can go and be understand, and in turn, understand those around me. In the meantime, I will accept the fact that I will not understand a lot of what's going around me, but still appreciate those little moments, fleeting at best, when I completely understand what someone around me is thinking, just by meeting each other's gaze.