In America, the Internet is in English

Hi everyone. I'm in Charlotte, NC, using free American internet. When I logged in to post a new entry, I did not have to try to guess which Polish link to click. That was weird.

I have a few moments until I board the boat plane to Nashville, but I wanted to put up one more post before I'm officially home. I promise I will post a few more things even once I get back, because I still have many pictures to share. The following text is from an e-mail I just wrote a friend. There will be pictures after the break, too.



I'm sitting in Charlotte, NC, using free internet, which is nice. I am feeling really weird being back in the States. Flying into the airport, I was looking out the window, and every few seconds I would change my mind about being glad or disgusted. Seeing all the cookie-cutter housing developments was disgusting. Seeing all the green made me glad. I haven't cried about leaving Poland yet (you'll notice I'm clarifying what I haven't cried about...), but I feel like it will come before too long. I was happy that a man near me was speaking Spanish, so I didn't have to hear too much American all at once.

An amazing thing has already happened to me. In the Frankfurt airport,a man sat down three seats from me. I thought he looked familiar, but wasn't sure. Then I heard his friend call his name, Ossie, and I knew that I had to check. "Excuse me, is your name Oz?" (Yes, it was.) "Do you remember... Do you know Roger Bennett?" I saw the wheels begin to turn behind his eyes, and a look of recognition slowly spread across his face. "Yes — and you're his daughter!" This man is someone I met in 1998 when our family was making a video in Northern Ireland (the first time I went). I've maybe seen him once since then; I'm sure it's been 10 years since I've seen or heard from him. He was coming back from a trip to Tel Aviv, coming to Charlotte, where he lives. His colleague he was travelling with knew my dad also. Ossie said that I look like my dad, and that I also have some of his mannerisms. I like hearing that I look like him, and I agree. But I never heard that I have his mannerisms before, so that made me happy. I told him about Mom remarrying. Oz said some really excellent things about my dad, and that's when I cried. :) I took a picture with him to show my ma. It was just too perfect to be pure coincidence, you know? God is pretty funny sometimes.

I slept a few hours on the flight but my brain is still feeling scrambled. I've found it easy to be kind to everyone so far. Let's hope it sticks when I get back to Nashville.

The following photos are from one day when Krzysiek took me to see some botanical gardens. Though many flowers weren't in bloom, and we missed the greenhouse, it was still very pretty.

Napoleon


Bride and groom. I hope we did not ruin their photos.


Magnolia


I think this is part of a dragon fish


Here we performed a glitch in the Matrix by walking by two old ladies twice.


The first rhododendrons I've ever comprehended


Cute leaves


^-^






These tulips look so cute as babbies


Lemon and flower through greenhouse glass


This man took a picture of me as we walked across the pond on those stones. So I took his picture for revenge.


Nature is so cute.


Prehistoric horsetail ferns. We had them in Alaska too.






Polish mountains


They brought all these rocks up from the mountains, including these awesome fossils


Now, here is something specifically for Rachel. She told me I had to have Coffee Heaven and lody for her. I'm sure I've posted evidence of Coffee Heaven already, so now here is evidence of lody. One beautiful afternoon, Przemek's instructor did not show up to class, so he met me in Old Town.



BEST ICE CREAM. The front one is for me.




:)


Random home group picture. Nats, Li Yan, and Przemek. Last time I had it at my apartment.


So that's all for now. I hope someday I'll be able to do justice to the 3 months I spent there with my words. Until then, I hope the photographs suffice. Keep praying for me, for Nashville underwater, for my friends, for Poland... Nashville, I will give you all some hugs very soon.

Bittersweet,
Chelsea