Wheels Down

It's been a busy week, at least in spurts, and slightly bewildering. But I think we may be heading toward level ground.

The trip across the Atlantic was longish, but smooth. We left early last Saturday morning, heading by tram to the train station. On the platform, a church friend surprised us by appearing, bike helmet in hand, asking, "Do you need help with your bags?" Then a dozen more materialized from behind a sign, singing "Auld Lang Syne," but whatever the French version is. What a fun send-off! Aww.

The train to Basel was beautiful, of course, and we had perfect travelling weather, in the 70's, sunny and crisp. We hopped on a bus in Basel - as well as we could hop with 6 bags and 5 carry-ons - that took us out to the airport. In our usual over-efficient way, we had arrived plenty early and so had time to explore outside and inside the airport and find some sandwiches. Finally we were off to London, laid out like a map below us, where we waited a few hours and then headed to Chicago.

Chicago was a bit of a shock, I have to say. The suddenness of being able to understand all the conversations around us, the warm, midwestern summer air, the fitting our luggage into the back of a truck and finding ourselves at Steak and Shake, almost like we never had been in Europe, felt like an amputation. It has been hard to believe at times that this world is still here and continues on - and now the world we've lived in for the past 12 years seems similarly unreal. Is it truly there? Did we live in it?

We spent one night at M's parents, then rolled over to Muncie in about 4 hours, unloaded our bags and a bed, sort of moved in, and here we are. No concept of what the schools are like, no understanding of the community around our edge-of-town apartment, only a vague idea that the big stores around us contain far more than we want to see, no context to set ourselves into. Oof.


Each day has helped a few more things slide into place. Little by little.

Some of the funny-to-me things I've heard our kids say...

"Mail boxes! Just like in the movies."
 (They feel the same way about the school busses.)

"People are so FRIENDLY. Do they talk to you like that everywhere, or is it just in the midwest?"

"Does 'deli' mean delicious?"