Howdy-do-dee (as my mum and I sometimes say to each other)!
Well so far August has been amazing, and it is also clearly in a hurry. There are a couple of conversations that we, as human beings, keep having. One of them is the “Can you believe it’s already lunchtime/bedtime/Easter/August/Winter ?!” Considering that our time and calendar systems move in a very predictable way, none of these events should come as a surprise. Of course, perception of time is very subjective, regardless of how objectively it is measured. I for one remember summer holidays as lasting, almost literally, forever. I feel I have more “summer” memories, than I have of any other season, with the exception of Christmas specifically. A lot of people I know feel similarly. This summer has been good, so far, and although it’s taken a turn towards the chillier end of the thermal spectrum, I am still holding out hope for another blast of heat.
I took the bulk of my remaining annual leave in this month, and that was awesome. I went to a festival called Bloodstock (not nearly as violent as the name suggests), and then just spent some time at home. There is a very real delight in being able to live in my pyjamas for 2 days.
There are also two major anniversaries happening in August. On Saturday the 23rd, MoTH and I have officially been homeowners for a year. Yes, we are slightly freaked out about how long it’s been already. There are still a few weeks to go before we have LIVED here for a year, which is good because it gives me time to unpack the very last boxes, haha!
This next anniversary is so important to me that I actually find it hard to find the right words. Ten years ago this month (clearly so long ago that I cannot remember the exact dates!), is when my four best friends and I found each other. Although not really. Well, kinda. Three of us had already met the previous year, as we were in the same class in high school. So we were already friends, but it took an additional two people to forge us in to this pentagonal force of awesomeness.
These four ladies have really spoiled me, and have set the bar of friendship really high. You know that kind of friend who knows your history and where you’re coming from? I have four of those. We don’t always agree on everything (which is good!), but we provide a forum for each other to vent about the world. The sad thing is that we haven’t all been together in one room since… Christmas 2006 or 2007? We have met up separately (though not as often as any of us would like!), but it’s tricky to plan a “reunion” (were we ever really separated though? I mean really?) when we’re spread across three different countries. I think communication has been key in keeping our friendship going! We started off with group emails and chats via MSN. Then came Facebook, which helped a lot too, I have to admit! And now with mobile technologies like WhatsApp and SnapChat it is so much easier to communicate about the small things again. Maybe in the past we would have saved up for the group email, relayed the big(ish) news or ideas. Now I can just text them a picture of me doing my nails. It may seem intensely trivial, but that one picture can spark a twenty minute conversation about how we’re all doing and what we’re up to. One of my friends is doing awesome science at Columbia University, and when she sends a photo of the beautiful campus grounds on a sunny day, I feel like I know a little bit more about how she’s doing. And isn’t that what friends are supposed to know? :-)
The downside of having super awesome friends like these ladies, is that I sometimes fail at initiating and engaging in friendships here in my immediate vicinity. Learning to be friends with someone new as an adult is something I find slightly intimidating. When are we “friends”, exactly? When we become Facebook friends? How many nights out does it take? How do you even ask someone to be your friend? I met a lady who came in to my office, she was fabulous and after 5 minutes we were already talking about the varying infrastructures of the different European countries. I mean.. who does that? I wanted to be friends with this lady, but because of the work scenario I was in, I didn’t feel I could ask “so do you wanna hang out and get coffee some time?”. Because, seriously, if the cashier say, Tesco, or the Post Office did that to you, you would say “Uhm…. no… thanks, I have…. stuff… to do” and quickly run away, right?
I suppose one way to Friend, is by connecting over a shared hobby. But I don’t really have a hobby (I must do something about that)! I will figure it out eventually!
Bottom line: I miss my Clan (you know who you are), but I know we’re all off doing the things we need to do for life purposes. I love that we visit each other, and that we talk as much as we do. I hope that one day we’ll all live in the same country again! :-)
