The Seasons

I’ll be honest, the prospect of living within the tropics for the rest of my life is very low on my life goals right now. Though there is a lot of sun, some good rains (I love the rain!), and the ability to go outside at all times of the year, I’m still a sucker for the whole 4-season model. It is incredibly embedded into my psyche, so much so that I’m not truly realizing the passing of time these days. Yes, it is November 4^th but it might as well be sometime in the spring or summer. We’re in the short rainy season here. I swear, it really messes with your brain to think that the calendar keeps on changing, but the weather doesn’t. You see, my body doesn’t believe calendars so much as it believes in the cycle of getting colder and warmer over a longer time-period. So yes, my sense of time, in the long-term, is skewed. Cool

I miss the cold, and warming up. I miss seeing things like leaves, snow, and steamy breath. I miss frozen lakes, driving in the snow, and bundling up. I miss running and sliding on ice, weather slowing down our busy lives, and hot beverages (being a contrast to the cold, rather than attributing to the heat…). I miss the food that is cooked with the seasons! I miss all our food! I miss walking in the snow and messing around with my friends in it. I miss watching football (not fútbol) games, lying on the couch with my dad. I miss watching the NBA. I miss going to the stadium for baseball games.

There are so many things that I’m missing so badly that I thought I never needed while living in the US. I’m now realizing the things that have become so important to me as I’ve grown up. They haven’t always been altruistically the most meaningful, but the significance that these things have in my life are more important than that. It’s part of my culture. I never used to notice it, but I’m exploring that right now. I’m excited to look into what my culture is because it has seemed so non-existent for so long. I came here thinking I had no culture. I’m okay though cuz I think it might be tough for anyone from the US to articulate their own culture. And by culture, I mean something close to what James Spradley says: “Culture is the acquired knowledge that people use to interpret experience and generate behavior.” I’m not sure if I’m fluent in articulating my culture, but I’m getting there. It’s exciting to me, so I think I’ll keep trying.

As much as I miss things, I know I’m not coming back for another 7 months. I’m not dwelling on the things I miss. I can’t. I just know they are that much more important to me, and they will be that much more meaningful to me when I get back. Maybe I’ll live better that way. I hope you can experience the important things in your life and relish in them. Better yet, I hope you have the experience of not being able to do the things that are most meaningful to you but that it wouldn’t be permanent, so you could go back to them with a renewed passion! If you’re reading this, I probably miss you too! Do write.