The photo is from my trip to MN this summer, where we did go to a Twins game at the new outdoor stadium.
It's 5:53 a.m. I am up. I've started a new early bed early to rise project yesterday. Before I woke up I was dreaming about being with Matthew at a baseball game in Minnesota. We were sitting there watching the game when it stopped and it was announced that we were going to sing the national anthem. I thought this was a little strange since it was in the middle of the game, but stood up to stand and placed my hand over my heart. The song started and it wasn't the Star Spangled Banner but some other song that I had never heard of. Everyone knew the words, but me. I thought how strange! They've got a new song now and I didn't even now about it. I've only been away for 4 years and they go and change the national anthem?
A few minutes later the alarm goes off and here I am writing about it.
Thinking about it now I am not surprised about the dream. I've been thinking a lot about America lately. Since the massive snow storm MN had this past weekend it has been on my mind. Not in a homesick way, but in a different way.
I was coming home from work last night and the tube stopped at a station for a while. I was reading a book so the delay didn't bother me. A woman who was standing spoke up and said "I am sorry to have to say anything, but I am due to have my baby in two weeks. Would someone please give me their seat?"
Of course someone did right away. I was so engrossed in my book that I didn't even notice her. I thought that they way she started out that request was very English with the I am sorry...at the beginning of a perfectly reasonable request.
Anyway, she sat down and then after a few seconds the man next to her asked her if she knew it was a boy or a girl and made a little bit of conversation with her, they were both English. It was a nice little conversation between two strangers. It didn't last very long, but it was still nice to over hear. You usually don't hear anyone speaking to each other on the tube unless they know each other.
I looked up over my book at the woman and she smiled at me, which was really nice. I don't know, it was just a rare and lovely moment between people on the underground. It reminded me a little bit of something that would happen in Minnesota. I sometimes miss those nice friendly interactions with strangers.
I got off the tube and walked home thinking about Minnesota. Thinking about all the people and places that were there still going on without me. Even though I was all the way over here, life was still going on. My friends were in their houses, my favourite coffee shop was still there and I am sure they still would be when I get back.
In some ways that's comforting, but it's still strange. It sometimes feels like I've been plucked out of one reality and dropped into another one.
It's a strange experience in some ways to live in another country and be able to view your own country through the lens of an observer. While the storm was happening I watched the KARE 11 news with Matthew and it was so weird. The people in the newscast and they way they were delivering the news was so weird now after watching the BBC. It just seemed so fake.
I had the same sorts of feelings when I was living in London-- that I couldn't possibly fathom that people were existing back at home in MPLS, doing mundane things like walking across campus at that very moment, and that I wasn't there to be a part of it. I would often find myself wondering what various parts of town looked like at that exact minute-- like, I wonder if there's a backup on 94W like there always is on my way to work, or how much snow was piled in the bushes in front of the library. It was the strangest thing, but I can totally understand where you're coming from! And now I find myself wondering about the school that I interned at in London, if it still looks the same and how things are going in the new term, or whatever happened to the homeless man that always sat outside of M&S during my morning walk to the tube. It is the craziest feeling, and I don't know if I'll ever shake it-- but it's nice to hear I'm not the only one that feels it!
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