Return to Kosovo

Today is Thursday. I'm leaving on Sunday. As always before a transcontinental departure, I have conflicting emotions. I'm excited to be returning to Kosovo and continuing my work there. On the other hand, I'm tired of missing the day-to-day stuff that continues stateside during my absence. For example, I checked out my friend Marc's new shop space (he & his wife are opening up a new business , EcoReno, in downtown Reno specializing in eco products). I'm so excited for their new venture, which should be opened in the next month or so. But I won't be able to go to their opening. I won't be able to shop at the store or pop in just to say hi. I'll be thousands of miles away.

Don't get me wrong. I am incredibly satisfied with my life and the choices I've made. But every once in a while, I wish that I could be more present in the lives of the people I care about. Here's another example: During this past year, my dad only saw me for seven days (and all of those were in a row). Even if I still only saw him 7 out of 365 days, wouldn't it be better if those days were spread through out the year?

As I finish packing my bags and making sure I haven't forgotten to buy anything, my thoughts keep drifting over the great people that I know. I wish I could have spent more time with each of them while I was in town. I'm pretty lucky, though. Even though I'm away for months at a time, everyone is always happy to see me when I return. I love my friends for that.

I'm finished with this melancholic drama. Please think of me on Sunday as I first hurtle across the country (Reno to Denver to Chicago) and then across the Atlantic and Europe (Chicago to Vienna to Pristina). It'll take me about 25 hours to get to Kosovo, whereupon I'll be trying to stay awake during a dinner I was invited to the night of my arrival. I won't make it back to my apartment until Tuesday. It's going to be a long few days. Wish me luck!

PS: A lot of people have been asking me about the Bridge to Nowhere. Here's the link to the wikipedia article. The only other thing I have to say about it (without getting into the political side of it) is that the bridge was supposed to link the Ketchikan airport with Ketchikan (each is on a separate island). It wasn't just a bridge for a paltry population of 50 to drive back-and-forth on.