Sunday, March 19, 2017

Hair and other stories

She's over Canada right now, according to Flight Stat. She's been on planes since yesterday, and will certainly be exhausted when we pick her up from the airport tonight, while I will be elated to have her home. She seems to have had a fantastic time during her ten days in Shanghai, Bangkok and Krabi. I hope her jet lag won't last too long because in ten days she'll be packing up and moving into her own place. My babies are all grown up! After all the trial runs of college and summer camps and trips abroad, the nest will soon truly be empty. I'll let you know how that goes.

It's later now.

She walked out of customs wearing loose batik pants bought for $5 on a beach in Krabi, and a smile like the sun, even though it was already midnight. Her boyfriend rode with us to the airport to surprise her, except she knew he'd be there, and didn't believe him when he texted her while she was inside waiting for her bag, and said he couldn't make it. They burst out laughing and hugged and rocked when they saw each other. They're sweet together.

Her Senegalese twists held up well; in fact she said she might never again travel without them, they were so easy to manage. Her hairstyle was the source of great curiosity in both China and Thailand, with people asking to take pictures with her, and some women actually touching her braids while chattering at her in the language she couldn't understand. She assumed they were asking permission. My daughter didn't get offended. She found the whole thing amusing, even when, on a bus from the plane to the terminal in Shanghai, a group of older women surrounded her, asking her questions and examining her twists. One woman even began to unravel the stands of one braid until my girl smiled and removed the braid from her hands and said simply, "No."

In Thailand she and Gabby did everything, including taking a boat out to the eight islands, spires of rock rising out of the blue green water, which  always look so majestic and serene in photographs, but when you actually go there, our girl said, "It's Disneyland." Lots and lots of tourists. But everyone very considerately steps out of the way of other people's photographs, so the pictures shown back home perpetuate the impression of isolated serenity. Then there was the dog she made friends with on the morning she and Gabs woke before dawn to go down to the beach and watch the sunrise. The dog seemed to be waiting for them, and followed them down to the shore. His eyes were "kind and magical" my daughter said as she scrolled to a photo of the dog and herself with noses almost touching, gazing into each other's eyes. She promised me she didn't kiss the strange dog, though they definitely bonded. There were many more stories before she turned in at past 2 am. She has work in the morning.



14 comments:

  1. I looked forward to the empty nest, in a way. Then the whole damn tree blew down. I think your empty nest will be serene and happy, and will fill back up from time to time so you remember to relish the quiet calm

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  2. Oh, I know you will be so happy to have her home!
    We'll talk about that empty nest later on.

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  3. Just a heads up that you may not mind the empty nest ... you may, but you may not, too :)

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  4. She's back already?! It seems like she just left. I'm sure it doesn't seem that way to you. :)

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  5. Wow, she has some wonderful stories to share, glad she's safely back and happy and looking forward to her next adventure.

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  6. Glad she had a wonderful trip and made it home safe!

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  7. What a fantastic homecoming! I would love to see the picture of her and the dog. It's funny how, when I'm in Mexico, I love meeting animals and becoming friends with them from a cat to a dog to a hermit crab to turtles. It can be magical!
    I love her braids!

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  8. I would have waved if the knew she was over Canada.

    She promised that she didn't kiss the dog! I'm getting my hair done and this made me laugh! 😂

    I'm not unenjoying the empty nest. A new invented word by me. It was a little hard at first.

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  9. She is so so pretty. I'm sure this will remain one of those trips of a lifetime. That's funny about her hair. People around the world appreciate differences but sometimes get a little too close. I'm glad she's home safe and sound.

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  10. Work in the morning? There's testimony to the resilience of youth.
    Glad she is back safe and sound. That's so sweet that they wanted to touch her hair, she was a treat for them.

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  11. Wow! What a wonderful trip, and I'm kind of floored that she's moving into her own place. It doesn't seem possible that that young girl is now off on her own. Oh, mama. How are we going to do it? I'm right behind you, you know?

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  12. What an excellent trip! I would love to see a photo of your beautiful girl with the magic dog. She must have a kind and understanding spirit if she didn't mind strangers touching her hair. Glad she is home safely and ready for the next big adventure.
    Xoxo
    Barbara

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  13. I'm so happy to hear she had a great trip and got along just fine and is home safe. Her braids are as lovely as she is, no wonder people wanted to touch them :) I hope your transition to the empty nest is an easy one, and you find everything you need to fill the quiet. It is so much sweeter, seeing them and spending time with them after missing them. Of course, mine aren't truly gone yet, just coming and going in waves. I'm floating along, trying to enjoy whatever comes next. xoxo

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  14. The hair is absolutely gorgeous. How happy you are she's home and safe!Congratulations on her new place and your new empty nest! XOXO

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