Yesterday, I woke up to lots of emails in my inbox, literally from all over the world. English, Hindi, Spanish jumbled together in my head as i read one friend's news after another's. I also received a beautiful email from Sarah W about the position of a writer in society... Sarah's writing always makes me feel so understood, it's magical. As the day went on, I received two phone calls from high school friends whom I hadn't been able to get in touch with because they had moved out of the city and I didn't have their new cell numbers. Turns out one has moved back to Delhi and the other will probably be moving back in June, i.e. at least two, and possibly four or five, of my close friends from high school will be in Delhi when I return from Mongolia; I will not return home to a city of strangers. All of that made my day: I felt re-connected to all my different worlds (SUA, Delhi, Mexico and Argentina), and so I felt "at home."

Today, I woke up with a different sense... not a bad one, just a different one. I felt placeless. No, I did not feel the absence of friends from other places: they belong to such a different world that I cannot wish for them to be here; if they were here, my life would simply feel weird and not make any sense. Yet, I missed their presence. I missed the jokes only they would understand, the walks to Peace Lake, the frantic nights studying at the Cup... all the things that I could only do with them, and there, not here. It was a strange feeling, this being unable to wish for them to be here yet missing them there... but I guess I should get used to it because I am defining the next stage of my life through similar processes, aren't I? And it isn't a bad feeling; just strange.

For some reason, these three quotes from a book I was reading ("Write where you are"), looking for exercises to do with my students, made me feel normal again. I can't name the connection, but I hope you find it.

"One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time."
-- Andre Gide

"I've no idea where ideas come from, and I hope I never find out; it would spoil the excitement for me if it turned out I just have a funny little wrinkle on the surface of my brain which makes me think about invisible train platforms."
-- JK Rowling

"You have brains in your head
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
Any direction you choose"
-- Dr Seuss