several posts in one - by k

just because i haven't posted in a while doesn't mean i'm not always thinking about things to post. sitting on the plane from london to san francisco in december, i wrote a post in my head about chasing the sunset. in my mind, it was a very poetic vision of trying to catch up to the day. we left london in the afternoon when the sun was already going away in that northern winter way. as we went north, we did lose the sun completely and night joined us, but as we headed back down south, there was constantly a fading sky in the distance, until we arrived in san francisco right at sunset, never quite reaching another day. we had to wait until the next morning.

barak already wrote a little bit about our trip, so i'll leave it at that. i'll just add the beginning of the list of the things i'm looking forward to having back in my life in san francisco, and the things i will miss when we leave barcelona behind.

i'm looking forward to: food in general (the diversity, take out, breakfast, trader joe's), being physically closer to family and friends, having a home that really feels like home, the openness of people in san francisco, the kookiness of people in san francisco.

i'm sad to leave: a life without a car. (it's a pain sometimes, but overall it is a lot less stressful.) all the people out and about always. (i love being able to join the throngs of people when i'm in the mood.) eating outside. taking quick trips to wonderful european cities. walking on tibidabo. the friends we have made here. working as a substitute teacher every now and again.

it's 2010 and it is a strange feeling having entered the transition zone again. we're still here, but there is an end in sight. i'm working every day on staying present in this life here, even as we start to deal with some of the details of going back. we've got lots of travel still planned, and i want to keep exploring barcelona, spending time with friends, and enjoying what is unique to this place.