little town wonders

So, I have a new blog that I'm addicted to... letters from abroad

Maybe it's just me and my personal connection to the author, but I find this blog a general joy to read regardless of how sporadically it's updated.

Alicia (to me Lisi) is a lovely lady who was one of my first best friends when stretch pants and pigtails were the "in" things. We grew up together from early schooling to high school graduation and I knew her pretty well the whole time. Then we went off to our respective colleges and post-parental-living lives..

However, I've gotten news every year-ish on what she's up to when our mother's talk (along with her younger siblings updates). And the other day mom sent me a link to this blog telling me that Lisi had worked in Hungary and was now in Rwanda teaching. huhwha?!?!

Yup - it's true. And now I'm vicariously living through this blog and wondering what it must really be like.

The girl I knew when we played in her tree house over the stream or watched silly tv with after school is now a teacher in Rwanda! Dang! I think it's rewarding to know that from a small town in "upsate" New York, so many people have gone on to "big" things. I never think of my hometown as a place that creates people that thrive after high school, but I see it happening more and more. From the classmates living in Hawaii or becoming doctors, to myself (yes, for once I'll include myself), to Lisi in Rwanda, to another classmate counting turtles and studying their migratory patterns in Mexico, to the uber-successful Wall Street businessman I ran into over Thanksgiving, to Yale psycho science PhD students, to all the others I don't even know what they're now doing.... I guess the ghosts of my past are doing well!

I just wish there were more ways for me to cyber-stalk the really interesting lives of my classmates and go "wow cool!"

Now back to my daily life of geekitude in Seattle while wishing I was in Ireland... guess I need to make a living to support my wonky travel habits and worldwide relationships.