I had come up with many interesting things to write in the past few days I have been back in Helsinki, but I have come to let them pass as fleeting thoughts without ever writing them down. They could have been great stories I made up or they could have been even better true events, none of which seem to matter now as I write. The first entry for a second journey.
In these last few days, I have revisited several familiar places only to be plunged into longing for my friends. Some of these places are no longer there and now I find that I am seeking the solace of a new place, a new environment. Something unfamiliar to ease the pain of remembrance. But I must be clear, this is no saddening pain, for I am happy to be back in such a magical place and I am happy to have shared in memories of the past. This pain from which I speak stems from growth, from change. A side effect from the natural procession of student into teacher, stranger into friend.
We met Martti today at the market after he asked to sit down and join in a shared appreciation of the day, the sun beaming down on my one-euro coffee and also onto Bailey's new two-euro sunglasses. After perceptively guessing that we were architecture students, Martti explained that he participated in an exchange program when he was in high school. He is much older now, and, though he did not say it out loud, I could tell he wanted to go back to the states. His pain was familiar to me as I have seen it cycle through the faces of every person who traveled with me two years ago when asked by prospective students, "What is Helsinki like?"
I am longing for my friends as I am growing fonder of my new ones. Traveling is interesting that way, and so is growing up.
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