How to describe the vacation has eluded me in the whole week I've been home which is why I've waited till I'm half cut on our Monday night bubbles (it was cards night tonight...) before I have a crack at describing my 2 weeks in America.
*sigh* ... America.
It's true, I had a WONDERFUL time. The first meeting with Ash was the subject of much talk on both sides of the world, the fact that there was a bridesmaid in this wedding party who had never met the bride is certainly every bit as challenging to the modern mind as meeting and falling in love online... (and every bit as real actually.)
There you have it, we met for real, on the Saturday I arrived in North Carolina, a week before the wedding (and after 26.5 hours of travelling), she a little late, me just leaving the airport proper for the forecourt hoping she'd be out there. She was (phew) and so, we took one look at each other and picked up exactly where we had left off our last MSN conversation. Did I say exactly? I mean it... exactly.
It no longer strikes me as amazing that friendships can be forged in cyberspace that have every bit as much substance as those founded in person and it's awesome, it gives me hope that in my next epic trip I can meet up with all of the wonderful European people I've become acquainted with in the last year and have every bit as much of a great reunion that I did in Asheville.
So during the week we caught up on all the details you don't go into in cyberspace and I was introduced to McDougal her betrothed. He and I connected every bit as comfortably as I did his Mrs. and the tone of the week was set as the best possible friend/family hanging out and celebrating experience.
Because Ash and McDougal are very highly thought of and respected in their community of faith I was welcomed as well with every bit as much warmth and it was so delightful. I made some great acquaintances there that I have much hope will become great friendships (yep, cyber-friendships) in the years to come.
The week's itinerary included a conference for our American church body and it was wonderful to be a token Aussie in the American conference. It does me good to be reminded that the small part I play in the organisation has wider consequences and a much bigger audience than I usually imagine. I made great friends there too. But Asheville was the highlight, quite apart from its spectacular mountains and foliage (see flickr for evidence (would that I had been there 2 weeks later to catch the best possible autumn colours) but the people were so welcoming and friendly and the landscape so divine it was almost other worldly.
I suspect that part of the cultural difference would be the small town versus ridiculously large city mentality I usually live in and I have to say that it has set me alight to go back there some time. I'd love to closet myself away in the mountains for a month to finish my novel. It so captured me that I have had dreams about it (most unusual - I rarely remember them at all and have had 2 Asheville and Ash ones...eep). So it will be interesting to see what part this gorgeous part of the world will have to play in my future...
The one thing that makes me cautious about any future Asheville plans is the food... check out the flickr set to see what I mean... it's a WHOLE other ballgame to Sydney's light and tasty, fresh is best, healthy alternatives... I'm sure I'd find a way around it, but even back in the early years of my time in the US it's the food that has been the biggest culture shock for me... I'd have to install a home gym (and use it) to live there without causing any more upholstery expansion...
So, there you have it the start of the travelogue... next episode will outline the itinerary, as much so as I don't have to keep track of my journal as because I think you'll find it remotely interesting... cyberspace has it's uses, and they go way beyond simple record keeping and information management...
Cyberspace introduced me to my best American friend...
I heart the Internet...
