This one is for IP… I just know you’ll love it!
I arrived yesterday to my hotel, in Costa Mesa, California, for a conference. I hadn’t set foot in the States for a year, and it's been almost two since I have moved back to Canada.
Today, I gave my talk, attended a couple others, and met with friends from grad school. Then there was the reception, but I left early to wait for my dear friend Viviane who’s arriving tonight (I’m still waiting as I am writing these lines, looking at the automatic doors every time someone comes in).
As I don’t want to miss her arrival, I am now comfortably sitting in the lobby area. But suddenly I have to pee. Instead of going back to my room, at the end of the hall on the fourth floor, I go to the front desk and ask…
- Is there a washroom close to here?
- A laundry room? Yes, down the-
- No, a washroom.
- ...
- It’s just that I don’t want to go back to my room, so is there a washroom around?
- To wash clothes?
- No. A wash-, a bath-, a restroom.
- Oh yeah, just around the corner.
I look at the clerk with a satisfied and amused smile, go to the washroom, and come back to the lobby. I’m now back to pacing back and forth (except to write these lines), waiting for my friends, with a huge smile on my face. Coming back to the US has made me realize that I have, after all, arrived home, except not here.
I arrived yesterday to my hotel, in Costa Mesa, California, for a conference. I hadn’t set foot in the States for a year, and it's been almost two since I have moved back to Canada.
Today, I gave my talk, attended a couple others, and met with friends from grad school. Then there was the reception, but I left early to wait for my dear friend Viviane who’s arriving tonight (I’m still waiting as I am writing these lines, looking at the automatic doors every time someone comes in).
As I don’t want to miss her arrival, I am now comfortably sitting in the lobby area. But suddenly I have to pee. Instead of going back to my room, at the end of the hall on the fourth floor, I go to the front desk and ask…
- Is there a washroom close to here?
- A laundry room? Yes, down the-
- No, a washroom.
- ...
- It’s just that I don’t want to go back to my room, so is there a washroom around?
- To wash clothes?
- No. A wash-, a bath-, a restroom.
- Oh yeah, just around the corner.
I look at the clerk with a satisfied and amused smile, go to the washroom, and come back to the lobby. I’m now back to pacing back and forth (except to write these lines), waiting for my friends, with a huge smile on my face. Coming back to the US has made me realize that I have, after all, arrived home, except not here.
