Comments on: When Transience met Permanence http://www.owlspotting.com/2007/05/30/when-transience-met-permanence/ Writings and whereabouts Fri, 29 Aug 2008 19:24:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Elena http://www.owlspotting.com/2007/05/30/when-transience-met-permanence/#comment-31193 Elena Tue, 05 Jun 2007 09:16:01 +0000 http://www.owlspotting.com/2007/05/30/when-transience-met-permanence/#comment-31193 Fabulously well put, I should say! Thank you, for writing! It's good to know that u are not alone, and somebody else is experiencing the same sort of feeling as you. After reading your posts I dare say you enjoyed your time in the States to the max. Even more than me, I should say for reasons it is not worth spending the time to explain right here. However, it's interesting to see how you went ahead and bought home appliances. I did almost the same stuff. I bought bedroom furniture a week after my return to Bucharest, right before buying Christmas presents... And this was out of a need to own smth after switching apts and houses (3 in 3 years), buying and discarding Goodwill furniture, let alone hand-me-down sort of type vacuum cleaners, irons and things of that sort... Basically, After almost 6 months since my return home, I cannot really define Bucharest as home, although it's been my home since I was born. Funny huh, how 3 years of one's life (spent in the States) can define you better than the many more years that basically represent your life... What's even funnier is that people are listening to your stories, and seem to understand, or at least they make efforts to relate. Only there is nothing to relate to for them. When you try to explain this to a conational who's never been away from home, or even worse to a friend who spent years abroad (be it in the States or Europe) but who never ceased to identify his home with Bucharest/Romania, it is like having a monologue. That is the sad, honest truth. It's sort of like the same thing of trying to explain to an American, that is making him/er understand why exactly "super" is "too pretentious a designation for the Romanian equivalent" to quote yor exact words. For an American to understand the exact meaning of your statement, would be impossible unless he or she has lived or met or seen the Romanian super....haha Anyways, I hope my post helped you. As yours helped me. I am equally amazed and pleasantly surprised to see that you are going through the same process and experiencing your return home in the same way I am. Although you fit right in in the US, and you felt so at home and all, you are having a hard time thinking of your present home as "home". Keep up the good work though. Keep buying home appliances, furniture or whatever you might need. It works. With time your apt will definitely look like home and will give you that permanence feeling you long for... Thanks for writing! Elena Fabulously well put, I should say! Thank you, for writing! It’s good to know that u are not alone, and somebody else is experiencing the same sort of feeling as you.
After reading your posts I dare say you enjoyed your time in the States to the max. Even more than me, I should say for reasons it is not worth spending the time to explain right here.
However, it’s interesting to see how you went ahead and bought home appliances.
I did almost the same stuff. I bought bedroom furniture a week after my return to Bucharest, right before buying Christmas presents…
And this was out of a need to own smth after switching apts and houses (3 in 3 years), buying and discarding Goodwill furniture, let alone hand-me-down sort of type vacuum cleaners, irons and things of that sort…
Basically, After almost 6 months since my return home, I cannot really define Bucharest as home, although it’s been my home since I was born. Funny huh, how 3 years of one’s life (spent in the States) can define you better than the many more years that basically represent your life…
What’s even funnier is that people are listening to your stories, and seem to understand, or at least they make efforts to relate. Only there is nothing to relate to for them. When you try to explain this to a conational who’s never been away from home, or even worse to a friend who spent years abroad (be it in the States or Europe) but who never ceased to identify his home with Bucharest/Romania, it is like having a monologue. That is the sad, honest truth.
It’s sort of like the same thing of trying to explain to an American, that is making him/er understand why exactly “super” is “too pretentious a designation for the Romanian equivalent” to quote yor exact words. For an American to understand the exact meaning of your statement, would be impossible unless he or she has lived or met or seen the Romanian super….haha

Anyways, I hope my post helped you. As yours helped me.
I am equally amazed and pleasantly surprised to see that you are going through the same process and experiencing your return home in the same way I am. Although you fit right in in the US, and you felt so at home and all, you are having a hard time thinking of your present home as “home”.

Keep up the good work though. Keep buying home appliances, furniture or whatever you might need. It works. With time your apt will definitely look like home and will give you that permanence feeling you long for…
Thanks for writing!
Elena

]]> By: Luiza http://www.owlspotting.com/2007/05/30/when-transience-met-permanence/#comment-29704 Luiza Wed, 30 May 2007 22:31:50 +0000 http://www.owlspotting.com/2007/05/30/when-transience-met-permanence/#comment-29704 " I know it’s childish (and corny) to think I’m losing something of my American experience by not being able to convey it to others, but I feel this deeply." :) yeah, I remember that, along countless conversations I started with "You know, back in Urbana I used to/there was this great little place on Fifth/we always did this or that after a show..." which hardly described anything and were devoid of meaning somehow. I let go one day in spring, while in Underworld with Jo and Tibi. It came naturally, and I am pretty sure alcohol had nothing to do with it. I just suddenly felt like I belonged to the when and the where. Or something. ” I know it’s childish (and corny) to think I’m losing something of my American experience by not being able to convey it to others, but I feel this deeply.”

:) yeah, I remember that, along countless conversations I started with “You know, back in Urbana I used to/there was this great little place on Fifth/we always did this or that after a show…” which hardly described anything and were devoid of meaning somehow.

I let go one day in spring, while in Underworld with Jo and Tibi. It came naturally, and I am pretty sure alcohol had nothing to do with it. I just suddenly felt like I belonged to the when and the where. Or something.

]]> By: Eddie http://www.owlspotting.com/2007/05/30/when-transience-met-permanence/#comment-29635 Eddie Wed, 30 May 2007 17:05:49 +0000 http://www.owlspotting.com/2007/05/30/when-transience-met-permanence/#comment-29635 You so the sweet to thank be with you. You so the sweet to thank be with you.

]]> By: Sara http://www.owlspotting.com/2007/05/30/when-transience-met-permanence/#comment-29632 Sara Wed, 30 May 2007 16:59:49 +0000 http://www.owlspotting.com/2007/05/30/when-transience-met-permanence/#comment-29632 I see you!!! How did you get this youtube so quickly? The wonder of the modern era... We miss you here. I hope you have a great birthday coming up! While you are buying appliances, I am shedding them. It is liberating to try to get rid of as much of your stuff as you can. I've never owned so little stuff before in my life! I see you!!!

How did you get this youtube so quickly? The wonder of the modern era…

We miss you here. I hope you have a great birthday coming up!

While you are buying appliances, I am shedding them. It is liberating to try to get rid of as much of your stuff as you can. I’ve never owned so little stuff before in my life!

]]>