Raindrops

Did these raindrops ever fall on you? Did they wash away the saltiness of your sweat, the sweetness of your smile, the sadness of a gloomy day?

Have these raindrops ever seen you walk running away from their sudden fall? Have they heard you laugh as you jumped in puddles soaking your shoes and your socks and your feet with innocent fun?

Will these same drops ever cover us as we kiss under the rain? Will they hear us talk as you drive us home after a romantic evening together? Will they visit our window as we lay by the fireplace sneaking up on a private kiss?

Will these same drops let you know how I miss you so on this somber rainy night?

Towns of Immigrants

I read somewhere that by the year 2050, half of the world's population will be living in a country different than their own. This means that half the world will be an immigrant, will be dealing with the adaptation to a new language and culture, and, from the current perspective on immigration, will be subject to society's disapproval or scrutiny.

But for many people, the concept of immigration is not a prediction but a reality. This reality exists for a small town in Belgium that perhaps not many have heard of. Maasmechelen is a town of hard working immigrants. After World War II, this town received Italian inmigrants to work on the coal mine. When the children of these immigrants refused, for obvious reasons, to work on the mines, Turkish immigrants arrived to do the job. Like this, many years passed and the town grew and melted to form a unique mix of languages, flavors and people. Acquaintances became friends and friends became family.

The town has preserved its herritage of a mining town. The entrance to the mines are still there, the bar where the miners used to drink and the church where they received sunday mass. There is even a small monument built for those that lost their lives working on the mine.

So what does this mean for the rest of the world? In my opinion, this story is simply an example of how easy it is to adapt to immigration and immigrants. There is nothing scary, cultures will not be lost but rather enhanced. People can cross borders and both integrate and preserve. Borders are merely immaginary lines for we all come from nomads. Who knows where your children's children will be!

The best presents in life...

My dream had always been to have a green space of my own. I had thought a balcony would be enough, but, when the opportunity arose, a roof garden was too good to pass. After a year of moving, furnishing and nesting, the roof garden had become a wasted asset. Nothing was there; the space was too big to take on the project.

A few days after my first apartment-anniversary, I received a present that I can't quite describe. In itself, I got a few plants and a candle-lit date, but what this space has given me is hard to explain. I find myself spending every afternoon, or almost every afternoon, sitting in my roof garden enjoying the sunset. I've had friends and family for company, but most evenings I spend time alone. I read books to plan a lovely and romantic trip to Paris, I write, I drink wine, coffee and tea, I laugh with friends and I even stare into the horizon just enjoying my thoughts as company.

I don't know why it took me so long to beign. Once the first step was taken, there has been no turning back. Gifts of plants, pots, dirt and even a table have helped this space take shape. Every week there has been a new addition and the promise of frequent friend-dates. I think that shortly I will become a human-writer-reader-coffee drinker version of Snoopy, always enjoying being "above" staring at the sky and dreaming away!