I am not a tourist!!

Last night after work, I met Brian for dinner in Susie's Wholefood Diner on West Nicholson Street. I was walking across North Bridge, dodging all the people when I had a 'oh, this is my home....' moment. Those moments come every now and then when I am out and about in Edinburgh amongst the tourists (and there are many - although not as many as there will be when the Festival begins!). It's such a good feeling to say 'I live here'. During my time in America, my trips to Scotland made me feel like a tourist. I was usually only here for two weeks at a time, and there was always so much to catch up on - from the latest fashions and TV favourites to people's lives and family situations. Now, I live here and it feels good to not be a tourist in my own country. The funny thing is that I have this sense of pride about where I live - even a sense of protectiveness. I have always had this outlook about where I live - even in America. When I was in Grand Rapids, the mere mention of Pittsburgh or Western Pennsylvania made me feel such fondness for these places. I think this has to do with the fact that when you move to another culture and another country, you have to attach yourself to the place hard and fast - at least I did. It helps with the identity thing. I was speaking with a couple at a conference this week who have one daughter in Uganda and one in Washington D.C. We talked about what it is like to come back to your own country and identity was the big theme - again. It is difficult to move back and be among people who have not shared your history in that other country. I realised how important that was when I talked to friends in London who used to live in Pittsburgh. The feeling of having a conversation where I could talk about life in America, people in America - all of which and whom they knew about, was wonderful. It was a comfort and relief. As well as identity, this is all about connecting, isn't it? We are created to be in relationship. We are created to be connected to other people and that includes our histories. WIthout the option of sharing a history with people, lonliness sets in. We need others and we need others who have shared life with us. I am thankful that we have our friends in London already, and that two more will arrive in August. And I am thankful for technology that allows us to continue connecting with our friends across the atlantic!