We'd been in Paris for about four hours when G and I agreed that it felt like we weren't just in another country, we were on another planet. Everything felt so different. The way people moved, the tone of the language, the structure of ordering a meal. We were back on public transport, surrounded by trees and we walked, we walked for miles.
"Lots of people run in Paris don't they?" one of the travellers commented as we wandered along the Seine. A lot of running in Doha is done in an air-conditioned room with a treadmill.
Even though it was cold and wet we had a great time. We re-grouped which is so often the case on a family holiday. Friendships between siblings reappeared, there was still fighting but they were happy to sleep, eat and play together. When it came time to go to bed tonight they admitted it was weird to be back in their own beds and not sharing.
I woke up this morning in Paris with my last slither of foie gras waiting in the refrigerator. I had lunch in Amsterdam and I am now tucked up in bed in Doha, feeling miserable. Re-entry. This one feels harder than some of the others.
At rocket speed we broke through the holiday stratosphere and landed with a thud in the sand. "We should stop and get bread for school lunches". Snap back to reality, oh there goes gravity. Eminem you took the words right out of my meteorological misery.
Doha, I love you and I know that in a few days I will even out my PH levels and return to the equilibrium of yes, that's why I'm here, I'm meant to be here - but right now I'm feeling far from the homecoming queen. Perhaps because I'm not home.
As the plane descended I looked out over the dust and thought of Mars. This foreign planet with so many questions, like when is the new airport going to be finished? And, why is this shuttle bus ride taking longer than my actual flight? And then there's all of the other questions that you just don't dare ask out loud. The ones that cross your mind as you scan the queue waiting in immigration and scroll through the New York Times.
This re-entry is feeling jaded, off kilter, a little skewif. I've decompressed too quickly. I need to slowly come to the surface. A day at home unpacking and balancing out the spirit level.
It will all come back, slowly.
It looks like it was a wonderful holiday - those are always the hardest to come back from, I've found. We returned from a magical holiday in Bali to discover all the sabers rattling just 50 km away from us in North Korea - an especially harsh return this time. Hope the equilibrium returns quickly for all of you!
ReplyDeleteThanks Caroline xx G is heading off to London tomorrow night for work so I think some of my misery might be attributed to that. It's been awhile since I felt so miserable about returning. Perhaps a good sleep and a little bit of lockdown xx
DeleteSounds like some souvenir wine and cheese is necessary ASAP.
ReplyDeleteI like the way your thinking.
Delete*you're*
DeleteGoodness, I felt the thump! I really despise re-entry ... But the feel of your own linen should help ease the pain. It'll get better soon. (I find a glass of red usually speeds up the process!)
ReplyDeleteThis one was a big thump, and it gave me a bit of a shock. You're right, being back in one's own bed is nice, although I have to tell you, that bed in Paris was reaaaaaaaaally good :-)
DeleteOh how I know that feeling - the times when coming home is just, too soon, or simply too wrong. And then other times it's like, well, coming home. These feeling will pass, as you know. And you'll be left with memories of a great holiday.
ReplyDeleteI had coffee with a girlfriend this morning who was feeling much the same as I was about being back, by the end of the coffee I was feeling better about it all. You're right, the feelings pass. Onwards!
DeleteI feel that way each and every time we return to Geneva, even after a weekend. Every other destination seems friendlier than here so the Sads arrive for a couple of days. Eventually I realise that HOME is where Love Chunks, Sapphire and Milly the dog are and the apartment is comfortable, our needs are met, bills are getting paid and future holidays are always being planned.
ReplyDeleteYou've just reminded me of the essential key to unlocking the sads - plan the next holiday. Thank you! xx
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