the first time i was ever in czech was in 2003 when i went with my family. it was probably the moment that made me understand the term bittersweet. my family had just left england - our former home had transformed into a place where we were unknown, where my awkward pre-adolescent friends had bloomed into beautiful, young teenagers, and where i had felt a connection again after 4 years. the town of wincanton was my childhood home, and i had been uprooted once. after our brief visit, i felt i was being torn away from a place i had loved and grown familiar with again.
we flew from london to prague, and my only memory from the prague airport is the stench of BO as red, sweaty humans reached over each other to grab their luggage. i was in a foul mood - i wanted to spend those last remaining days of vacation to continue renewing my english friendships. but wandering around the city for the next two days averted my attention. i viewed the beauty of the architecture and learned the history of the country. i breathed it all in and knew i would return. that city wouldn't leave my head.
the following year i returned and i felt familiar. though i didn't know the others on my team, i knew that where i was at that moment was where i belonged.
that week affirmed all of my thoughts.
i returned the next two years, and the year off inbetween hurt. last summer i spent 2.5 months soaking in the culture, never more sure of the feeling of belonging.
i am returning in august, and i am comforted to know when i'm going back. the trip will not be the same; it never is.
i am returning to continue to build friendships and show that small, quiet nation the love of God. i cannot wait to sit in a steaming, overcrowded train. i miss having rohliki and cheese every morning. but most of all, i can't wait to return to that stinky nation full of smiles that i now understand to the people whose eyes show how desperate they are to feel God's unconditional love and goodness.
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