Where did the time go?

When I started arranging Michael's trip to Wrocław I really toyed with how long to book his stay. Craig wasn't able to take much time off from work so that left me to worry about what I could do to make his stay memorable. What if he is bored? What if he really doesn't like it here? As excited as I was to see him a tiny part of me worried about how miserable 17 days could be if he really hated it here. All worries were set aside when I saw him at the airport. I cried like a baby! Go figure, huh???

Michael never really has problems finding anyone to chat with but how weird is it that he managed to meet someone at the Charlotte, NC airport who was on his way to Wrocław? They not only had the same final destination but were on the same flights the whole trip. The duo became a trio in Munich where they met a man from Colorado Springs who was also on the way to Wrocław! Michael has an open invitation to stay in Colorado Springs should he ever head that way. I wonder where he gets his knack for yapping from????

So, how much did Michael enjoy it here? Well, he wants to move here! I guess my fears were unwarranted. I managed to get him to one Polish lesson (he didn't last too long there), experience smalec, eat a Polish gyros, dragged him to the International Friends group, got him on a tram, brought him to a barbecue, introduced him to many of my friends here in town and had him sleep on the front deck when our next house guest arrived. He met people from the UK, Australia, Spain, Canada, Germany and, of course, Poland. He gained a text message buddy in my good friend Gareth and has several people he plans on remaining in touch with via e-mail. Huge thanks to Klaudia and Paweł who volunteered to show him around town and familiarize him with the things young people do here after dark. Paveł speaks pretty good English, Klaudia just a little and Michael knew no Polish at all yet they managed to laugh and enjoy themselves. I sometimes think language "barriers" exist only when we let them.

I've posted pictures of some of the people he met and some random fun shots from his visit.

So what is the deal with "I can ride my bike with no handlebars"??? Well, it started out with me finding the song painfully annoying and being played way too often on the radio. Of course, the song played as I pulled into the airport to pick Michael up and played again as we were headed to the apartment. Michael's reaction??? "What the heck", followed by laughter. Later that day, after a great gyros sandwich, we hopped in the car to pick up Craig. You got it...the handlebar song was blasting away. By this time Michael was loving it - probably because it annoyed me - and couldn't wait to hear it again. Fortunately, or unfortunately, we never heard the song again. I think the song became our official "song" when it was once again played as Craig and I returned from dropping Michael off at the airport. I was sad but immediately cheered up when I heard it. When Michael returned to Virginia he found the song (tough to do without an artist name), downloaded it and immediately e-mailed it to me. For those of you with his cell phone number it is now the ring tone you will hear when you call him!! Doesn't he rock!!!???

I will try to get the song on the blogsite. If it doesn't work the artist is Flobots and the song title is "handlebars". Michael told me it is "pretty deep" once you get past the handlebar stuff. Enjoy!!!

So what do I miss now that he is gone?

1) Daily hugs
2) I love you, mom (although he did change the message on my cell phone to "love u mom"
3) The sight of him asleep in the backseat of the car

Of course there is something to be said for being alone with Craig again:

1) Grocery bills back to normal
2) Not as many towels to wash
3) Leaving the bedroom door open at night (it helps with a cross breeze)
4) Not worrying if I'll be seen when I don't close the bathroom door (kind of a bad habit, I know)

Now, I'm really alone. Craig is on his way to Taipei and I just returned from the airport. All with be fine though, they played "handlebars" on my drive home!