Wednesday, 16 November, 2022 – I think this is the epitome of a non sequitur: pictures of Elias’s time in Lyon and Paris, while he is in Bangkok. Whiplash or no, I am posting them because they are nice pictures. You’re welcome. 🙂
He is leaving for Chiang Mai within the hour, since it is Thursday in Bangkok now.
I went into the bank today for the staff Thanksgiving luncheon. Over 1,000 people came for lunch today. It felt very strange to be in such a large crowd. I have been looking forward to November 25th (when Elias comes home) so much, that I keep forgetting that November 24th is a holiday. My manager’s boss asked me what I had planned next week and I started to tell him about the projects I am working on, until I realized he was asking about my plans for the holiday.
Several people I work with know that Elias is on this trip. They ask periodically where he is and how he’s doing. Even though a lot of people have taken a trip to somewhere in Europe, they all seem surprised that Elias could have traveled so long on his own. And they are definitely surprised that he went to Asia, too. One librarian looked at me today, sort of askance, and said, “Where did he get the money to do that?” (It’s amazing how the syntax of a sentence can make those words sound so judgemental.) I explained that he’s been saving for a long time, but she still seemed skeptical.
In any case, it is interesting to see other people’s reactions to the story of Elias’s trip. I swear, I am not talking about him all the time. But after 4 months, it is hard not to mention it occasionally in conversation.
