Reflections from a Visitor - Guest Writer
This post was written by a friend who visited us with his family in May. Our kids went to school together in Tacoma and we lived in the same neighborhood. This visit was short, but we look forward to spending some time with them during our upcoming trip to the US 🥰
How do I find balance for the neurodiversity of our family in a capitalist society?
This summer we were fortunate enough to visit the Netherlands, France and Italy. Going to Europe was a chance to get away from a neighborhood that overwhelms my senses from the cars, the gun violence and those experiencing homelessness. Being in Europe brought solace for my senses, and times of stress for my older son's. I was at peace riding a bicycle through the streets while he stressed out that one of the many cyclists might crash into him. Our children were able to have a good visit with the van Puttens and we will miss the pigs from our farmstay.
The only thing I missed about my life in the neighborhood in the US was baking bread and my daily meditation of feeding the yeast. Being back in the neighborhood after our trip, I miss Europe every single day as I have since I first visited when I was 16. When I first visited Europe I was enamored by wind turbines, protected bicycle lanes and recycling in Germany. However I am conscious of the fact that if my facial features did not reflect my German and Polish ancestry my experiences visiting Europe over the years might be quite different.
Back in the neighborhood I again occasionally hear the sounds of what seem like gun shots before going to bed. My wife and I moved back to my hometown almost nine years ago so that our oldest son would not be born into the air pollution of Beijing. Here we would have the resources of family to help us start from scratch. I never wanted to return to my hometown per se. I hope I will not end up stuck like my father who has always seemed to live here only because of a family move when he was a teenager.
Yet not everyone can freely move where they want and live the life they want to live. The Schengen visa process made this very clear to my wife. There are different ways that we make boundaries of who can and cannot be a part of a community.
My graduate school advisor studied Polish theater where actors came together to imagine an alternative reality during Communist times. In what ways do people come together today in Europe to create their future? Or what about in the United States? I do not mean a large political rally chanting slogans, but rather the small publics where each other's humanness is recognized. These are some of the questions I am left with. Two others that I struggle with the most that cannot be answered succinctly in this blog are the following:
How do I keep our family safe?
Back in the neighborhood I again occasionally hear the sounds of what seem like gun shots before going to bed. My wife and I moved back to my hometown almost nine years ago so that our oldest son would not be born into the air pollution of Beijing. Here we would have the resources of family to help us start from scratch. I never wanted to return to my hometown per se. I hope I will not end up stuck like my father who has always seemed to live here only because of a family move when he was a teenager.
Yet not everyone can freely move where they want and live the life they want to live. The Schengen visa process made this very clear to my wife. There are different ways that we make boundaries of who can and cannot be a part of a community.
My graduate school advisor studied Polish theater where actors came together to imagine an alternative reality during Communist times. In what ways do people come together today in Europe to create their future? Or what about in the United States? I do not mean a large political rally chanting slogans, but rather the small publics where each other's humanness is recognized. These are some of the questions I am left with. Two others that I struggle with the most that cannot be answered succinctly in this blog are the following:
How do I keep our family safe?
How do I find balance for the neurodiversity of our family in a capitalist society?
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