Mommy's Trip

Most Americans can tell you exactly where they were on Sept. 11, 2001. I am among them. I was in Prague, capital of the Czech Republic, teaching English. That day I taught as usual - Tuesday being my easiest day - then went with my roommate to drop off film and mail a few letters. I commented to her that it was amazing that those two things were the biggest events of our day. We'd been in the country only 2 short weeks.

I called a friend who was teaching in Hungary later in the afternoon. It was her birthday. When I wished her much happiness, she replied, "You don't have a TV, do you?". She was right. She proceeded to tell me what had occurred on the other side of the ocean. I was baffled.

The feeling spilled over into the next day, where I taught non-stop with only a quick break for lunch. My last class of the day was a group of 15 freshmen. This was to be my first class with them. They had been on a class trip, so this was our first meeting. I was a mess. I introduced myself, probably babbled some nonsense, then asked if they wanted to discuss the previous day's events. I think I took their silence as a yes, because I launched into a diatribe that lasted the entire class period. Poor kids. I'll never forget their wide-eyed expressions. Not because I'm an eloquent speaker. No, I was their first native-English speaking teacher. Ever.

Anyway, with that crazy start, we began our year. They quickly became my favorite class. Over time, I began to get to know a handful of them outside of the classroom. These five girls were the scarecrow in my own version of "The Wizard of Oz." [You know - "I think I'll miss you the most."]

Eight years later, I am still in contact with them. We've written letters and emails over the years. Sent photos and best wishes. I've seen them twice since then. The last time was when they graduated high school. Now, one of them is about to get married.

I broke the cardinal rules of weddings and invited myself. I couldn't help it. I was so excited to have an excuse to go back to that beautiful city and see these wonderful young women again. And so, it is with great excitement and anticipation, as well as some fear and trembling, that I look forward to a journey to Bohemia - BY MYSELF - at the beginning of October.

That's right. Baby girl will only have Daddy to soothe her. Little Man will have to make do without Mommy. Hubby will be on his own with two little ones for the better part of six days. And Mommy? She'll probably cry herself to Europe. But then, for the first time in more than a year - she'll sleep through the night.

Ahh. Heaven. I can't wait!