rekindled spirit

paulos in stockholm

i am back! but before i go on and on about how perfect our family vacation was in austria, or how i’ve returned from sweden with stockholm syndrome, i want to introduce to you my cousin paulos and the reason that i made a special trip to stockholm. 

daniel’s 3rd birthday in asmara, eritrea, l to r all at age 3: paulos, daniel, and me (i think they had just told me that i could not have any more candy)

we were separated by a war that i never imagined would end in my lifetime. it was the first time paulos and i saw each other since we were three. it’s just how it is when you come from a former refugee immigrant family. me, paulos, and daniel (in that order) were born one month apart each and are the first grandchildren on my mother’s side of the family. we were always together and considered a pack or a gang. i remember running around my grandfather’s house getting ourselves into trouble. here we are now:

last week in stockholm, sweden, l to r: paulos, me, and daniel

earlier this summer, paulos immigrated to sweden and i went to more than welcome him to his brand new life and home. it was important to me to feel that i know him.

merhawit and i

the huge surprise was that our cousin merhawit flew in from canada as well. it was also the first time i met her and it became a sort of family reunion. we all of course had so much to share with each other. we talked nonstop and laughed just as much. it felt like we were never apart.

paulos and i

 one week was not enough to cover our lost time but it was a good time and incredibly healing for me. 

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 29th, 2007 at 8:46 pm and is filed under from my roots.