I don't comment often on cartoons, but this is one I can completely relate to. For those who don't follow "Stone Soup," the grandmother recently returned home from Uganda where she had been working for an unnamed volunteer organization (something similar to Habitat for Humanity), building homes. She had lived there for a longer-than-anticipated time, but remembered her granddaughter Alix's birthday and rushed home in time.
Anyway, the grandmother is still "homesick" for Uganda, and has a great closing line: "When you have the adventure of a lifetime, part of you wants it to last a lifetime." Ain't that the truth. I have seen this in others and have experienced it myself. When I first arrived in Korea, I had an Irish colleague who had lived for six years in Zimbabwe and only left because of increasing violence due to the forcible land redistribution. And for about half a year, he made most (if not all) of us miserable because of his pining for Africa. Many of us had voluntarily come to Korea from other countries, and were hoping to have an enjoyable experience there - we certainly didn't want to hear someone whining about how he would rather be somewhere else...
And, of course, a year later, I was in the same position. I had come to S'pore to get married, but Milady had to put up with my "homesickness" for Korea. Living in Korea had been a wonderful experience for me, and I treasure the memory of my life there. However, I would not be surprised at all if I suffered a similar "homesickness" if Milady and I were to ever leave S'pore (even temporarily). And so, what comes around goes around. :) Living in Asia has been my adventure of a lifetime and, like "Gramma," I would love for it to last a lifetime.
[Note: I have donated to Habitat for Humanity in the past, and I encourage you to do the same (or to any other charity that you feel is a worthy cause). They need your assistance.]
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