oh joy!

I stepped into the air conditioned airport five hours early, butterflies of excitement in my belly, and an unripe papaya under my arm, which was my gift to welcome Sarah when she got off her plane from Oregon. She had vacation time built up and decided to join me for 2 weeks in Panama. The thought of seeing a dear and familiar face was refreshing, exciting, but at the same time hard to fathom. My trip has not only sent me into new geographical realms of the planet, but into new dimensions of myself as a human being. What would it be like to merge my current reality with a friend from a life that feels galaxies away?

I pondered this question as I sat at the arrival gate in Panama City watching people from all over the world pour off of the planes. Despite the diversity in the crowed there were only two types of people: the greeters (me) and the greetees. Us greeters stood facing a blue wall out of which the luggage totting greetees would emerge. Both parties were wide eyed as they eagerly searched for their match. I saw a mother welcomed by her husband and two young children, the daughter clicking her pink, princess slippers as she ran into her mother´s glowing embrace. An exotic young couple kissed as if he had just returned from a trip to the moon, and two middle aged businessmen shared a pat on the back and a handshake before rolling their efficiently packed suitcase out to the car. Others on my greeter team waved signs displaying the names of people, hotels, and cab companies, and although the union with their respective greetees didn´t involve much passion they exchanged looks of relief now that the hunt for each other had ended. Then, as always, there are those on both sides of the blue wall who are left hanging - the search has ended unsuccessfully and they resort to plan B.

For my papaya and I waiting for Sarah was an incredible reminder of the significance of friendship and love in one´s life. I watched people of all shapes, colors, and fashion pass by, but it was only one face I was searching for, and no other face, no matter how similar, could substitute. (future Internet search: facial recognition)

I let a squeal when I saw Sarah´s face, and on the bus ride to the hostal I was oblivious to the city passing us by as I emptied stories onto my exhausted friend.