I was another person for a year!

When I was a kid, I was brought up to believe that each move was a great opportunity. An opportunity to meet new people, see new places, have a new room, a new climate, so many new things. You also have the opportunity to leave behind things you didn't like... friends or enemies, schools, yourself.

One freedom this allowed, that I wonder how many people would consider trying out, was reinventing yourself. It was a low risk activity since we knew that no place was permanent. If you didn't like the new person you invented, that's ok, you'd move again soon and you could go back to your old self, or try someone new.

In third grade, I did just this.

I started a new school in London and we knew that it was going to be only for one year. I began the first day by telling the teacher that I was to be called Elizabeth (my middle name). Elizabeth quickly became Liz and I was Liz for that whole school year. At home, still Suzy, but Liz to all my friends & teachers. I am sure my parents thought this was funny/weird, but they were pretty supportive about it. They also knew it didn't have to stick if I didn't want it to.

At then end of year we moved back to Houston and I went back to Suzy. It was me, but it was great that I got to try it out.

Perhaps this experience is why I am quite partial to my name even though I am the first to admit it's a little girl's name. I have come to terms with being Grandma Suzy in years to come, and that's fine with me.

Small World

I am always amazed at how small a world it is.

Austin is a really small world where you run into people from other areas of your life unexpectedly, but it really isn't that big to begin with. Especially when you hang out with similar people (IT or Lawyers). Similar experiences, similar interests.

Where I get amazed are the people I run into who have lived in far flung places just like me. At J's allergy appointment last week I was talking to the Dr about having grown up in different places and it turned out that she went to the same american elementary school in London I did. ACS Hillingdon. She also lived in Jakarta and went to the American school there while we were at the Singapore American School. Her dad worked for Conoco, so we ran in the same circles, but it's still a shock to run into these people.