Obamarama - Day Six
I sleep deeply for the first time in their house and piss away the morning doing nothing in particular. In the early afternoon, my godmother takes me into the city. Pittsburgh has a pretty poor reputation around the rest of America; a steel town that died a graceless death, it is only now starting to emerge as something worthwhile again. The fact that it is the home of both the NHL and NFL champions must annoy those detractors.
That night we have a barbeque and I'm given presents that I don't expect or deserve. My godmother is giving me a lift to the airport early in the morning, but I won't see my godfather, or their son, again on this trip. Saying goodbye is strangely emotional - though their being my godparents was little more than a favour to fellow expats 26 years ago, for me it feels like I've had an all-too-brief family reunion. But one day I intend to drive around America and now I know I'll be sincerely welcome here. That warm feeling pushes out any gloom.
That night we have a barbeque and I'm given presents that I don't expect or deserve. My godmother is giving me a lift to the airport early in the morning, but I won't see my godfather, or their son, again on this trip. Saying goodbye is strangely emotional - though their being my godparents was little more than a favour to fellow expats 26 years ago, for me it feels like I've had an all-too-brief family reunion. But one day I intend to drive around America and now I know I'll be sincerely welcome here. That warm feeling pushes out any gloom.