Rowen Scares Neighbors in the UK
Rowen: Copious amounts of bacon, flares of temper and loads of soccer and tennis – it summertime with the family in England again. Backstory: my dad’s English and since I was a baby we’ve spent a number of summers here with the grandparents. Since it’s the only time of year that we see them, and it’s so expensive to come, the general length of stay is 4+ weeks. As a liberated adult now I don’t, of course, have to stay that long, but my travel dates were determined by my grandfather’s 95 birthday (mid-June) and an international performing arts conference on the tail end (late July). So, 5 weeks it is.
One of the zaniest things about this is that I haven’t had anyone to dance with since I left. I’ve tried to coax my mom into trying out some moves with me, but there’s always something else for her to do. I end up feeling like a petulant child (and likely end up acting like one) with no friends to play with. Which is how I ended up walking like a gorilla and throwing unripe fallen apples at the conservatory (sunroom) windows a couple of weeks ago.
After a particularly snarly day of being cooped up in a small bungalow in the village – and yes, village is the accurate term – of Middleton Cheney, I decided that rolling around and dancing must happen. And so I did. On the back lawn. By myself. At a certain point, when I’m in England, I find I have to put on blinders and just pretend that no one can see me as I do bizzare things in a semi-public location (and likewise when I speak with an accent or wear strange, not in fashion clothes). I figure my mom has primed them enough by sunbathing on the lounge chair in the back, so what can it really matter if I’m rolling and leaping, spiralling in and out of the ground, and playing with the fallen apples?
I miss having a space to dance in, as well as a supportive, participating community. I find it hard to dance by myself, but when I don’t dance or move expressively I feel stifled and out of sorts. Which, truth be told, is the attitude that much of the trip thus far has been governed by.
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