Today is the 20 year aniversary of my arrival to Blountville, Tennessee…and I sitll can recall many of the memories from one of the most pivotal years in my life.
I still remember how I got there…the long plane rides, the wellcome by my host family the Baumstarks…the next morning at church…the sermon about Peter…then joining the choir…and many more things…
Then the first day at Sullivan Central High School… the struggles with the lock at my locker…geting lost at the begining…meeting some of the best teachers I ever had, specially Mr. B and Mrs. Banks and Mrs. Herron… and many other fond memories…
I learnt a lot in that year…I met wonderful people…I got used to being away from my family…I took many steps forward and some backwards…
I felt how xenophoby is like…but I also had my first contact with one of the fundamental things in my life…something that has tought me a lot and has allow me to meet some of my best friends and given me some of the best moments in my life…and that is football…
Heck, I think that I could drive from the Baumstark’s to Central with out GPS or assistance…
I have some of the people I met in Blountville as Facebook friends…I even exchange some lines once in a while with The Bug just to check on each other and so on…
I do still have a pending trip to Blountville…specially in the fall season…I would love to watch a football game, maybe homecoming…wear my orange letterman jacket and show up in Sunday morning service…just to compare how my memories stuck up to reality and how life, places and people have changed…
As the old Argentinian tango goes “20 years are nothing”…and it stilll looks and feels like yesterday sometimes…
