Friday nights

I have rarely been lonely or homesick since I arrived in Krakow seven weeks ago. But when I am, it's usually on a Friday night.

Friday nights seem to have a special buzz everywhere, and Krakow is no exception. People leave work a bit earlier than normal, ready to start their weekends. Everywhere you go, people are in couples or in groups, and the air is festive and electric. When you are alone, it seems like other people are having a particularly good time.

I knew before I left that Friday nights would be the hardest for me. In Toronto I often met friends for dinner or a movie after work Fridays, celebrating the end of the work week. Fridays were never really planned (like a Saturday night event often was), but were just casual get togethers, low-key and spontaneous.

But even at home, Friday nights were the nights I would feel sorry for myself for being single. I once remember someone telling me that one of the best things about being married was always having someone to go to a movie with - perhaps he was thinking of Friday nights.

When I was worrying about my move to Krakow before I left Canada, I told myself it was only 104 Friday nights. And somehow that seemed like a manageable number.

And now it's Saturday morning (disregard the date on this post - I think it's on California time), all is well again.