Windy Welcome

There has been a high alert wind warning for the weekend.
Being in my mountain studio, I woke up again to the sound of storm and heavy rain. To my relief, the water didn’t come inside this time.

After two more hours of listening the gusts of wind reaching speeds of up to 100km/h, the cracking of trees, and unable to calm my inner unease, I decided this was the end of my zen-mode.

I took the car, drove carefully, witnessed a shiny rainbow in the midst of rain, sun & storm, was guided safely by local workers around a fallen tree on the road and arrived at Ponta do Sol to continue with some laptop work in the Estalagem hotel.

I’ve been here many times before with a friend of mine who used to organise nomad events, and was well-connected with the staff. I was pleased to recognise the waiter and reminded him that I was a friend of A. He remembered and greeted me with a warm smile. When he brought my fresh lemon tea, he shyly asked about my name again, to which I happily responded, since I don’t expect at all for anyone to remember it - especially working in a high-fluid environment such as a hotel.

The Power of Welcome

I think back to all the (little) welcomes I received in the past days, in form of flowers, little gestures, hugs, smiles and quality time. And the amount of welcomes I’ve already received in this entire year. It has been many, and every time it lights my heart and makes me feel a little bit more at home.

My Root-Seeking Journey in China started with Auntie E and her husband inviting me to their home in Tianjin with welcome dumplings (饺子), followed by many wonderful sightseeing days. When I arrived in Beijing, Auntie D (who has not even been physically in China at that time), send me a red envelope with a welcome message that completely took me by surprise. Uncle D, with whom I stayed, welcomed me by arranging lunch with a friend of his who is a good cook and spoiled me with homemade delicacies. Uncle E took me on one of my most favourite trips and greeted me with local breakfast that day.

In Taiwan, the chain of generosity continued, given by relatives’ friends or new local friends I made. My heart felt so full at times, that I couldn’t grasp how to receive (or eat) more.

I realise now that back in Germany my parents would also welcome me every evening with dinner when I went out for the day. As someone who despises routines and fixed meal times, I knew that it was important to adapt to their rhythms and show my appreciation by showing up regularly on time for dinner. No matter if our relationship was smooth or tensed during specific periods, I could always count on warm food on the table.