Something Actually Interesting

So I've decided to do something somewhat interesting; it requires a little backstory.

For elementary school, I attended (like a few of my friends) Sunset Terrace Elementary, which was about a block from my home and made for an easy walk every day. I got used to the faces and the people that were in my classes, and for the most part life was good. During the first day of class in second grade, a student a year older than me entered our 2/3 split grade class by the name of Nahum McLane. I'd never heard a name like that before, or an accent like his.

Nahum was visiting from a small city outside of Sydney, Australia, and his parents enrolled him in school for their extended trip. We met and became quite good friends over the time he was here. He saw snow for the first time, we boggled over the fact that the seasons are reversed in the northern hemisphere, all that. When he returned to Australia, I was certainly sad, and we pledged to become pen pals and keep up with each other's lives. Shortsighted little me quickly lost that connection for reasons I can't fathom or even remember now.

So that's where the story sat for basically fourteen years, until tonight I was poking around on Google Maps looking at deserted islands off of the coast of Madagascar and New Zealand. Some synapse fired and I remembered Nahum, his family, the address I always found so weird: he lived on "Bee Farm Road". So I stuck it into Google along with the house number I barely recalled, and voila, the house exists. Now for the dilemma - does he or anyone who even remembers him still live there? It's been over a decade since our last communique...

Regardless, I've drafted a letter to send to this address and I plan to run it through the post office after work tomorrow if I can get there in time. I included my e-mail address and everything somebody would need to get back in contact with me should they have any useful information, or should they be Nahum himself.

Nostalgia is a really, really weird thing. I've been through a tremendous amount in fourteen years, obviously, and I'm sure neither of us would have any dearth of things to tell each other about. Honestly, whether or not I ever find Nahum, I can't wait to see if my message in a bottle receives a response.