After walking with Rochelle, having some lunch, and writing my blogs about my last few days in Boston, Rochelle brought me over to Katherine's house. She is a neighbor of Rochelle and Jeremiah's. Oliver went down the slide there a few times and then we said good bye to Rochelle and the kids. We just got right to it. She opened the door and had her son on her back. We said "Nice to meet you." And we grabbed each others hands.
Katherine took me to a local cemetery and showed me her favorite grave. This may sound weird to non-New Englanders, but in New England there are lots of old old old cemeteries to wander through. Gloucester has at least 3 cemeteries in it. When we were there, people walking their dog. Katherine told me that this was a normal sight, as the cemetery was one of the largest open spaces in Gloucester. Her favorite grave was that of a child. And interestingly enough, i also find children's graves interesting as they are so mysterious and do not usually tell you much information about the child's life.
We spoke about our travels to other countries and the different ways these cultures deal with touch. How in Bulgaria Katherine would see men touching each other and it was the norm. Also, about hos women in romantic England time could loop arms and hold hands. Which were really interesting thoughts for the project. Her son just sat in his little carrier and was content to hang out back there.
As we left the cemetery, it felt like Katherine got a little nervous. Gloucester is a very small town. I am sure it is a little strange to see some girl walk around town with someone they don't recognize or know. We spoke of the bombing and we chatted away back to her house. She asked if anyone had ever not finished a walk. Which made me nervous. But we kept on walking, only letting go of our hands when we passed a woman with two dogs while on a tiny sidewalk. I was so impressed that she stuck with the walk even while being nervous. We had a great chat while having tea afterwards. She told me that she felt comfortable walking with me because of my short stature and my nature of being welcoming and open. That if I was taller she probably wouldn't wanted to walk with me. We spoke about how when we were younger being open came so much more naturally and that as we age we have to push ourselves to these edges of being comfortable.
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