Questions of travel.

"I really can't believe it all. Not only are there highly impractical mountains all around with clouds floating in & out of one's bedroom, but waterfalls, orchids, all the Key West flowers...."
-Elizabeth Bishop, letter, February 14, 1952

Last night, I went to hear Jane Mirandette talk about founding the first lending library in Nicaragua. (Libraries there were previously non-circulating only.) It's an amazing project, and I recommend that if you have time, money, or books to give, to give those things to the San Juan del Sur Biblioteca Móvil.

Jane said she went to Nicaragua on vacation and stayed, and soon "knew" that she was meant to be there, that she was meant to end up there. This struck me and stuck with me, especially because my only pleasure reading lately has been One Art, a book of Elizabeth Bishop's letters. Bishop did the same thing. She went on vacation in 1951 to Brazil, got horribly sick, and when she got better, found that she really didn't want to leave. She stayed for fifteen years.

Part of me (okay, a big part) finds these stories incredibly appealing. I came home last night all starry-eyed. I wanted to go to a South American country, fall madly in love (as Bishop did) with someone who would both love me and financially support me so that I could start a library and write poems. More than that, maybe, I want the feeling that I was meant to end up somewhere.

It also gives me pause to remember that the other Elizabeth's story didn't exactly turn out happily ever after. She was happy while she was there, though.

EB in 1954:


not stealing...
The EB picture is by J.L. Castel and comes from the Vassar College Archives & Special Collections website.