Hey Buddy! Craig McFadden

Hey Buddy!

As we walked home from CoHo last night, I was reminded of the unexpected connections that we share for two guys assembled from opposite corners of the globe. I must admit, when I learned that you were from Shanghai I worried we would have trouble finding common ground. Now I can't imagine this year without your friendship. We have moved beyond geographical borders to form a cultural capital based on the features of our lives.

I still laugh at how dull you find North Dakota to be. For most of my life, I felt the same way. The summer following my junior year in high school, however, Stanford Summer College ignited within me the celebration of the advantages to a rural North Dakota life that many assume is without benefit. By leaving, I discovered my supportive connection to those in Cavalier. Even though I was away from home for the summer, I was surrounded by the enveloped love the mailman delivered each day at 1:30 pm.

The door to my room became plastered with cards and letters, encompassing the entire outside of the frame just as the Christmas cards do at home in Cavalier when the calendar changes to December each year. Holidays there are the best. My summer dormmate Dan told me how his New Jersey Christmas usually...