Scenes From My Life

It is an American classic. It is a piece of both literary and cinematic history. It is Gone With the Wind. Mention this title to any number of people and they will not only recognize it, but they may quote a few lines. Margaret Mitchell’s novel is nearly synonymous with the American south, nowhere more so than in my hometown of Atlanta. Surrounded by the legacy of Rhett and Scarlett, it was easy to forget that the story may not be as well known to the rest of the world. In the summer of 1996, while volunteering during the Olympic Games in Atlanta, I had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. One day, I found myself speaking with an older man from Lille, France. In Atlanta as a representative for Lille’s bid for the 2004 Olympics, this man spoke to me for a short time on Lille and its Olympic plans. But, he seemed more interested in talking about Atlanta and America, in general. He appeared to be soaking up as much of America’s cul...

Growing up, my extended family was spread across the southern United States. Every summer, my parents would load my brothers and me in the car to visit these far-flung relatives. We would be gone for weeks at a time, driving hundreds of miles across the American south. At times, it seemed like I had been in the car for an interminable amount of time. However, on the drive back to Atlanta, there was always one clear clue that announced that I was nearly home: the Atlanta skyline. Full of office buildings, hotels and sports facilities, the Atlanta skyline is a study in change. The skyline has grown as the city has expanded. Few of its earliest markers, symbols of the city’s future as a metropolitan center, still stand. Those that have remained are now dwarfed by newer, more modern edifices. Whether returning from a weeks-long vacation or a mere day trip, spotting the Atlanta skyline meant that I was nearly home. Over the years, skylines have he...

My hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, is known - in part - for its nearly unbearably humid summers. It is not known for having particularly cold winters. In fact, I can recall more than a few Christmases when the mercury was steadily holding in the 60’s. While New England and parts of the Midwest were trudging through mounds of snow, Atlantans were digging out their warm weather clothing. Last year was different, though. In 2010, for the first time in more than a century, Atlanta had a “white Christmas.” When all was said and done, the Atlanta area only had a couple of inches of snow on the ground. It was not exactly a blizzard. But, watching the snow fall that afternoon, I was reminded of one of my most vivid snow experiences. One of the few times I have actually experienced a true blizzard. It was March 1993. Snow was in the forecast. But, it was not expected to be much, perhaps an inch or two. Certainly nothing worth worrying over. My brothers and I woul...

For a moment, I had to step back. I just wanted to take in what I was hearing. In the midst of the 1996 Summer Olympics, I was at a hotel in downtown Atlanta with a good friend. We were standing aside two other ladies, whom we did not know, listening to a speech on the highlights of Athens, Greece. My friend and I listened as the speaker, himself a native of Greece, spoke of Athens’ history, its culture, and its desire to host the Games. But, it was not the speech itself that caught me off guard. It was the fact that he was speaking in Spanish.   In the summer of 1996, I volunteered with the host committee for the Olympic Games in Atlanta. One of the benefits of volunteering with the Games was admittance into places and events otherwise off limits to the general public. One such area was the bid lounges for the cities competing to host the 2004 Summer Games. For the duration of the Games, the organizing committee of each city had occupied a room at a d...