The days immediately after the crash were terrifying - it is a time we rarely speak of. Huddled under the wrecked ship, our hands turning blue with the unexpected cold, we spoke bravely of how easily the ship would be repaired. Thoughts of home filled our hearts.

Some were more affected than others by the thin atmosphere. I was able to move around a bit and help those who had trouble catching their breath. But all of us were hindered by the extra gravity. - even a few steps rendered us weary, and after any exertion our joints and muscles let us know they were not built for such a large planet. Soon, we were all stiff and sore.

Then the terrible blow fell. As we sat in a circle beside the fallen ship, our faces illuminated by the flames of the campfire, the engineers told us their preliminary findings. They said that the scans and diagnostics of the ship’s systems showed severe damage of a type they did not understand and did not know how to repair.

Most of us were unable to understand their technical language. The engineering terminology was foreign to us. We responded with anger and disbelief. For days, we argued, and cried and cursed. Some thought we should take the “comfort pills” we had been supplied with. Another group insisted the ship could easily be repaired. The engineers were lying, they were sure of it! More tests should be run! New theories must be tried! And some whispered about magic.

None of us wanted to face the truth. But, somehow we all did. The engineers told us over and over again that the ship would not be repaired easily, that it might take years, that it might never be able to take us home. And one by one, we came to see that now our life was here, on this strange planet.

With the hope and courage that are the hallmark of our proud race, we ventured out to meet the inhabitants of this new world. To our relief, we found them much like us. Intelligent bipeds, strong and quick, they had huge mouths and strange loose skin that seemed too big for their bodies.

Shockingly, when they laughed, their mouths opened so wide you could see all the way down their throats! .At first, we would politely look away, but soon we understood that this was acceptable behavior in their culture.

And their table manners were quite odd. They loved to stuff large amounts of food into their mouths all at once, and then swallow it whole without chewing. The males seemed to take particular delight in doing this.

But we were most fascinated by their hands. Their fingers (they had five, like us) could straighten and bend in every direction! They could hold the tiniest objects and perform tasks requiring great delicacy and, when needed, great strength. We were enthralled and would observe them by the hour as they fixed the watches, computers and other mechanical devices they seemed so enamored of.

We came to realize that their wonderful hands were at the heart of their culture, even of their evolution as a species. Perhaps this is why they thought more about objects they could hold and manipulate and less about the subtler meanings and ideas that interest us so much. Perhaps if our race had been equipped with hands like these, we too would have failed to develop our spiritual dimension.

Our inherent understanding of what is important in life, of how to live minute by minute is lost on many of them. Is it perhaps here that the greatest difference between us lies?

This has been my home for ten years now. I have an adopted family very much like my real one. In some ways, I think, I may be closer to them because they have offered me, a stranger, so much comfort and support. We have a special bond because of this. But there is always the sense of otherness, of not quite belonging. I ‘m always trailing behind - a “slow walker” as they say.

I know my life will be shortened by living here. The strong gravity and thin air, the strange food I can’t quite digest -they are taking their toll. But even though I’m growing weaker, I still dream of the day that the engineers will find the cause of the crash and repair our ship.

In my dream, we gather from every corner of this globe, fondly greet each other, then board our ship and return home to our warm planet.