Home!

I'm sorry it has been so long since I updated; things got busy once I was home and it slipped my mind.  In just a week I will be getting married so that has taken up all my time.

Saying goodbye to my new friends who were flying back to New York was so hard; tears were shed.  Even saying goodbye to those who go to PLU was hard, too.  It was the end of an experience, of something that bonded us closer than I would have ever thought.  Once home people slowly drifted their separate ways.  Once school starts I hope I will see them all more than I did this summer.  We all keep in touch still; Facebook is a lifesaver for that.  I flew home with Aubrey.  Getting out of the country was surprisingly easy.  It was strange to watch the palm trees and hills of the country I had been living in for almost 6 months leave beneath me.  I was excited to see my fiance again, but there are things I would miss about the country.  There are things I still miss.  I miss doubles, I miss roti, I miss buying liquor from Hi Lo and not having to show ID, I miss the Tunapuna market, I miss the evenings where I watched the sun set and light up the mountains, or the lights start to come on at the monastery.  The excursions that I remember the best are Tobago, Carnival, J'ouvert, and ziplining.  Between Carnival and J'ouvert, J'ouvert was my favorite.  There is something intoxicating (besides the liquor) about being out in the dark at 4 in the morning blasting music and dancing down the street.

Note- It is beginning of August and we are still waiting for grades from UWI.  That's just how it is. Yay.  Also, everyone else received their caution money for returning their UWI ID; Nicole and I are still waiting for our checks.

Settling back in for me was easier than I would have thought.  Part of it could have been getting to spend time my fiance, and part of it was probably the massive amount of wedding planning I had to.  I had close friends who wanted to hang out often, so I was always busy.  Coming back from Trinidad I met my parents, my fiance, and my friends in the Florida Keys for a 10 day vacation.  It was a nice intro back into American life.  There was almost as much sun and heat, there was no time difference (for me), and some of the same kinds of food.  The second night there we had an American/Indian/Trini fusion meal.  Our friends made a spicy curry chicken and I made the channa and pumpkin that goes in roti.  I'd brought back a pack of dhal puri from Trinidad on the plane and so we had roti for dinner.  It was almost like the veggie ones I got in Trinidad.  Before we left Florida we found (the only) double/roti shop in Florida, if not most of the US. (It was right up the street from Busch Gardens).  My family and friends all got to try doubles and phoulorie fresh and hot.  It wasn't quite as good as Trini, but close!  I stuffed my carry on waaay too full so that I could bring back mango chutney and phoulorie mix (6lb, actually) in my checked bag.  I'm looking forward to stuffing my face with that soon.

I am now home and happy.  Would I ever go back?  I'm not sure.  It was an amazing experience I can appreciate more as time passes.  I think not missing my fiance so much would have helped it be more enjoyable, but I can't change that.  Maybe someday I would take Daniel and visit T&T and show him some of the things I saw and did.  Until then I have pictures and friends and memories to remind me of my time abroad.  I have grown and changed in ways I am still realizing.

Was it worth it?

YES!