Last week, I had the very great pleasure of visiting home for about a week. I got to hang out with friends, my immediate family, and extended family, including some semi-extended family that I got to meet for the first time! There was silliness and swing dancing, and games and galavanting. We touristed with out-of-town visitors, and celebrated my cousin's first step into her next stage in life in her gorgeous, lovely, perfectly suited wedding. Also, it was freezing until the last day in which we went to a Reds baseball game, which didn't get rained out, and culminated in a win for the home team!
After a brief 6 days on the ground, it was time to come back to real life. Side note here: It amuses me to think of taking a vacation from the beautiful tropical paradise of Panama to go to Cincinnati, Ohio, Midwest.
Here is Tuesday, May 28th.
4:30AM: my dad and I got up to get me to the airport for a 7AM flight.
Mental state: ughhearlyyy.
6:30AM: everything is in order and on time, and lots of sleepy people start boarding.
Mental state: goal- find seat and sleep.
8:00AM: starting to approach Miami.
Mental state: commence sinking feeling- "I'm not ready to go, turn around!!"
9:30AM: ish, at least. In Miami, find new gate, find food, wait.
Mental state: "Oh hey, this is the same part of the airport where we took off last January! That was so different...oh, for the days of ignorance"
11:00AM: getting on the plane to leave the country.
Mental state: "Please don't make me go. It's nice and cool and clean here, and people pay attention to meeting times! I don't want to go back to work!"
1:30PM: (After time change), find out that my Colombian seat-neighbor is in the Panamanian sugar business, and learn about the random things that sugar cane can be used for.
Mental State: decidedly sunken feeling in my stomach, turning to resignation that I need to prepare myself for the flying bugs, ants, wall lizards, spiders, heat, humidity, communication issues, and job challenges coming. "Wargh."
2:30PM: Going through immigration and customs (woohoo diplomatic lines!)
Mental state: "Is it really too late to get on a plane back to the States?"...but with less sincerity. I'm way to proud to willingly admit defeat and surrender.
3:00PM: Made it out of the airport, and start walking THROUGH THE RAIN to the metrobus stop.
Mental state: "Ok, I'm here, may as well make the best of it."
5:00PM: Somewhere in between the City and Anton: still rainy
Mental state: "Let's do this! 9 1/2 more months! It's on!"
7:30PM: A selection of busses later, I arrive at my house.
Mental state: "No water. no food. Too late to go to the store. Mrarg."
Next day: got water back; "Let's go!"
And since, I made bread with a couple other PCVs for a fundraiser, finally met the owner of my house, went to Regional Meeting (trimestral provincial meeting), met the new Coclesanos/as, went to the beach, and now, getting ready for the afternoon session of school, starting work with a new Teacher!
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