Like a roll of toilet paper, time moves more quickly as we come down to the end. Since my last post, it has been a whirlwind. No major exciting travel or events, just a lot of your general life stuff- work, play, sleep. This weekend I am looking forward to one last who-ra with my friend Gordon before he takes off to his next post in the Dominican Republic. He, Ivan, Colleen, Jackie and some of our Hash buddies are heading back to where it all started- Choroni. It was the first Venezuelan beach I visited and I just loved the little town and the beaches there. I am looking so forward to going back. Then, the most epic event of my time in Venezuela is happening: my Mom and Christina and Corey are coming to visit! Mom and Christina arrive late on Wednesday night, then Corey on Friday afternoon. Friday evening, we are all off to Angel Falls!
I could not be more ecstatic about their visit. I can't decide what excites me the most. I mean, I am clearly thrilled to go to Angel Falls again, both to visit such a wonderful place but also to share this wonderful place with people I love. I am also just thrilled to share my life with my Mom and friends, so someone understands what my life is like down here. Finally, I am just beside myself with glee because Ivan gets to meet some of my loved ones. It is so important to me that some of the people from my life get to know him. Living my life here seems somehow like a whole different life from my life back home, and I want desperately to bridge my lives so that I don't feel so much like I have a foot each on different planets.
It's just thrilling, the whole idea of having them visit, see my life, travel with me in my beautiful adopted country and meet my wonderful boyfriend. I'm a little nervous too. What if something doesn't work out right? What if flights are cancelled or it rains the whole time or someone gets sick? What if something scary happens and my Mom will forever worry about my safety from here on out? There is of course lots to worry about and I of course choose to worry about it, despite the many pleas I get from Ivan to just be tranquila tranquila. It's my nature I can't help it, though I try to keep it at bay. Sigh. Just pray that all goes well....and that I don't drive Ivan nuts.
I have to say, this time around, I am excited to go home for different reasons. At Christmas, I was excited to go home and eat. And while I do want Chic-Fil-a, this time around I am more excited about just being HOME. I think I am more homesick now and miss everyone just a little bit more. I also miss the land- I miss the Valley, I miss Charlottesville, I miss my ugly, 'ol Virginia beaches. I miss my familiar sights and familiar smells, my familiar faces and familiar routines. This time around, I am really longing to go back to reacquaint myself with my life, with the things and people I miss, with the places that still are a very big part of who I am. And while I am of course excited to return to Caracas in July, I am thankful to have the opportunity to return home for six weeks, and I plan to relish every delicious moment.
So perhaps next time you read my blog, I will have written it from a seat overlooking a cornfield, snuggled with a kitty, smelling my Mom's fried squash. Mmmmm, that sounds positively wonderful.
