more moments :)

Twenty-Six
Time to go home. Gavin picked me up at 3 am to get to the airport in time. It was dark out and the street lights were inconsistent for the 3 hour drive. Gavin and I once again talked for most of it, even though my eyelids were becoming heavy...the conversation was worth it. He hugged me goodbye and off I went into the airport. But things just don’t really ever work out for me just like that, and as it became my turn I found out I needed jens cc to get the ticket…after about an hour of freaking out/ them telling me I couldn’t get on the plane without a copy of her id and credit card(front and back)……..the day was saved by Stacey and Trevor who allowed me to switch the ticket to my cc. WHEWWWWWWWWWWWW!!! That would have been a very sad moment.
After that I bought some rum…..and sat with an acquaintance, Esan Williams from berbice..A guy I never really talked to, but saw all the time…He is model pretty but for some reason the conversation was all I was interested in. I guess I am getting older and realizing sexy men…are just that..sexy men. He was a good conversationalist…and we talked for all of the 4 hours we had to wait…. it was too foggy and Delta couldn’t land so the flight ended up being late. This equaled me playing texas hold em next to a NY Guyanese and then watchin a movie…and playing bookworm..pretty much everything but sleeping…boo so much for that idea
We land in NY and then I find out I am delayed until the next day…the next afternoon exactly. At first I was a little sad…I had been thinking that day was the day I got to see my family for so long…but then again, patience kicked in as well as the fact that when I walked into the Double Tree hotel …they handed me a chocolate chip cookie that was warm!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I knew at that very moment that everything was gonna be alright..Afterall I was back in America!
. I walked into the and dannnnnnnnnnnnnnng it felt like…I don’t even know how to describe the nicenesss of the things….two beds, warm water, little soaps, HUGE towles, airconditioning, tv, internet?????? AYYYY talk about overload.
I went down stairs and asked the front desk if they would be so kind to call two numbers for me. I called my sister and parents . I then proceeded to purchase a Bluemoon(which cost more than I make in one day) and because of the luxury and availability, I took it up stairs and drank it in the shower. It was the hottest shower I’ve had in 8 months and the coldest beer…..does life get anybetter??
So I ate dinner had another cost more than I make in a day beer…and went back upstairs and by that time it was 10 ish….or 9 ish..i didn’t know… I got upstairs and into my room again. It felt like I was a moviestar. I slowly made my way into the queen size plushhhhhh bed…it had 6 pillows on it and I honestly felt like I was melting….like I was surrounded by marshmellows and I was the melted chocolate and I was in a s’more bed and I did want some more so I got out and got into the second bed the same way and I know that I shouldn’t have but I just couldn’t resist. I indulged in it and it felt good to have something so nice, and I realized that maybe this is exactly what I needed. A little time to myself, a little luxury, and a lot of pillows.



Twenty Seven
The next day = two Plane Rides,(one sitting next to a jew and a dog saver…which led to interesting conversation) and then finally the sweet sweet air of Madison Wisconsin. Nothing feels better than Wisconsin sun on your skin and getting to hug Biggie. Its that magical feeling of honestly being happy again, and of course I felt it immediately. Seeing Jen with a big smile and a big fountain drink is how I like to picture my returns home….and nothing brings reality more to life for me than getting to walk into my childhood home and seeing the people who made me, me.
When I am away I feel as if I am missing everything, but when I return I am thankful that my family allows me to pick up right where we left off. It didn’t feel as new this time, and instead felt more like home should feel, just right. Those two weeks I got to spend with my family and friends had too many moments wrapped into them that are precious to me….let me just do a gentle re-cap so I don’t bore you of my dreamy moments.
• -two words: mommas cooking
• Baby d sleeping and walking and talking and laughing and pretty much everything he does is incredible and noteworthy
• Driving up north Wisconsin with Jen and biggie and having a baby black bear run across the road
• Getting ice cream with Grandma
• Car rides with my mom and Dad
• The drunken johnson meat retreat= gaining 12 lbs in one weekend
• Waking up in my old bedroom and to my moms morning hair=some things never change
• Bike Riding with my sister and dad up and down hills in the country
• Trip to the store with my Brother
• Jesse getting tipsyyyy
• Paco dancing in the Garage
• Playing cards and drinking wine
• CORN fest
• Katie making me feel pretty again!!!! And not judging me for how bad things got 
• Comedy club and choo choo train dancing
• Babysitting D with mom
• Spilling a salad and eating dinner with grandma and Cheryl
• Going to a movie!!!!!!!!! And my moms laughter
• A high five from my dad
• All the conversations with some of my closest friends
• Have I said beer yet??? BEER
• Surprising my friends on the phone
• Wearing a sweatshirt, pants and blankets at night with the windows open…in august
• Shopping!! Oh there is nothing like wearing things without mold and holes and smelling good
• Laundry, who knew you could just throw it in a machine and it will get clean!!!
• Rolo Mcflurries=brilliant
• Using ALL Of my brothers things
• Mini gulf and avatards/jenny doing all the kid obstacles
• Family get-together at Jims….i don’t know if I could have lived without Daves baked beans
• Uncle Jim taking me for a ride in his Porshe
• Breakfast and the Green Lantern…and my dad rejecting me being a Hotdogger idea…but Cheryl loving it!!
• Annoying everyone with my camera and jenny with my inability to make decisions quickly

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh home, there are many more moments but I’m afraid if I keep writing I will never stop. So will stop and simply say, America is the land of plenty and the land I will return to someday.
Twenty8
Jack Ten Two. This is the card game that I play weekly with kids in my neighborhood. Its easy to learn and noone can cheat(even though they still try) and I believe these moments with this game will always make me smile and always calm my mind to the heat, the laughter and the love children have for simplicity.

29
There was an old man named Carrington. He stood about 5 feet, but never was standing up straight. He was frail in body, but not in spirit. He would walk around with a rusted out coffee can and pick up the street where I lived. He always said goodmorning, but sometimes was talking in his own little world too. Many people considered him crazy, but I just thought his world might be a little bit better than all of ours. He would wake me up at 4am with loud music and sometimes shouting, about anything or nothing. He was in his 70s, and lived in the house behind me.
I heard commotion at about 11:30 at night the night he passed. He was walking with his coffee pot, and a man in a jeep was going to fast. Both were drinking. He was hit by that jeep about 30 feet from my front gate. His daughter saw the whole thing happen, and ran to hold his lifeless body. It took more than 30 minutes for anyone to come take him away to the hospital, but we knew he was gone the instant he was hit. Everyone from the community around gathered in the streets for an hour or two. I stood next to his daughter Tessa, and walked her home when all had gone away. I then made my way back home on the road that hours before a life was left on. I said a quiet prayer and entered a silent home. I wasn’t going to be woken up at 4 a.m. that night…and for some reason I already missed it.

#Thirty Teddy Bear Picnic/Skippy John Jones
For Education Month and World Literacy Day, The Department of Education Region 6, hosted a “teddy bear picnic” at Esplanade grounds in New Amsterdam. Its focus was to promote literacy through oral stories and read aloud. Approximately 150 kids came as we sang songs about washing your face with orange juice and of course we went on a bear hunt!! Then the kids were split up and we read aloud to each group. I of course read my favorite bookitooooooooo……skippy john jones!!!!! Kids loved the espanol mixed in flavorrrrrrrrrrr and I loved to practice my muyyyyyyyyy muyyyyyyyyyyyy bien Spanish accent!!!!!!!!! Wowoowow SKIPPITOOOOOOOOOOO!!
31
First real day back at school: dancing with Ryan and signing away!!!
School started this morning. The energy is electrifying! Its overwhelming, stressful, happy, exciting, frustrating and of course so mucho fun!!!!!!!!!!!! So many hugs and of course with that, so much sweat that isn’t mine all over! YUM! But of course the sweatiest moment was the one with a new boy ryan. Ryan is very scared to be at school today and shows this by crying and running away. I took him in my arms and waited for a moment till his heart stopped beating so fast. I stood by his side for most of the day, he would go back and forth with being okay. He is only 5 afterall, and I can imagine how overwhelmed he must have felt. He is hard of hearing but once the music came on and the children and I started dancing there was no turning back for him. We held hands and shimmied our way to comfort and laughter. He smiled so big and I knew that this school year, although will be challenging, will be worth every one of these moments, when smiles appear and laughter escapes from childrens hearts.
thirty2.
A single rose
Marvela is 10. She is a beautiful Amerindian girl with long curly dark brown hair and a smile that makes you smile. She is smart and can change the way she talks in an instant depending on if it’s a friend or an an adult. I usually get a mix. She comes over and we talk….or just play..or I help her with math. She brought me a present today. Its her first needle stich. A single red rose. She pastes it up on my wall next to the house and garden she drew for me, Jillanys. And she says this is for you. And I felt special, and I hope I make her feel that special too.
Thirty-threeee
Girl you gota enuf ration. These are the words that are spoken to me as I walk out my gate at 8 am on a Tuesday.
Your lucky the police didn’t catch you packin all that…..the fines 7500. These are the words that are spoken to me as I get in a car from the market home on a Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m.

34. Subrena and making enchiladas for Shys bday
Subrena is the hottest mom I know. She is also a friend, and one of my best fans here. She calls me the “good Samaritan” and knows that it doesn’t take much for me to care. I love her daughter Shyianyna, who goes to the school I teach at. She is 7 and has a heart of gold. For her birthday we got together and I taught Subrena and Sancia( shys older sister) how to make enchiladas. Shy pretty much just snuck sips of Subrenas drink all night and we gaffed and cooked and sweated and it was good. And I felt lucky to know that family. And I felt lucky that they invited me to share such a special day with them, and that they felt lucky I was there too.