In five days, I will be en route to Trinidad. I can hardly believe it, and yet, I am excited and ready (almost). This week will be a chaos of visiting and getting ready, but that's the way I like it :) I have been so blessed thus far that things seem to be coming together nicely. I've heard nothing but good things about the woman who is my in-country affiliation, about working with her and all of her connections. She also responds quickly to email, which is certainly nice! A friend of one of Dr. Romero's friends has also been fantastic, as far as answering questions about things, and the one person with connections to Trinidad that I've actually met in person will be there when I arrive, which is also somehow comforting. Probably the biggest help was speaking with a previous Fulbrighter to Trinidad (who, ironically, is completing her fourth year of medical school in Washington, DC). Gillian was able to tell me about the country, what to wear, and give me a little insight into her own experience, which eased my nerves a LOT and made me REALLY excited to go. Today, Marie-Claire put me in touch with people connected to the church in Trinidad, which also brings a sense of peace. So I've gained quite a few offers as to places to stay when I get there, and people to pick me up from the airport. Not too bad, considering I didn't start really thinking about all of this until last Tuesday.
Again, it has been really fantastic to see so many people since I've been home. I will take all of that with me to Trinidad; know it makes me stronger. I feel so blessed to have you all in my life, and really, I feel just incredibly blessed in general. Love to you all! Thanks for listening! :)
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I can hardly believe you're off again so soon! My one piece of advice is to try and be aware of the attitudinal changes you are going to experience. You were in Cambodia for a fairly short period of time, but since Trinidad is for the long haul, the excitement phase will probably seem relatively short. At first everything is going to be crazy and romantic and confusing, but eventually your life will have a routine and this regimen is the time when homesickness creeps in. Obviously you are a strong and courageous woman and you're going to have incredibly experiences thanks to Fulbright, and I don't think there is a lot you can do to necessarily prevent the changes (it's called the U-curve, or the W-curve of intercultural adjustment, in case your interested!) but making personal connections is a huge help. It looks like you are on the right track with the people you're working with and getting connected with a church. If you need someone to talk to or to gush about your adventures to, you know where to find me, Nicki! <3
ReplyDeleteHey Nicki!!
ReplyDeleteAll my blessings....and my prayers...you will do such good things! Know you have a community filly supporting you and loving you...and here if you need anything....go be the fabulous woman that you are!!!