Catching Up

As my friend and fellow Fulbrighter Reina said, what happened to March? I really should apologize for my relative silence throughout the month. Typical of me, I took the first few months of my grant "easy" (which most would interpret as a normal level of busy), and around February, suddenly shifted into busy. I work in the clinic until 4, have taken to visiting clinic patients (and anyone else I know or come to know) in the wards after, not to mention sitting in on client support meetings at SAS on Mondays, attending Bible Class on Wednesdays, and singing group on Fridays (I have been told that before I leave, I will be able to sing on pitch and recognize when I'm off...well, Luke and Kenneth have their work cut out for them!). I rarely get home before seven in the evenings, and by that time, I am pretty much cooked. Not to mention that one of the ward patients is very difficult, demanding a lot of energy. Of course though--I am happy. I love my work, love the people I spend my days with. I feel so blessed.

When I last wrote, I was sitting on a hotel bed in Port of Spain, awaiting the arrival of Fulbrighters from Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Dominica, and Jamaica for the annual Enrichment Seminar. From the time they arrived and joined us Trini Fulbrighters (and program director Cara) at the dinner table, it was hard to believe we hardly knew one another. It was invigorating and energizing to be around so many brilliant, passionate individuals who are having an experience similar to yours. I learned so much from them, about Dominican deportees, slavery in the Eastern hemisphere, TB in the DR... Interestingly, five of us were doing work on HIV (that discussion was amazing!) and four of us (all female) will be going to medical school next year. Outside of the amazing interactions, we also had the chance to go out and do things. We toured the controversial performing arts center, with a design like the Sydney Opera House, and a restaurant and hotel inside. We traveled up to Matura to see the turtles, and were blessed to watch the entire process with one leatherback (with my hand on her chest...you can touch them while they're laying because they go into a trance (wouldn't it be nice if we could do that during childbirth too?)...I could feel her breathing; it was beautiful). Watching her and talking to our guide, it seemed as though animal behavior was coming alive. And what could be more perfect than strolling along the beach at night, while the ocean waves crashed just beside you and jellyfish popped under your feet? We also heard some Calypsonians play at a club...a few were old and classic (one wore a purple sparkly suit), and a few were younger. All seemed to love this group of Americans sitting in the front, and many catered to us, bringing a few on stage or singing tunes to which we could sing along.

Interestingly, as amazing a time as I had in Port of Spain, I missed South, and I felt very disconnected from my day-to-day life. It wasn't a bad thing--I needed the break and would never have traded the experience--but it was strange. Yesterday was Easter Sunday. A year ago, I was flying back from New Orleans with Dr. Ingalls, and I found out about the Fulbright. Yesterday was also my birthday--a year before on which I was struggling through CS/IS in the Donnelly lab where I spent more time than in N4, it feels, until my wonderful housemates rescued me and took me to dinner. Yesterday, my Trini family made me feel special. After church, Dominic, Annie, and Paul, along with an American couple who've been here a year, took me to Pizza Hut (the pizza is mostly the same, except they always offer the option to add pineapple, and it's standard to serve the pizza with pepper sauce and ketchup). They also delighted in watching me turn red as they sang. It was a lovely day. It made me feel so blessed to have the wonderful friends and family I do, both in Trinidad and in the US (and in Cambodia, for that matter). This world is a large and dynamic place, but I know no matter where I go, I will always have a home.