Thursday, September 10

Home Again?

Where is home? It has been St. John for the last few months. Now, it will be Alexandria, again.

The day began early. Mister Al picked us up at the hotel and drove us the short distance to the airport. Already sweltering hot just after 6:00am, we were dripping with sweat by the time we got to the check-in counter. The sun crested over the hills and showered us with light while we waited to unload our luggage and get through the check-in process, all of which is outside.

A welcome gush of crisp air blew our way when we stepped through the sliding glass doors into the Customs and Border Patrol area. A few trips to Jost Van Dyke were my only times away from US soil and not part of my current travel arrangements. It seems weird that we had to clear customs, since we were traveling from the US to the US, but I guess a lot of travelers will enter the Caribbean islands without getting the proper paperwork completed. Finally, we gave the five bags to the airline and were able to get some breakfast, after getting scanned and cleared through security. The food court was small but had plenty of choices. There were also liquor and small jewelry counters in the terminal waiting area. Our gate was easy to find amongst the less than a dozen available gates. In the food court, mom picked out a johnny cake with cheese and a side of bacon. I got a beef pate. Of the pate I've had, it was ok. I will miss being able to grab a pate for a tasty snack. Think beignet stuffed with seasoned meat (think also, hot picket, but tastier and fried). I also picked up a coffee. I used the machine that should produce tasty coffee with the press of a button (mixing powder and water). The cup of coffee was disgusting and while the button had indicated “mocha,” it tasted like stale chocolate and chalky water. Mom's coffee was a bit tastier. I guess next time I'll try a sip before I get the 20 oz. size, which in my case made the cup cost 3 times more than usual. For $12, I had a cup of something kind of gross, which I threw in the trash about half a sip later.

To board the plane, we had to walk outside and climb about 20 stairs to get into the plane. Non-stop service to Miami followed by a flight to DC filled the rest of the day. Watching the green hills and Caribbean seas disappear into the clouds filled me with a deep ache. I don't think I've ever been so upset to see clouds. I don't deny it will be fantastic to be home again, but I will seriously miss St. John. I've had a deep ache in my chest the past few days; knowing I'd be leaving was one of the worst feelings I've had in a long time.

On land again in DC, we met Dad after getting our luggage. Almost immediately, I was alarmed by the way Dad was driving- on the wrong side of the road (wrong to me). Driving on the right again will be something I've got to get used to, surprisingly. Off the plane, I'm feeling cold and grumpy.

A few hours had all of my items unpacked and mail sorted. The stress of travel is managed well with a good workout. I hit the gym right away, climbing and scaling the walls again at Sportrock. It felt awesome to see everyone again and do some climbing!

After climbing, I went to the grocery store. Holy molasses! The prices at Giant are mind-blowing to someone who has just been living in the Caribbean. For the $5.95 I usually spend on a bag of oreos (sad that it's a usual item, eh?), it was only $2.99! Creamer---normally $5, was $3.50. Yogurt, also in the $5-$6 range was only $3! Gah!!!! It's nice that eggs no longer cost $5 per dozen. I stared at all the price tags in shock and by the time I got to the register the shock and awe began to wear off as I paid my $50 for a huge basket full of goodies.

Jennie came over for a minute around dinnertime and then we decided to go over to her place for dinner, since she'd got some Chinese food from the Magic Wok. I drove over with her to pick up the order and then followed her back to her place. With her mom and dad, we ate deliciousness in the form of chinese food packed into those trademark white food containers. Jennie loved her bottle of guava rum and really enjoyed the t-shirt I got her from the Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park. The definition of the word friend on the back was all too perfect!

Got home from dinner later than I anticipated and finally got to meet up with Becca! She came over for a short spell and we caught up as she sampled her guava rum. Becca and Jennie both enjoyed the sweet fruity guava rum with fruit juice, on ice. Thinking I could hardly stay awake around 9pm, I went on to stay awake until around 2am, unpacking, everything. I didn't realize how much stuff I'd left behind until I went to put away what I had in my suitcases and realized there was no place to put things! I have too much junk! I eventually did get all of my things to fit in drawers and closets. I'm hoping I don't have the Hollywood-style closet explosion next time I open one of my dresser drawers.