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dear Nevis,
in just 18 days, i will finally be preparing to go home for the first time. i’ll only be gone two weeks, but i have a sneaking suspicion i’ll miss you just a little bit. in honor of our imminent separation, i’ve been reminiscing a bit about all of the things you’ve taught me since i arrived. i’ve grown a lot in the past few months. and learned many wonderful things about myself. and you.
i now know how to:
- take a freezing cold shower and be fully washed/rinsed in only a few minutes flat
- BOP cockroaches
- recognize and flag down an H-bus
- change a flat tube on a hot sandy beach while being swarmed by tiny flies
- religiously check expiry dates on everything in the grocery store
- cycle past roadkill and poisoned dogs without breathing (or looking)
- recognize that “good morning! how are you?” is a necessity not a courtesy
- eat a (broken) freezer full of processed food
- stop whatever i’m doing to enjoy the rain
- look forward to sunrises
- memorize detailed lists of facts by candlelight and LED headlamp
- cope with naturally curly hair frizzed out by Caribbean humidity*
- get by on much less (of everything)
perhaps one of the most important things you have taught me, dearest Nevis, is the ability to slow down. there is nothing so important that can’t wait another few minutes. there is no place so important to be, no one so important to see. time goes by too fast as it is. there is nothing i can do to make it slow down. and certainly nothing i would want to do to make it speed up.
how we spend our days is how we spend our lives.
i’m not worried about tomorrow or yesterday. i’m in love with today.
i feel so blessed to be on this wonderful journey in such a perfect place.
you are perfect because of — not in spite of — your imperfections.
all my love,
`Jennifer
————
*okay, i haven’t fully learned this one yet. i have a feeling it’ll be a lifelong lesson.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could all learn most of the lessons you have learned in Nevis.
Not sure about the broken freezer and naturally curly hair frizzed out (actually I would really like some hair).
:)
how excited you must be!! and how far you have come! xo
:-)
I can relate to most of the things you’ve had to learn during your time on Nevis. I’ve got to say, the frizzy hair has to be the worst part about living in the Caribbean. However, as much as I complain about this simple life, I can see myself missing all this once we leave.
Good luck on your last few exams and enjoy your time at home!
P.S.: I’m happy to be able to access your blog again. For the past few days I’ve been getting a “server not found” error when going to http://www.jenniferhawke.com. Strangely enough, your site would load as http://jenniferhawke.com but without any CSS.
What a lovely post!
I am so glad that you are enjoying the here-and-now part of your travels. It makes me smile.
Hi Jen,
Really enjoyed reading that. I’m into week two of a two week break and, as always, you find time to think. When albums you thought came out a couple of years ago are issuing a 10 year anniversary editions you’re shocked into realising how fast time goes. Every moment should be treasured. As you say, how we spend our days is how we spend our lives.
your most important lesson reminded me of this:
Slow down you move to fast
you got to make the morning last
just kicking down the cobble stones
looking for fun and feelin’ groovy.
– simon and garfunkle
Awwwww, that’s so nice and lovely J. “They hunger for an Eden, where spring comes.” Not even mentioning where that quote is from ;-). I’m absolutely sure that any Eden is slower though.
To live in the present, be mindful of the future, just not all the time :-)
All the best.
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