Hey people! Did you miss me?
After a four-week hiatus, I’m officially back. Since I’m on summer vacation, I went home to Connecticut for about 3 weeks. It’s true what they say, there really is no place like home. It was so wonderful to see my family (pets included) and friends despite the frigid New England temps.
Being home felt the same as always. It actually just felt like I was on winter break from college. I really enjoyed the many lunches, dinners and get-togethers with everyone. I also got to ring in my 24th birthday stateside. And I had the chance to to pop down to Florida for a few days to visit my beloved God Father. He’s honestly my favorite person in the world; and I hadn’t seen him for about 8 years! We celebrated his 87th birthday and had so many laughs together. I even got to cross off the first point on my bucket-list (yes, I have an actual list), swimming with dolphins.
I went to Discovery Cove, which was about an hour drive from Tampa. I highly recommend this resort. Although expensive, it was money well-spent. The resort only allows less than 2,000 people in a day, which eliminates the theme-park feel. My dolphin experience lasted for 40 minutes, and I loved every second. Luna, was 7 years old and so adorable. In addition to the dolphins, they had an amazing snorkeling experience. The snorkeling was in a man-made cove filled with all sorts of tropical fish. I had the satisfaction of knowing there was nothing lurking in the water ready to bite off my leg or sting me! There were mantarays swimming around and some were the length of my body! At one point I came across a pufferfish and I followed him around for about 45 minutes. They also had a really awesome bird atrium, sea otters and marmosets.
On my last day home, I was taking my laundry downstairs and I slipped and fell really hard down the stairs. My laundry basket broke and clothes went everywhere. The coffee I had in my hand went all over the walls. When I say I fell down the stairs, I don't mean I fell down a few steps, I mean I fell down all of the stairs. Now I have a pretty impressive bruise on my butt.
^^ It was quite comfortable to sit on a 9 hour flight the next day...
I will admit it was hard to get on that plane to come back. I love the life I’ve created in Santiago, but it’s hard leaving everyone you love, knowing life will continue on without you. It’s especially hard leaving my pets; I love them so much and I hate that I have to be absent for a portion of their short lives. But, in the end, I’m chasing the biggest dream I’ve ever had here in Chile and I deserve to let it play out.
It was nice being home for a fixed amount of time because it made all get-togethers and interactions more meaningful and genuine. No time was wasted, and each hug counted. I think we should adjust our daily lifestyles to savoring each moment with our loved ones more -you never know what life will bring or when that last hug will be.
Laughable Moments:
After arriving back to Chile, a friend asked me “so what do your friends think of Chile? Do they think we run around the streets naked and ride donkeys?”
While making nachos my Chilean friend, she said “We can put cheese upstairs!”, she meant we can put cheese on the top
^^ The sun doesn't stand a chance against this family
^^ I made a dog friend on my run, he decided to join me for a few blocks
During my absence, I gave my blog a little makeover. Feel free to check out a newly updated About Me and FAQ page.
