Hello friends, family, family of friends, and friends of family –
I’m currently sitting in the airport in Johannesburg (although I probably won’t post ‘till I’m back in Swaziland) going through pictures of the time I spent at home this past month. What can I say - It was fantastic to see friends and family again, to sleep in my own bed, to play with my dog, and to eat top-notch Mexican food once again, after a very long (and simultaneously very short) time.
Just a little summary of my time in the States:
The first week was designated “family time”. Mom and Dad took the week off from work and Nick (brother) was home from Boston for just a week. We picked up Sarah (sister) from her house and had a fun week of family activities, including a family trip to Rocks and Ropes Climbing Gym, Art Exhibits at the University of Arizona, Project Nim at The Loft Cinema, making decorations for our backyard, and meals at our favorite restaurants. Here are some pictures:
It was so wonderful to see my whole family again, hanging out as a unit. Nick has been off at college for quite some time now, and Sarah lives out of the house now… so it was great to have some designated time where we could all be together. Featured guests at “Family Week” include Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle David, Aunt Sophia, and Aunt Donna.
Unfortunately enough, the close of this week brought the opening of “Eli Gets Tonsillitis Again” Week. I still tried to get out and do things with my friends during this time... but tonsillitis is a toughy to ignore. Needless to say, this put me out for several days. During this time, I embraced the sit-and-relax-and-do-nothing side of my vacation... which I was OK with :)
I realized in my last two weeks of vacation that one month isn’t nearly as long as it seems – on top of this, my friends started college at around this time, meaning they had either moved away or were much less available. Considering this, I think I made most of the circumstances – I hung out with friends at their new dorms at the U, went hiking with people, went paintballing (a first!), had lunch dates, etc etc. Also, I went to my old school and finally picked up my diploma (yay?), and spent some time speaking with the principal and new IB Coordinator (as they’re starting IB at CDO next year). Also got in some family time here with the parents – we revisited an old favorite activity, and watched an entire season of 24. Despite the fact that watching TV together may not seem like “family time”, we actually had a lot of fun speculating on what would happen in the next episode, staying up late to watch multiple episodes in a night, conversing about how unrealistic Jack Baur is, and so on. What can I say – some people play Monopoly or start family bands… we watch Jack Baur thwart terrorist attacks. America!
The close of my time at home got somewhat ugly when I decided to tackle the monstrous pile of homework my teachers so lovingly assigned for the holiday… let’s just say, I never want to see a snowflake again.
For those who care, my journey back has been… long. I was originally supposed to leave on Friday night, but the plane I needed to catch in Tucson was caught on the tarmac in Denver, and the flight was cancelled. I left the next day and thus am arriving at school a day late. At this very moment I’m missing my first say of school, including a test in Biology (oh shoot! ;)
Hope all is well in the US of A, or wherever else you may be – I’ll be seeing folks sooner than you think. Third term… hobey ho, let’s go!
Love always
Eli
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