July 7: While I was boarding the plane bound for Miami in the Santiago airport the electricity went out, a daily part of life in this country and though no one else took note I took it as a wink from the Republica, “Enjoy the States” she said.
Seeing the United States from the air before touching down made the transition between it and the Dominican Republic even more evident. Flying above Miami and the surrounding area I saw the familiar grid pattern encompassing every inch of available land, houses with terra cotta roofs complimented by shiny, unmistakably unnatural turquoise swimming pools every few yards.
Flying over Southern Florida the land below turned from a familiar lawn green to a dark almost black and I saw the clouds reflected in the land, realizing then that it was water…sort of…a mix really. The everglades I imagine, stretching for miles. No houses, nothing human. I could only see water reflecting the sky from thousands of feet in the air. Amazing.
After touching down the only differences I really noticed being in the States again (granted I had only made it as far as the Miami airport) was that the electricity feeding the fluorescent light bulbs was unwavering and the smell of fast food was everywhere!
Near the gate of my plane bound for Detroit I wandered unwittingly into what is a trap even for those Americans who have not been deprived of American news and culture for months…the gift shop and bookstore. After about a half hour I finally pulled myself away from the newsstand, having to convince myself that I wasn’t going to buy the new Newsweek – the Darwin/Lincoln Big Ideas issue, David Sidaris’ hilarious new creation, the Barack Obama Rolling Stone, Oprah’s summer book picks, a book about the transformation of the American Army during the last decade and so many other, deliciously written in English, non fictions that I was dying to read! I wandered over to my gate to snack on a little peanut casave bread I had brought along for the ride when I was stopped in my tracks by a familiar red band streaming bits of news across the bottom of a flat screen TV and three letters, C-N-N, thrusting me from basic environmental education and a cool breeze over rolling green hills in the countryside into who John McCain may or may not have assaulted in 1987. For the next half hour or so, until they called the last group to board the plane I was transfixed on the television, jumping at every little tidbit of campaign garbage like our stray cats onto chicken bones. My mouth watered a bit when a guy sat down near me with the first American quality pizza I had seen in nearly 5 months, but I couldn’t even think of leaving my seat to go in search of one for myself. I was soaking it all in and loving every second of it. If I would have had more time I probably would have paid the $9.95 to buy Miami International Airport’s wireless internet for the day and would have sat there in front of CNN surfing the internet until they kicked me out. It was the first time I ever hoped that my flight would be delayed!
While in the States for less than 7 days I saw my family, who bought me all my favorite foods, said goodbye to the old house and hello to the farm my parents are buying, was ecstatic to be in Traverse City during the Cherry Festival, trekked a little through the dunes on the gorgeous Lake Michigan coatline and was honored to be the maid of honor in the wedding of my great friend, Sonia. I guess I have to grow up now that I'll be 25 this year and all my friends are getting hitched! More pictures to come!
Seeing the United States from the air before touching down made the transition between it and the Dominican Republic even more evident. Flying above Miami and the surrounding area I saw the familiar grid pattern encompassing every inch of available land, houses with terra cotta roofs complimented by shiny, unmistakably unnatural turquoise swimming pools every few yards.
Flying over Southern Florida the land below turned from a familiar lawn green to a dark almost black and I saw the clouds reflected in the land, realizing then that it was water…sort of…a mix really. The everglades I imagine, stretching for miles. No houses, nothing human. I could only see water reflecting the sky from thousands of feet in the air. Amazing.
After touching down the only differences I really noticed being in the States again (granted I had only made it as far as the Miami airport) was that the electricity feeding the fluorescent light bulbs was unwavering and the smell of fast food was everywhere!
Near the gate of my plane bound for Detroit I wandered unwittingly into what is a trap even for those Americans who have not been deprived of American news and culture for months…the gift shop and bookstore. After about a half hour I finally pulled myself away from the newsstand, having to convince myself that I wasn’t going to buy the new Newsweek – the Darwin/Lincoln Big Ideas issue, David Sidaris’ hilarious new creation, the Barack Obama Rolling Stone, Oprah’s summer book picks, a book about the transformation of the American Army during the last decade and so many other, deliciously written in English, non fictions that I was dying to read! I wandered over to my gate to snack on a little peanut casave bread I had brought along for the ride when I was stopped in my tracks by a familiar red band streaming bits of news across the bottom of a flat screen TV and three letters, C-N-N, thrusting me from basic environmental education and a cool breeze over rolling green hills in the countryside into who John McCain may or may not have assaulted in 1987. For the next half hour or so, until they called the last group to board the plane I was transfixed on the television, jumping at every little tidbit of campaign garbage like our stray cats onto chicken bones. My mouth watered a bit when a guy sat down near me with the first American quality pizza I had seen in nearly 5 months, but I couldn’t even think of leaving my seat to go in search of one for myself. I was soaking it all in and loving every second of it. If I would have had more time I probably would have paid the $9.95 to buy Miami International Airport’s wireless internet for the day and would have sat there in front of CNN surfing the internet until they kicked me out. It was the first time I ever hoped that my flight would be delayed!
While in the States for less than 7 days I saw my family, who bought me all my favorite foods, said goodbye to the old house and hello to the farm my parents are buying, was ecstatic to be in Traverse City during the Cherry Festival, trekked a little through the dunes on the gorgeous Lake Michigan coatline and was honored to be the maid of honor in the wedding of my great friend, Sonia. I guess I have to grow up now that I'll be 25 this year and all my friends are getting hitched! More pictures to come!
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1 comment:
your parents are moving?? what???
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