Wednesday, January 19, 2005
No Rest for the Weary
It took 24 hours from the time I left to the airport till the time I set foot back home. My trip was a mess. As if spending almost every waking moment with family for 11 days straight isn't intense enough, this trip had some real sting to it. My Great Grandma died at the age of 96, only four days after we spent an afternoon together. I thought the whole idea of this trip was to say hello to family, not goodbye-forever. So I attended the first funeral in my life, and of a dear family member at that, and tried not to bawl my eyes out, so I bawled just a little more than a little.
What else about this trip? I find out that I have a relatively young relative living with AIDS. I get caught in the middle of old family brawls that began to unfold years before the idea of my conception was ever conceived. I get little sleep in between all the family gatherings. I continually get stuffed with food and at the worst times--when I have no appetite. I begin to realize how living oceans apart can create a distance between people that is harder to overcome than the geographic distance that separates...
Of course, all that's not to say that I didn't have any fun. At times I had tons of fun. The first 10 days spent on the organized tour of the country with 40 other Americans was much more fun than I expected. And yes, I really did enjoy seeing my family again and talking to (some of) them. But dang, all those hours spent in rooms with sick people caught up with me. So just as I prepare to leave, tired and frustrated, I get another kick in the ass--well sick that is.
Now, if you'll excuse me. I got a chest that's heavy and hurting, a tummy that's nauseous, a nose that's runny, a throat that's coughy, a brain that's suffering from those pinchy-sinus headaches, and a bunch of other things to tend to. *cough* *cough*
What else about this trip? I find out that I have a relatively young relative living with AIDS. I get caught in the middle of old family brawls that began to unfold years before the idea of my conception was ever conceived. I get little sleep in between all the family gatherings. I continually get stuffed with food and at the worst times--when I have no appetite. I begin to realize how living oceans apart can create a distance between people that is harder to overcome than the geographic distance that separates...
Of course, all that's not to say that I didn't have any fun. At times I had tons of fun. The first 10 days spent on the organized tour of the country with 40 other Americans was much more fun than I expected. And yes, I really did enjoy seeing my family again and talking to (some of) them. But dang, all those hours spent in rooms with sick people caught up with me. So just as I prepare to leave, tired and frustrated, I get another kick in the ass--well sick that is.
Now, if you'll excuse me. I got a chest that's heavy and hurting, a tummy that's nauseous, a nose that's runny, a throat that's coughy, a brain that's suffering from those pinchy-sinus headaches, and a bunch of other things to tend to. *cough* *cough*
