It was a no frills deal getting back to America, but I was half expecting to get stopped at customs. I promised that I would bring back some smoked cuahada (local cheese) and I was pretty sure that it was against the law, but what the hell. Also, I always check “yes” that I have been in close proximity to livestock since it is not uncommon for a loose pig or horse to come meandering through my yard. Well with all my apprehension I knew I was done for and would be called aside to be searched… nope, I was just asked if I stepped in any manure in my boots (are you serious? These were my classy custom made boots; I am not sure what he was thinking). Another big plus of my flight back was that I had no checked baggage and was able to change from my 7hr layover in Miami to only 2hrs! Big plus, yet I still didn’t leave until 4hrs later because of some rain delay, you would think an airport has never experienced rain before.
With all that put behind us I was still home 3hrs earlier than expected and back with my family. It was wonderful to be home again and just soak in all the things that I have missed. After traveling in a bus for so long I had forgotten the simple luxury of having sufficient personal space in a private car. My mom spared no expense in my welcome and I had a new electric blanket for my bed to help me combat the bone chilling conditions that I was no longer accustomed to. I started off the week simply enough. Unlike my last trip home I had no ambitious plans of running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I was not planning any ambitious trip to NYC and then to Boston or even running around Brookfield. Instead, I wanted this trip to be about family and if my friends wanted to see me, they knew where to find me. Of course this lead to some issues, but I have no regrets about how I spent my vacation. If anything my few times home in the last 16 months have taught me who I can really count on and that it is an inevitable fact that people may grow apart. So a brief summary of my time home was that I started doing Bikram Yoga. Basically it started on somewhat of a bet with my sister. She told me that I wouldn’t be able to handle it… enough of a challenge to perk my interest. I will be perfectly honest, it was difficult, but I was hooked. I always wanted to get into yoga and why not supplement it with a super hot room to help increase the sweating. Over the vacation I went five times and I think I felt taller by the end of it. Also, getting back into a routine made it feel like I wasn’t on vacation, but had moved back home. Some other things were that I met up with a good friend, Carl Bailey, to talk about how we can work together in some of my projects in Nicaragua. He was kind enough to not only invite me to one of his community parties but also later for a dinner party at his place. It felt so nice to know that I have friends with the same interest and see them implementing it in their daily lives.
So the real reason I came home… Christmas. The day after I got back home we were off to the Christmas tree farm to choose our victim. It has always been a tradition of ours to head out to Shelton as a family and find the perfect tree. A running joke is that we scour the hillside marking trees only to come back to one of the firsts and cut it down. Another historical fact is that my sister has a running record of always choosing the tree. It is not that we simply want to appease her, but she actually chooses the best tree. I don’t want to read too much into it, but this year we decided to get a blue spruce and for one of the first times I had the winning tree. Maybe it was because the tree was a new species or I got sympathy points since I had been gone, I don’t care, I won. Well, one tradition that did remain intact is that I got the honor of cutting down the tree. I now know why we usually go for the Douglas firs, those blue spruces are quite sharp and it makes cutting them down a pain in the butt… literally. 
We had funny running through the cold and taking plenty of pictures of our trek through the farm. I made sure to take plenty of pictures of the process to show my family back in Nicaragua and even got the elusive Mom in some of the pictures.
Even though I tried to keep my visit home low-key I still was fairly busy. I don’t know what is different between Nicaragua and the States, but my time at home just seems to fly by. I made a thorough list of things I wanted to accomplish, but I still didn’t get to hit it all. I did some Christmas shopping at the mall, took out my dad’s car for a joy ride, but I never had that dead time that I can’t seem to kill when I am at my place in San Dionisio. I guess that is beside the point, getting back to the idea of Christmas I decorated the Christmas tree alone this year while everyone was at work. Another difference between here and there, everyone here works and has a million responsibilities. I can’t really blame them, but I guess I can settle for dead time for the day rather than always having to be at work.
One quick note before I get to the family Christmas party. I did plan one extravagant trip during my vacation. I went to New York City for the night to meet up with one of my best friends. Sadly, I don’t have any pictures of us together because I am just a horrible camera man. Yet, I did get some free time to meander through the city and took some pictures of the skyline and the touristy spots.
I met up with Michelle after taking the train down to Grand Central Station. Upon getting into the city I just realized how populated the city is. Also how fast everyone moves. I am considered a fast walker in town, but I was being left in the dust. In the station I was distracted by the ceiling and felt like a breakwater from the ever present tide of people.
I met up with Michelle for dinner because like any twenty something year old you have a job and can’t just wander around like a Peace Corps Volunteer. It was pretty swanky and I was amazed by this lifestyle. I remember before leaving for Peace Corps saying how I could give it all up, but sitting in that restaurant… I missed it. Everyone around me was so attractive and in shape. Given, I was at 20th and 5th Ave, a young professional hot spot, but still I was blown away. I don’t know, I say how I want to continue living abroad and I have been known to openly bash NYC, but after my dinner with Michelle and seeing her place in Brooklyn, I could see myself as a New Yorker… scary.
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