I have spent the last month in the US and it has been absolutely wonderful. I’d like to say that I feel like I got my fix of America, but I’m not entirely sure I have…but oh well because I am off to Kenya for yet another adventure.
Somehow on December 23, Virgin Airlines decided to send my flight out of London. The 9am flight to JFK was canceled and all the flights the day before had been cancelled as well…needless to say I was stressed and worried about making it home. But thank goodness for booking the noon flight and making it. I was welcomed by my entire family as soon as I got through customs at JFK. Gina, Mark, Steve, and Caesar greeted me with open arms as I graced America with my presence for the first time in months. The first place we stopped was my grandparents…I’m not entirely sure if they knew how to start a conversation with me after such an experience, but they both gave me the biggest hugs ever and made a point to tell me they were glad I was home safely…so was I to be honest.
So yes, I made it…around the world. It’s hard to believe, but as always, time continues and life goes on. Readjusting to home was quick and easy, surprisingly…I have had numerous conversations about this with people, but it is really interesting how easy it is to bounce back into a life that you’ve lived before. I am noticing this tendency in my personality that is really interesting: depending on who I surround myself with, whether it be college friends, family, high school friends, etc. I turn into the person I was during that phase of my life.
Around my family I am the free spirited Krissy-I guess I just do whatever I want which is why my mother refers to me as “Princess # 1” in our house-and that is exactly how it was for the holidays. The day after I got back we all hopped in the car and drove down to my aunt and uncles house in northern Virginia. Every year we seem to gather at their house, which is absolutely beautiful, and do the whole holiday thing. My mom’s side is awesome and always a blast-we don’t have any standard traditions but it has turned into a yearly reunion…Steve cooks fabulous meals, we lounge around the house and watch movies-basically we eat a lot and just hang out…it’s very relaxing and good old fashion family time. This year’s highlight definitely was my uncle taking us to a shooting range…so I shot a pistol for the first time in my life which was intense, but also super invigorating! After a few days at their house we returned to NYC for the Pinstripe Bowl. Mom got 5 tickets so my dad, Steve, grandpa, and I all went to Yankees Stadium to watch the Syracuse University football game. Even though the weather was cold, it was a blast-and it definitely didn’t hurt that SU actually won a game!!
For New Year’s this year I ventured down to Washington D.C. (again) to meet up with some of my favorite people in the world: my college friends…it was SO easy for me to act exactly how we did a year ago in Pittsburgh…debauchery, mayhem, ridiculous, inappropriate at times, and childish are just a few describing words that explain our friendship. But I found, even after all of this personal growth and such, I turned right back into the Krissy from college-weird how that works out. We wandered around D.C. during the day-saw the white house, the Washington Monument, and walked around the ‘mall’ for a bit before heading out for the night. I haven’t seen these friends since May, so it was such a treat to actually get some quality time in with them and we had such a great time. The night consisted of dancing, late night Chinese food, me being the 3rd wheel with my favorite couple ever followed by a morning of recovery and yummy Mexican brunch. But just like that it was over. I was off on a bolt bus back to NYC; as I walked away from the restaurant where my friends remained, I was tearing up thinking about how long it was going to be until I would be with all of them again. As much as I love catching up with people, I’m still having a hard time sorting out a way to say goodbye without carrying too much baggage along with it. I know some people who can just pick up and go on with their lives so easily, but I have a tendency to want to cling to people from all walks of my life. My friends and family are like a drug…I dabble into them a little bit and I get greedy and want more-good relationships are an addiction of mine and by no means do I want to be cured but I am still searching for some sort of quick fix to rid of the sadness of goodbyes.
I made it to Manlius finally and I felt like a 17 year old high school kid again…it had been ages since I actually relaxed in the comfort of my parents’ home, and it felt gooooooooood. I found myself lounging on the couches, dancing around the kitchen while blasting tunes, curling up in front of the fire, basically romping around the house on a daily basis. After being on the move for so long, I think I was ready for this down time.
To my own credit…I was working for AYP and taking care of grad school applications, so my time at home was not entirely free of responsibilities. But one thing I did find was that I am not sure I could ever work from home…everyday I would wake up, take care of emails, work on my applications a bit, do a little bit of yoga and then all of a sudden it would be 3pm and I’d still be in my pajamas…this is a problem. I need a reason to leave the house-I was making up excuses to go out and do something, anything...but rarely came up with a legitimate reason. I would pick up Caesar from daycare because I was bored, bop to Wegmans to browse/grab lunch, call friends to hang out with, and some days I would just get in my car and wind up somewhere. I suppose I just got really used to moving all the time and therefore I feel restless when cooped up in one place for too long.
One of the greatest parts of being home was reconnecting with the one and only bubs (no need for names): one of my closest middle school/high school friends-9 years of friendship. Both of us lived very different college lives but we both grew up and came to realize that sometimes home is where you have the best foundation. I am pretty sure we saw each other everyday for 2 weeks straight-I adored every second we spent together, from our hilarious conversations about men to the serious discussions about world issues, I couldn’t have asked for a better companionship while I was home. It felt really nice to know she whole heartedly listened to all of my stories and experiences and she contributed with very stimulating viewpoints that I never thought of. So bubs, I know you’re reading this and I want to thank you-it was a blessing in disguise that we became so close again and I cannot imagine how I would have survived suburbia without you!xx
Another individual (still not mentioning names) from my past that I met up with was also quite a treat-an old partner in crime that I had been disconnected from for multiple years happened to spring back into my life with full force. I’m not sure if they’re reading this, but I believe it is essential that I mention this-our conversations provided entertainment, inspiration, something to look forward to, and just the idea that everything really does work out in time…so thank you!
Oh Manlius NY…it is funny how the place never changes-I think that I saw 95% of the people I needed to in the town…the boys, the Humsi’s, the Hodge’s, Molly, plenty of Mark Gina and Caesar, Meg (even though it was only for a bit), family friends, cousins, and even some people I didn’t intend on seeing. I did the typical 315 things like Flip night at Faegans, Friday night at Mulligans, backroom sessions at the Humsi’s, basement sessions at Adam’s, hosted a dinner/drinkfest at the Glauser’s, went sledding, tons of Wegman’s runs, lunch on Marshall St with mom, etc. The list could go on, but I think I’ve gotten the point across…I honestly believe that I did as much as I could while I was home and I’m really glad I got the chance to spend some time there.
Leaving my house was one of the strangest feelings I have had in a while. The feeling of home is clearly still there, but the idea that that is no longer my home is a hard concept for me to wrap my head around. I have so many memories and things tying me to Lamp Post Circle, and everytime I leave I feel a strange longing for that life. I am 23 years old and still get homesick. The morning I left was snowy and grey and I kept finding any excuse to stay at the house…I was washing dishes, cleaning the island, double checking my room, I didn’t feel ready to leave-but I did. I think at every point in our lives we have to just muster up the courage to do things that are scary. I was driving away from a comfortable life I love for an undetermined amount of time…again-but this time I know I won’t be back for several months and that is scary to me.
Ok moving on…Martin Luther King weekend consisted of a bit of college debauchery followed by some AYP love at a brand spankin new studio in Pittsburgh. A Steelers game, Piccolo Forno, the movies, shopping in Shadyside, a night out in South Side, a Pitt basketball game, dinner at a friend’s place, and an AYP fundraiser-I could not have asked for a more action packed weekend. The Yoga Hive studio just opened up on Penn Ave and everyone who still resides in Pittsburgh should go check it out! Katie Poploski really made it happen! She is amazing and doing such great things bridging AYP with the medical world…Pittsburgh is very lucky to have her! With that, I also owe a huge thanks to Lauren and Kimberly for welcoming AYP and supporting the cause; I could not have done the event without you 3!
Like most things in life, Pittsburgh came and went and I was super super sad to depart from the lovely DJL and her bf. They are my Pittsburgh family and will always hold a very special place in my heart-I’m looking forward to hopefully living in close proximity those 2 in the future!
My last week in the states was comprised of a NYC binge with a bit of Baltimore/DC thrown in there. A night of dancing with an interesting character, loads of Chef Stefon cooking, the Lion King on Broadway, quality time with Minervs, good old fashion football, TONS of Korean food, plenty of snow, and grandma and grandpa time…it was a great end to my America trip. I popped down to Baltimore/DC for some grad school visits and along the way saw 3 of my favorite gentlemen in the world: Paul, Wes, and Bry Bry! It was a pleasure and very unexpected. Each of them knows me from different places in my life, but that is why meeting up with them was so fun! Paul is from college and basically like a brother to me, Bry from high school and I have not seen him since new year’s 2009, and Wes who is from high school and I have not seen him since God knows when. They’re all doing awesome things with their lives and I’m so glad I got to catch up even if it was only for short time!
That brings us up to right now. I am sitting on the plane about 5 hours away from Nairobi and nostalgia is really kicking in. I left my parents at Newark airport at 6am this morning and I am kind of sad about it. I am so thankful for Mark and Gina and I feel like I do not say it enough. My parents are 2 of my closest friends; I cannot pin point the exact moment where we crossed over from guardian to friend, but I am so glad it happened. Like all relationships with parents, we’ve had our rocky moments, but I could not imagine not being this close with them these days.
Even though I am already feeling a bit homesick, I am very very very excited for what is to come. Paige and AYP have given me a great opportunity to return and work with their mentorship program. I am unsure as to what the future will hold but I know it will be great. The next 7 months of my life are going to be a trip and I am so glad I am able to get this experience! Expect more frequent blog posts!
Pictures from America: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2510748&id=14229274&l=12fa2e1a76
