My final day in Trinidad. I woke up early, but still was not able to say goodbye to Kai. I was working on deflating my bed and putting the sheets in the laundry when I heard their car start. I ran downstairs to only to see Kai pulling out of the driveway. So, I had to settle for calling him and saying goodbye over the phone.
After that, I continued to get everything together upstairs. Around 9:00 am we left to take Mrs. Gormandy to work. Thankfully I was able to properly say goodbye to Mrs. Gormandy and thank her for being such a gracious hostess. Mr. Gormandy and I continued on then to the store of one of their friends that is a quite talented painter. I purchased a couple paintings from him to help support local art and then we were on our way. When we got back to the house, I finished getting all my stuff together and then we headed off to the airport.
It was kind of surreal saying goodbye to everything on the way to the airport. The whole way there, my trip kept flashing back to me. I could see the whole 6 weeks in the blink of an eye, and it was great! I could also remember traveling this route with Mia and Christina when Mr. Gormandy picked us all up from the airport back on May 10. Even though it was the middle of the night, I could vividly remember the scenery and was reminded of all of that during this trip back.
I had no issues once at the airport, and the flights were pretty uneventful. There was one really annoying little girl (maybe 1.5 years) but once I put my headphones on I could basically drown her out. I had a little bit of a scare at Miami. I made it through immigration without any problems. Although the officer asked me a bunch of questions about why I am doing pan, and just couldn’t understand that I just love it. That really made me think though. How does one describe their love for something like pan, to somebody on the outside. To them, any degree in music, unless it’s an education degree, is a waste of time. They cannot understand that I can’t NOT do pan. I can’t explain why, I just love this instrument. I know that I am here to do something with this instrument. How does one explain this feeling of purpose to somebody sitting at an immigration desk in the airport? Did he desire to do that? Did everything ounce of his life push him towards that position? I simply wanted to answer his question of “why?” with the cliché “if you have to ask, you wouldn’t understand” but I resisted. Upon leaving his desk, I found that question of “why?” lingering in my head. I really thought about it while awaiting my luggage to come down the chute, and could not figure out how to explain it. I simply answered myself “well because I love it” and realized that for most people that is not enough. Perhaps one of the biggest problems in the modern society is that people do not just do things for themselves. People do not simply do something because ‘they love it’ enough. There always has to be an ulterior motive. But why? I feel that it also has to do with people not having the courage to stand up for themselves. It is much easier to do something society accepts than to blaze your own trail and do what one loves. Nobody asks “why?” when somebody says they’re a doctor. Nobody says “why?” when somebody says they’re a lawyer. Nobody even ask “why?” when somebody says they’re a bagger at the grocery store. This final example proves that it is not simply the implied prestige and wealth associated with the first two professions, it is society’s acceptance of ‘normal’ occupations. I feel that I could likely write all day about this though, so I must conclude this digression with simply asking ‘why not?’
While back to the story at hand, I was waiting at baggage claim for my two bags to come through. I was one of the first people there and swear I saw every single bag come down the chute. I got my backpack without any issue, but soon they said there were no more bags and I hadn’t seen my pan case yet. I asked somebody and they just told me to go look around some more. I found somebody else, and they actually helped. I told them it was about 25″ circle and it probably was the only thing like it. I told me to wait while he searched. I ended up coming back about 3 minutes later with the case. He was even kind enough to get me a cart to put the case and my computer bag on. He said it wasn’t good for me to carry all that weight – and people say americans are rude and selfish.
After that, I went through the maze of dropping off my backpack and taking my pan case to some separate drop point. I do not understand why I had to do this, but I did. I then continued on through security and had no issues making it through. I continued to my gate and then awaited my flight. While all this was going on, I was able to call my mother and also my girlfriend, Christina. It was so nice to be able call them and actually talk to them again.
The flight to Chicago went off without any problems. I finished reading “The Fountainhead” on the plane. For those that really know me, you understand why that is such an accomplishment. Other than that, I just relaxed and stared out the window at the beauty of flying over cities during the night. I love to see how the lights seem to start in a central area and then spread out, almost like a living organism, and then slowly trickle off into darkness again. I would really like to get a book of pictures of cities at night from above. Again though, I digress.
Upon arriving in Chicago, I called my parents and Christina again and proceeded to baggage claim. When I got down there, I was thrilled to see Christina standing there waiting for me. I was great to see her smiling face again! We stood at the baggage carousel together and awaited my backpack and pan case to pass by. This time, no issues! We collected my things and started our journey back to DeKalb. On the way, we stopped by Steak ‘n’ Shake. Christina insisted on me getting a triple steakburger and a shake – so I did.
By the time we left, it was after midnight and was Christina’s birthday! I sang her an awful rendition of “happy birthday” while we drove back to her apartment in DeKalb. When we got there, I let her open her presents, said happy birthday again, and then went to bed.
That was it, I’m in the states!
Matt
Sitting in airport in Piarco, about 30 minutes from leaving Trinidad
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