SUNDAY: A lot has happened since I got up on Sunday morning. The highlight of my otherwise dreary and tearful morning was that my former landlady came to church. She had deserted a houseful of company to spend one last time with me. When Lenn led my song request, he couldn’t remember how it went. It was a memorable farewell to have the confused church singing an array of clashing notes, lol. After church I said a few more goodbyes and went to Mochiqui to tell MariCruz and her family goodbye. I told Ana goodbye just in case I didn’t see her again. I thought I had become calloused to saying goodbye by then, and was surprised at how much it hurt to say those goodbyes. It all just felt so final...and depressing. After lunch with Reina, David, Lupita, and Aile, I spent the afternoon quietly in my room. Marlen visited me. Ana came to the San Pedro service; we sat together all the way there, through the service, and all the way back. I had to tell everyone in San Pedro goodbye after the service. It took me so long that Lenn almost sped off without me! Aile had a program at 8:00 that we all wanted to attend. Unfortunately, the others got home from church after 8:00 (others as in: including Aile) and we had to stuff popcorn into bags to take along with us. Aile showered and then we were off, extremely late. We parked and walked in, some marching ahead and others trailing behind… we were quite the motley crew! We shouldn’t have been the least bit stressed; Aile was scheduled on the program after two hours of traditional-style dancing from a bunch of high-schoolers in costume. We got home late after dropping people off.
MONDAY: Reina’s family stayed overnight which is why David’s wild yell woke me up. I wanted to do laundry, but the water wasn’t on. After breakfast, I started with packing and donating stuff to missionaries less-privileged than I (okay, the last phrase wasn’t necessarily true). When I finally got my clean laundry on the line, someone started a brush fire that [of course] drifted over to my clean laundry. I dashed outside to save some of it so I wouldn’t have to smell like a tramp on my flight the next day. I went to buy my last coke and tell Don Josecito goodbye. He gave me gum as a farewell gift. I called home and cleared up some details of my flight. Then I laid down to rest. When I did, I realized that the sniffling I had attributed to allergies was actually my good friend, Head Cold. And his timing was impeccable. I went to the orphanage to say final goodbyes to everyone there. Lenn took Janessa, Caleb, and I out on his moto. It was tight squeeze, especially since my skirt wasn’t conducive to good moto riding. Janessa was basically on my lap with Caleb on top of her. Whenever we stopped, Lenn had to support our combined weight as we slid down the seat toward him. Ana was waiting for me; I’d told her that I’d be there. It was fun to be with the kids one last time, even if it was a bit melancholy. Ana left early, leaving me with a note and a phone number as she climbed on the bike with her boyfriend and disappeared from sight. Suddenly the soccer game had ended and I had to say goodbye to everyone. I asked Debbie if I could just slip out, but she quickly shot down that idea. I had told myself that crying wasn’t an option at least until I was home... but when Roxina started hugging me and wouldn’t let me go and Maria was waiting solemnly for me beside the van, I knew my resolve was not going to last. I had a hard time climbing onto the moto with the girls hanging on me. When I got home, I got a stomach ache. I hate goodbyes. But the night wasn’t over yet. Janessa, Rhonda, Suzanne, and I went out for ice cream and to the plaza. We didn’t have much time, but we had fun for my last night “on the town.” By the time we got back, my head was throbbing and my nose was unstoppable.
TUESDAY: I hardly slept… a result of the blend of sinuses and emotions. I got up at 5:00 a.m. and finished packing. Originally, all of the Yoder family had been planning to spend the day in Los Mochis, but I wasn’t the only one who wasn’t feeling good so those plans collapsed. So I said a few more goodbyes before we left the house. The ride to the airport was long and bumpy. Then I had to wait a long time for my plane. My head was in the clouds by the time I finally got ready to get on the right plane. First, I banged my head in the doorway in front of the stewardess and the pilot. Then I had my ticket upside down when I was trying to find my seat, and the stewardess had to help me turn my ticket around. And then I tried to open what I thought was an overhead bin but was actually just the overhead lights; the bins were only on one side! Most everyone else was already boarded and they watched me curiously as a gave them a weak smile and plunged into my seat. We flew along a body of water that I assumed was the bay between mainland Mexico and Baja California. I began to feel better as the day progressed despite that fact I’d had hardly any sleep and was under stress. It was definitely a miracle. The landing in Phoenix tested the strength of my motion-sickness pill and I was relieved to be on the ground again. Going through customs was easy despite the maze of contradicting directions to re-check in my luggage. I got tired of walking and rode those little flat escalator thingys as an alternative… so slooooooooooooow! My flight from Phoenix to Chicago was freezing. I fought the urge to cuddle up to the passenger beside me, but I think I had goosebumps at least 80% of the 3 ½ hour flight. I was extremely restless and bounded off the plane once they opened the door. As I marched down the hallway to the final flight of stairs, I saw my Dad. Despite the fact that my family had all been awaiting my arrival, they looked a little shocked to see me. After hugs and luggage, we walked out to the van where they had a coat, gloves, a scarf, and a hat waiting for me. I should’ve been really tired, but I think I talked most of the way home. At home, I was delighted to find flannel pajamas in my dresser. I cannot even describe that moment that I climbed between the flannel sheets and fell back onto the memory foam of my bed for the first time in over a year.
WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY: Mainly these last couple of days have been a lot of adjusting for me: cleaning, finding clothes to wear, going to the bank, visiting people, learning to know the new “neighbors” (my grandparents) in our backyard, reacquainting myself with my youth group, etc. So far it’s been good, but not without its moments of Mexico-sickness. Here are a few of the things I’ve had to adjust to, no matter how minor:
~Vertical light switches instead of horizontal.
~Carpet.
~Grass.
~Breakfast cereal other than cornflakes!!!
~Radio.
~Driving (Thanks, Bradley, for the driving lessons).
~Drinking hot drinks.
~The COLD weather and actually wanting to be in the sun.
~Prices.
~The array of my favorite foods (noooo, they’re not spoiling me!).
~Running hot water in the sink.
~What in the world do I do with so many pairs of shoes?
~Walking around the house in stocking feet.
~Dishwashers.
~Quiet.
[This is what happens when my little brother borrows my camera.]
[Can you blame me for dreaming about this chocolate cake while I was gone? Thanks, Tony!]
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