I was talking to some friends after school yesterday and discussing how in our field we tend to give and we are always concerned about how a situation is going to effect others. We are in a field that is constantly concerned with helping to better other people but yet during our program we have forgotten to take care of ourselves. One of our professors in our last class told us that we need to ensure that we take care of ourselves because in our field we literally have the weight of the world on our shoulders, we have to be strong enough to be able to carry other peoples life situations without allowing it to effect our own. So I think it’s important for all of us as we end this chapter to take time to renew ourselves, and our commitment to the work we do. I am so proud of all of us you have made it through the program together, our experiences and our time at Barry will only ever be understood by our cohort. We have lived each others experience and processed them to the point of exhaustion. I can’t thank you all enough for all of the support you have given me and I look forward to no longer having you as classmates but rather as colleagues.  Good luck to everyone.

P.S. If anyone has any suggestions as to what I should do with my life….I would love to hear them

Now granted I am fully aware that I will never make millions and at this point I just hope to be able to make enough to uphold this lavish lifestyle that I am so accustomed to. But I can’t help but to take offense at someone saying that the work I feel passionate about is something I should do only if it will make me a great deal of money. Why is it more respectable to work for a big firm then it is to work for the adolescent who has been abuse, raped, alienated, violated, neglected and unloved. Why is it that when I share what draws me to the work that I do that people respond by saying well that’s great but it won’t make you any money. Is money the only thing in our society left that we value? What about the basics? What about taking care of those who can not take care of themselves? I have always said that every person I know is one illness, one wrong move, one crisis, or one mistake away from being homeless. So why is a career that serves and supports people like you and me so unvalued. 

Now as I rant don’t get me wrong, if being a stock broker or lawyer is your thing I think that’s awesome and those are jobs I could never do, but why are they more acceptable jobs then mine?

As if I haven’t had a wonderful trip to Jamaica already…last night alone would have been enough to make my flight worth it ten times over. There is something almost surreal about having a friendship that goes beyond the chaos of everyday life, that has been through years of ups and downs, and through all of it never changes. Well I guess it has changed in one respect and it’s that I now appreciate it for all that it’s truly worth. Last night Beth and I sat outside on her balcony for hours and did what we do best-talk. And as we talked about the past….some good, some bad, and some painful, we were showered by a constant spray of falling starts. At one point in the conversation I even said to Beth “we better start wishing on these stars” and she said “I think we already have and one is falling for every topic we have talked about.” To have a friendship of 25 years that has latest the test of time, distance, and life changes is truly amazing to me and priceless. I am so thankful.

Last night was such a cleansing for me. To be able to talk about anything that came to my mind. All the things I have been thinking about and not saying finally were said out loud. All my insecurities were disclosed without fear of persecution. I said in my very first blog about this trip that it was going to be a blessed trip and it truly has been. I needed to take time to breathe and be revitalized, sometimes our days just go and go and we never stop to recover from one event before we are faced with another.  So my advice is to sit outside with a dear friend and wish on as many shooting stars as you can find.

Today I found out that someone hacked into my debit card and has been making all kinds of purchases. So my word of advice is to check your accounts daily because now it has happened to my mom and me. It’s a huge pain in the butt and I was dealing with that all morning. Not fun being in a another country with no way to access money. Luckily they are going to overnight me a new card so all should be well soon. Since I had such a stressful morning I headed down to the pool and relaxed this afternoon. It was warm and sunny and I had the whole place to myself.  So my parting note for the day is to keep your eyes out for famous people and crooks you never know when you will run into either one.

So once again I am back in Kingston and loving in. I have completely shut down. I am with one of my oldest and dearest friends and enjoying the slow pace that island life has to offer. There are no signs of any hurricanes this time and the weather is perfect so I am looking forward to the week.

There is nothing better then a trip that includes; old friends, new friends, reality tv stars, smuggled alcohol and Cuban cigars, and of course lots of food. Well our caribbean cruise had it all. Nicole and I set sail on Friday out of Miami headed to the Bahamas. We wandered the ship Friday night and then headed to karaoke and the late night comedy show. We laid low the first night because I got sick Thursday night and was still recovering. While running a fever and drinking sounded tempting I opted out the first night in hopes that I would will myself better quickly.

Saturday we arrived in the Bahamas. We had breakfast on the deck and then ventured off to the straw market. The market has changed a lot…..but it was still fun to wander around and shop. We had a snack back on the ship and then met up with Kristen (my grandbaby in my sorority from college). She picked us up and took us around and went the Green Parrot right on the water. Kristy (another sorority sister) stopped by to see us and I finally got to meet her new husband!

We had decided no to go to the captains dinner but when we got back on the ship we still had enough time to change and make it to yet another meal! It was definitely worth going. The lobster dinner was Divine! Our table at dinner as a fun mix. There was a group of four teachers from Miami that had just graduated and then two sisters from Canada. I think the Canadians felt left out because the rest of us had so much in common to talk about.

Anyways after dinner we showered and headed down for another night of Karaoke. Then we met up with Kristen and Kristy around 12:30. We ended up at this club called Pirate were we were able to get in for free and got to listen to some really good reggae music. It was packed and the crowd was definitely enjoying themselves.

We left port the following morning and spent the day at sea. Since we weren’t able to leave the ship Nicole and I decided to go to any activity we happen to come across including the hairy chest contest, bingo, and the holiday show. At some point we were standing in line for food (of course) and Nicole says I know that guy…..who is it. Then it dawned on her and I that it was Dan from the real world. He looked quite angry for some reason. How can you be angry on a cruise with free food?

All in all we had a great time. I will definitely be going on another cruise soon.  Luckily I was able to recover relatively quickly and it didn’t ruin our trip!

For pictures click here

I am back safe and sound to good old south Florida.  What a different world Jamaica is.  I remember telling Beth on about day two of being at the hotel that “I couldn’t imagain going to Jamaica and just staying at a resort the whole time”  The tourist there have such a false impression of what Jamaica is like.  If you stay within the confines of the resort you never see the depths of poverty that plague this country. 

The big question everyone is asking “Did you feel safe?”  There was not one single moment that I didn’t feel safe.  I actually felt more safe there then I do in some of the bad neighborhoods in Florida.  So sad though to see so much poverty. But the one thing I did take away from one of the guys we met was this: we were talking about if he had ever been to the states and if he liked it his response was “In the US everyone is so worried about paying bills for big houses and nice cars.  They spend there days running around taking kids to soccer classes or going to the gym.  They move so fast that they never take time to actually enjoy life.  Here in Jamaica we run in the brush outside for fun half the fun of going to school was the walk down through the valley.  We enjoy life here in Jamaica in the US you are so busy you forget to enjoy what you have.”  So even though there is less in Jamaica people value what it is that they do have.

We arrived at Beth and Pete’s unpacked and then headed out to see more of Kingston.  It’s so different here but not that much of a culture shock for me.  We are laying low tonight and I will fly out in the morning.  It’s been a crazy and interesting week, now I need a vacation!