"Far from Over"

Arriving to Boston on Wednesday afternoon was bitter sweet. Bitter, because not only did I have a fever and a headache the entire plane ride, but also the airline lost one of my bags and on the way to Boston I must have been stopped at every random search checkpoint! Sweet, well of course because I got to be reunited with my beautiful family and friends again (who have been taking great care of me by the way). Today is Saturday and I am feeling a lot better (minus the stomach pains and sore muscles) and I’m finally begging to recap on my journey in Trinidad and Tobago and put what I’ve learned to good use. One of the main underlying messages relayed to us was figuring out “who we are” and “what is our purpose” and there is a lot packed into those phrases. I’ve been battling with who I am for quite a while now, simply because I am at the age where I “should” know these things. I’m going on to my fourth year in college, my second internship and in the midst of my 21^st year of life, so I “should” know where I’m headed, right? WRONG! Sunity Best taught us that life is a lesson and instead of trying to figure it out we shouldn’t get caught up with where we “should” be and spend time thinking about where we want to be. Sunity, and all of the other scholars in Trinidad that gave us their time reminded me that my life, is my own and only I can control my destiny. Arriving to Boston and waking up with a semi-clear brain this morning, all of my experiences in Trinidad began to rush into my memory. Christo, LeRoy, Sunity, Ella, Efuwapwe, Rawale, Tony (both of them), Ivan, Rohler, Muhammed, Michael Phillips, Naarie, and Moose have all been detrimental players in my journey in Trinidad. Separately, they may be Mas players, journalists, professors and artists but together they represent one thing, Trinidad. They represent a growing culture birthed by these intellectuals and elders and nurtured by the community. Living in Boston I’ve lost that togetherness and sense of community that is so prevalent in Trinidad, and being there helped me to recapture it. I’ve also learned that life isn’t all about the choices you make but, how you make them and where they will lead you. Taking this dialogue and traveling to Trinidad was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’ve met people who we (Americans) would consider celebrities to be so grounded approachable and eager to meet me. I’ve hiked through the forest and swam under a waterfall, I picked a mango right off of a tree, I sang with Ella Andall, and I painted on a LeRoy Clark original. Through this experience I have become a stronger person and am now on the journey to finding my true self and the rest of my life.

Yellowgirl can only quote Drake at this moment and say "It's far from over"!