Hey, everyone! I am writing from… the United States of America! Wild. It is really nice to be back, if only for a short stint. Read on below.

Returning Home

While I had been essentially counting down weeks until my return home, the final week went by in a flash. Before I knew it, I was packing up my things and heading to the bus stop. Time for a long journey ahead.

The first flight was Queenstown to Auckland. While most of the flight had views obscured by clouds, I got a glimpse of Mount Taranaki – a place I will certainly have to check out one day. Mount Taranaki is a dormant volcano.

The flight was a little over an hour and then I was in Auckland, vaping in the Smoking Area. Round one… done. But next came the long part.

After the brief layover, I boarded the plane from Auckland to Chicago. Luckily, it was a direct flight. Fifteen hours – eek! I’ve done it before, I was capable of doing it again. The thing with long flights is that, while in the moment, they suck… once it’s over, it’s forgotten.

I watched the new Mean Girls movie, which was alright, then watched a couple of episodes of Paris in Love. After dinner, I tried to sleep. It wasn’t really happening. I think I dozed in and out for the next few hours, but nothing substantial. At one point, I got up to use the rest room and afterwards, I was somehow able to sleep for four or five hours. Yahoo! At that point, there was only two hours left before we landed at O’Hare.

I had put my American SIM card in my phone after departing Auckland – hoping it would register it as soon as I went off Airplane Mode. No such luck. I asked my parents if they could get in touch with AT&T because this is the second time I’ve had issues connecting. AT&T said everything looked fine on their end. It may have been that I needed to actually exit the airport before the SIM card would register the cell towers. I don’t know.

Next up was the immigration line. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one so bad in my life! I thought for sure it would be over an hour to get through but actually it wasn’t that bad. Maybe forty five minutes later, I was collecting my luggage.

Only fifteen minutes later, I was giving my dear friend Rob a hug as I hopped into his Subaru.

The Boys

Rob & Joey live very close to the airport so it made sense to see them before going home to Michigan to see my parents. Rob and I stopped by his place to drop off my stuff and decompress before picking up Joey from work. I hadn’t seen their place since Joey had officially moved in. They decorated so nicely! The last I’d seen it, it was really only Rob living there, so it was kind of cool to see their blend of style. We caught up, hung out with the cats – Dox and Doula – and after eating some cereal, we drove downtown to get Joey.

It was funny to see the skyline of Chicago again. While it’s only been six months or so since I’d last been there, it felt very big. I’ve been living in a town of buildings no taller than five stories – so to see the massive apartment buildings and especially the Sears Tower was wild.

Joey got out of work just before 9pm and then we went off to our routine spot – Sweetgreen. Sweetgreen is a salad bar(/restaurant?) that we used to go to weekly.

After our salads, we went back to their place to hang out. Joey showed me his collection of fragrances. He always smells so good! He had a bottle of perhaps my favorite cologne ever – Oud Essentiel by Guerlain. After looking through the scents, he actually gave me the bottle of Oud Essentiel which was so kind of him. It is quite a pricy fragrance and I’ve been holding off on buying it. Thanks, Joey!

This fragrance lasts on my skin for hours and hours… sometimes even until the next day. My former partner used to tell me he would smell it on his pillowcase after I’d left.

We had intentions to watch a movie called Late Night with the Devil but after realizing it was still in theatres, Joey ushered us out of the house to get to the movie theatre in time. The movie was slated to start at 11pm… and it was already 11. The theatre was only fifteen minutes away and luckily we got there in time for one trailer before the movie started. The movie was interesting but not as spooky as the three of us had hoped. Alas, it was a good time and it had been a while since I’d been to the movies.

Once we returned to Rob & Joey’s, we watched an episode of the reboot of Will & Grace. Unfortunately, both Rob & Joey worked in the morning. Since they had to be up early and I was exhausted from the flights, it was time for bed.

In the morning, we dropped Joey off at work and then Rob dropped me off in Boystown where I would then see my sponsor. I hadn’t really hung out with my sponsor since before the pandemic, so it was nice to visit with her and go over some AA things.

I will be seeing Rob & Joey again before I leave – they are coming with next Monday to go and see the total solar eclipse. Please, send prayers for clear skies! Looks like there will be some clouds, but hopefully they are only partial and are the wispy kinds instead of the complete overcast that has been lingering since I’ve been back in the Midwest.

Mademoiselle Fefe

After visiting with my sponsor, I walked over to Michael’s place in Uptown. It was brisk outside, but I wanted to listen to music and stroll through the city streets.

Before long, he was opening the door and we were hugging. Michael and I have a particularly unique relationship because aside from us being very good friends and having lived together at one point, he is also the only person in the States that I know who has gone traveling long-term. He “gets” it. Not that others don’t, but he has had the experience and so he knows what it’s like. While traveling from place to place, I’ve occasionally reached out to talk with him about the unusual melancholy that comes with traveling.

Michael and his partner Brandon live in a gorgeous apartment in Uptown and they have two gorgeous dogs to match. Koda – my sweetheart – and, a newer addition, Toph – a dalmatian whom will one day make a nice coat. I had only met Toph briefly during my last visit. She was much smaller. Poor Toph was in heat during this visit, so she was slightly miserable.

Michael and I hung out and caught up, talking about his ceramics class, our families, work, etc. He was having a get together the following day, so he was preparing some things for that – most notably, he was planning to make a focaccia bread.

We had tea and eventually took the dogs for a walk. Again… it was chilly out. We originally planned to go to the lake, but with the windchill, we decided against it.

We returned from the dog walk and soon after, Brandon had arrived.

We caught up and… Brandon graciously gave me a fucking Louboutin bag LOL. I had half-jokingly told him a year or so before that I wanted it when he was through with it. He surprised me this time and since he doesn’t use it anymore, he gave it to me. It was a gift from his friend who works at Louboutin. The perks of friendship! Thank you, Brando! I just have to get a clasp fixed from a leather…fixer person, and then it’ll be perfect. It is now on my list of things to do.

Later in the evening, Michael’s brother Zach came over briefly. He and Brandon were going out with some friends. It was nice to see Zach – I know all of Michael’s nuclear family since we used to live together and they would stop over often.

Then it was time for dinner! Michael and I went to Lonesome Rose which I’ve only been to once with my former boss and friend Gretchen… but I recalled they had some DELICIOUS burritos. They pulled through this time, too. The chips and salsa were fab and when I had my first bite of a proper burrito, I put my hand in the air. Michael said something like “savor it” hahaha – he knew how good it was for me to enjoy a proper burrito. They just don’t make them like this everywhere! Yum.

After dinner, we went back to Michael’s place to hang out some more. Once it was midnight, I unfortunately had to hit the hay. I needed to wake up at 5am to get the train to Michigan the following day. I should be seeing Michael again during my “one night only” get together in Chicago. Looking forward to it!

Home is Where the Heart Is

I fell asleep very quickly but ended up waking at 3am and not being able to fall asleep. I was in and out until my alarm went off at 5am. I left Michael’s, got the bus, and made it to Union Station with twenty minutes to spare. An hour and a half later, I was warmly greeted at the New Buffalo station by my dad and… Gizmo! My dad and I hugged and then drove home.

When we were about to pull into the lofts, I saw my mom on the side of the road doing a happy dance. So sweet!

We parked the car and I greeted my mom. She had tied a yellow ribbon to a tree, which comes from a song called Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree. A really lovely song and such a sweet sentiment.

We all walked inside and – surprise! – my brother Mike was awake, too! I thought he would have slept in longer since it was still early.

I was happy we were able to share Easter together. My mom had cooked up an absolute feast of a meal and it was all cooked to perfection. She and my dad had been preparing for days. Thanks for the delicious food!!! Some samples below.

After food, we were all ready for a nap… so the four of us took naps! I hadn’t gotten a very satisfying sleep for a few days and my brain was screaming at me to lay down for a little while. Only one more day before I could sleep in, I told myself.

In the evening, we watched The Last Samurai which I’d never seen before. It was quite good!

Easter was a success and I was happy to be reunited with family once again.

Robinson Woods

The next morning, my mom suggested we go walk the dogs at Robinson Woods. She mentioned it might be a little wet there… and boy, was it! I was experiencing flashbacks to my Green Lake Hut hike haha. Not really – it wasn’t that bad, but I did get my feet soaked one time. I tried to hold out as long as I could!

It was interesting to be in the woods of Michigan once again. Unlike the forests of New Zealand, there was hardly any moss around. And yet, it has its own beauty. Tall, thin trees all throughout the woods. Piles and piles of fallen leaves, wet from the rain and past snows. In the warmer months, a sign alerted us that hognose snakes can be found along the trail. Wow!

The dogs were having a field day with all the fresh scents.

My favorite part of the hike was seeing the creek snaking through the woods. It was somehow unexpected but really pretty.

After the walk, we went back to the house to spend time with Mike before he drove back to Illinois. I was glad we got to have some time together. Unfortunately, I don’t have much time to see my brothers while here this time. Hopefully, I’ll see Mike once more and I’ll have two nights by Dan in Darien, but otherwise I’ll just be in Michigan. It is a low key visit!

Since Mike has left, my parents and I have been chilling. We watched Feud: Truman Capote v. the Swans which was really good. We’ve eaten some really delicious food and are enjoying being together and cuddling Gizmo.

Upcoming Eclipse

Back in 2017, I had heard about a total solar eclipse and decided to drive down to Carbondale with my then-partner to see it. And it was… one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in my life. Almost as soon as I found out it would be returning in 2024, I made plans with my parents to go see it together. On Sunday, Dillan, my parents and I will be driving down to Kokomo, Indiana to get us within the zone of totality. Come Monday, we will find a suitable place – HOPEFULLY CLOUD-FREE, UNIVERSE!!! – to watch the eclipse.

There are a few things of note. The difference between a 99.9% eclipse and 100% totality is like the difference between night and day. There is a great essay written by Annie Dillard about her experience seeing a total solar eclipse. I had read it back in 2017 ahead of seeing the eclipse. It is an excellent read.

I think everyone is getting excited for the eclipse. We have been putting little activities together to utilize during the partial phases of the eclipse.

I have to confess I am a little concerned about cloud coverage on Monday. Since I’ve been here, clouds have been low hanging and ever present. They should be breaking up over the next couple days. The forecast changes constantly. All we need, universe, is four minutes free of clouds. Please give us that!

And yet, looking back at the 2017 eclipse, I was worried about the same thing. There was predicted cloud coverage and I was stressing about it. I woke up that morning and the skies were beautiful. There were some clouds, but nothing so strong as to block the eclipse. Clouds – you can come hang out, but just break free during the main event, please!

I am trying to rationalize it, saying “hey, universe, I came all this way to see this with my family! Please give us this moment!”

I am also regularly checking the forecast but at the end of the day… I can check as much as I want – but it will not affect the outcome on the actual day. I think I am trying to “control” the situation. A situation which I have no control over. All I can do is hope and pray it works out. I pray it will.

The next eclipse in North America won’t be until 2044, so I certainly have my fingers crossed.

Miscellaneous

Before leaving Queenstown, I had to say goodbye (for now) to two peeps whom I adore. Katy, who is the one who kind of kickstarted me practicing Spanish again, and Marion, whom you all would have read about on my hike to Green Lake Hut. As mentioned before… when I return to Queenstown, much will have changed. New people, new weather. Winter will have just about arrived.

I was gifted a little kiwi plush toy from one of my coworkers. So CUTE! I ended up bringing it home and giving it to Gizmo. I’m trying to get him to love it so much that it’s his favorite toy and he won’t want to chew it apart haha. So far, it’s working.

Elias had sent me a photo of my drawings that he had framed back home in Chile. Yahoo!

When Rob, Joey, and I were driving to Sweetgreen, we passed by my old apartment. So wild to see it with all this graffiti. It never looked like that while I lived there!

I also experienced my first snow in probably two years. Yesterday, it snowed here in Michigan. For just a moment… but it was actually nice to see. Hi, snow!

There was also a day when the sun peaked through the clouds and it looked really quite incredible. The way the light shone through the clouds was really interesting. It was on Easter, too!

Art of the Week

Reflections

What to reflect on this week?

It’s interesting how quickly I can get back in the groove of being in the Midwest. I haven’t been thinking of Queenstown much at all. I suppose that’s because I’m with my loved ones now and enjoying being with them, eating all the good food and petting all the dogs.

Of course, I am looking forward to the eclipse on Monday. Hopefully by the next post, I will be able to recount the extraordinary experience with you all.

Until next time, sending you all my love! xx