To be Thankful!

After a long weekend full of dancing, drumming, laughing, eating, more dancing, and a bit of singing, I feel the need to express how thankful I am. As tomorrow is thanksgiving what perfect timing! This weekend was Nov 19th, Garifuna settlement day. I wrote a post last year describing it so I won't bore you again. This year I believe it was even better than last year.
Before I start I want to make this very clear. I am so thankful (perhaps more than ever before in my life) for my family and friends back at home in the states. There is NO way I would ever be able to do any of this without you. Especially my parents! So thank you mom and dad! I am also so thankful that I will get to spend the bulk of the holiday season with them when I head to the land of snow and freezing wind in Dec for almost 3 full weeks of eating, laughing, and hanging out. The thing is that I think about this every day. I think about how lucky I am to have supportive people in my and people to back me up even if they don't love it or might be more at ease if I was doing something different, this thought never slips from my mind. So thank you!
However I often forget to be thankful for what I have here and now. There are so many people here (many whom I have talked about in this blog) that have become family to me. So many who watch out for me and take care of me. I truly never expected to be accepted in to a family, to have a group of friends whom I'm so close to I consider them brothers, to fall it love! That I for sure never saw coming!
But often because life here has become to everyday for me that it all feels so "normal" to me I forget how good I have it. I have come to realize that I may in fact be the exception to the rule. I do not know many other volunteers that have formed the relationships I have and managed to feel successful in work. I for sure have the best of both worlds but living in it, it is easy to forget.
This weekend I was reminded completely how lucky I am. I had two other volunteers visit and after watching the boats come in we walked to my host family's home where we hung out and laughed. We also got to help make the Hudut. Part of this meal evolves beating plantain. One of the friends that came living in a Spanish village and has never gotten to try Hudut let alone make it. After we were sucessfully in Hudut coma, we continued on our way. After a quick stop for a smoothie we make it back to house for a few minutes of relaxation. And I mean I few! within 10 mins Derrick called to inform us the parade was starting. After a few we hurried to catch up. There was drumming and dancing on the beach following the parade. After a few hours everyone packed up and headed home to relax after a LONG day and get ready to go back out at night (it was probably 7?) Well we had other plans. I met up with the boys (fritz, Hilton and the newest addition Troy who is Fritz's brother and teaching at our school this year) and we decided to go out! We went to our favorite Karaoke bar and danced the night away. We were the only people in the bar... but i think that only made it more fun. Soon derrick and his best friend met up with us and joined in. While dancing (which is for sure a once a year event for me) I realized that most of my favorite people in this country are in that room. It was awesome. I was reminded of the close friendship I have formed and so grateful for these guys in my life. After the dance party the night was pretty uneventful, we went and got food and headed home. This year was so different from last year. Last year I think I was still an outsider where as this year I was just another member of this amazing community I'm blessed to call home!
If Saturday wasn't enough to remember I was standing on the side of the highway last night when I realized I had missed my bus and it was getting dark. Then I head "KIMBERLYYYYYY" Wayne and Mr. Nunez pulls up next to me on the way home from a meeting! Saving the day even dropped me off in front of my house! Than today, I went home from school for lunch today planning on having some Raman. This morning I had let Margret and Derrick put all their things in my house as they were having people come and pull their ceiling down. I reached home to find Marget in my kitchen (after scrubbing my stove and sink which I had been putting off for months) making hudut!
This holiday season I have so much to be thankful for! Aguyu means home in Garifuna and I think this has become my new favorite word. I am thankful this year to have two homes in this crazy world!