Mr. Jackson is from Jamaica and he has been working on the base for 17 years. He has at least two jobs (which is common for the foreign nationals) -- maintaining one of the gyms, and stocking shelves at the commissary. I met Mr. Jackson last March when I started going to the gym. In addition to being a devout Christian, he is man with a good work ethic and positive attitude. He is only able to go home to visit his wife and children twice a year, and he lives for those times. I will miss him greatly.
This was our view on the ferry as we were leaving the windward side of the base to get to the airport on our day of departure. It was a gorgeous sunrise.
Our travel home took two days -- mostly because we didn't want any issues with the heat and being denied travel for Fergus. Our first flight was on the small commuter plane going to Ft. Lauderdale, and after the pilot met Fergus, he allowed him to sit in the cabin with us. Fergus loved looking out the window!
But, eventually he became bored and took a nap.
We had some wonderful views of the Caribbean -- I only wished I knew what I was seeing.
It's difficult to summarize our experiences over the past twelve months -- these two words come to mind, though: amazing and frustrating. The beauty of the Caribbean is breathtaking, and I came to love the ocean and its contents. We met so many wonderful people, starting with my beloved Filipinos and friendly Jamaicans, going on to the scores of civilians and military folks that we befriended. Those were the high points.
It was frustrating to live on a small piece of real estate with so many conflicting rules, poor communication of anything of importance, slow internet and ever-present police. But, we got through it, hopefully becoming better for it. And now that we're back in the States, my first thoughts were-- I have WAY too much stuff, and gee, this traffic is scary at 40 mph.
It will take a while to transition but I hope I don't lose the important things that I learned -- that your belongings don't define you, and that relationships are more important than anything else.
It's difficult to summarize our experiences over the past twelve months -- these two words come to mind, though: amazing and frustrating. The beauty of the Caribbean is breathtaking, and I came to love the ocean and its contents. We met so many wonderful people, starting with my beloved Filipinos and friendly Jamaicans, going on to the scores of civilians and military folks that we befriended. Those were the high points.
It was frustrating to live on a small piece of real estate with so many conflicting rules, poor communication of anything of importance, slow internet and ever-present police. But, we got through it, hopefully becoming better for it. And now that we're back in the States, my first thoughts were-- I have WAY too much stuff, and gee, this traffic is scary at 40 mph.
It will take a while to transition but I hope I don't lose the important things that I learned -- that your belongings don't define you, and that relationships are more important than anything else.
2 comments:
Excellent finale. Thank you for sharing your adventures with us. I'm glad Fergus enjoyed the flight, but mostly I'm glad you're home. Love ya, Sandy
Cathy,
Thank you so much again for this blog, I have enjoyed following your lives over the last year. Your grand finale photos are fantastic.
We can't wait until we see you and Vince again in Lincoln.
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