JUNE 2008
Feeling hot, hot, hot....
I just got back from Aruba.
I had a wonderful time, but the wonderful, sunny Island, located 30 miles off the coast of Venezuela, was hot! hot! hot!
I spent a lot of time sweating. I just knew by the time I got home, I would be fifteen pounds lighter from all the water that rolled, none-stop off of me. But when I did get home and got on my scale, I found out I was wrong. I didn't loose a single pound! Ouch!
I went to spend time with my in-laws. I went to the beach, celebrated my mother-in-law's birthday bash at an open air pavilion with the white sand mere yards away, blue water to our backs and a glorious sunset to our west, softening the whole scene. I went to a casino where I played the one arm bandit until my $20 came and went. I just loved the sound of the chinging chinging from the slot machine whenever I won, but when my 20 bucks was gone, so was I. I went with a 20 dollar spending limit and when my bucket of coins was empty, I was out. (smile).
This is where my mother-in-law had her birthday bash. Nice, right?
Palm trees swaying, the sun setting, the music playing. Now that's how you have a party!
I feasted on Johnny Cake for breakfast and enjoyed my first taste of 'Pastechi's', which is a delightful deep-fried type of flaky dough, filled with either beef, chicken or cheese. I got so hooked on those pastechi's that when I was coming home and couldn't find any in the airport after I went through security, I was crushed. Everyone kept on telling me that pastechi was a 'breakfast' food and that it was way past breakfast, but I was hoping one of the eateries located near the boarding gates had some stashed in the back--no such luck...
I picked up a few words of 'Papiamento', the un-official language of Aruba and said "Mashi Danki" (thank you) every chance I got. I tossed out: "Bon Dia. Conte Bi?" (which means: Good Day. How are you?) to everyone I met and listened fascinated as my in laws went from speaking English, to Papiamento, to Dutch and then Spanish, sometimes in a single conversation.
The Island of Aruba is a unique place because of all the languages spoken there. Nearly everyone island born who stays there until high school can speak all four languages fluently. I loved how my relatives dipped in and out of all four languages. Of course the only thing I could understand was English (lol).
I had a wonderful time in Aruba, but there that saying: there's no place like home and I couldn't wait to get back to my central air conditioning. I turned it up so high my first night back, I slept under a down comforter, and it was great...
This is a photo of the famous Divi Divi Tree in Aruba. Because of the constant trade winds, the trees grow on a slant. This was taken on DePalm Island, a separate little island off of Aruba where you can swim, snorkel, deep sea dive and even walk on the bottom of the ocean!
I want to thank my extended family in Aruba for making my stay both memorable and enjoyable. Mashi Danki to my mother-in-law Patsy, my Tante's (aunts) Tiny, Bernadine, Joan, Deeka, Mary, and Laniece. Mashi Danki to Tommy, Felix, Yeti, Quentin, Naomi, Cheyanne, Gilberto, Carlos, Em, Emi, Dion, Cetty (even though you were away), Alfred, Raffie, and all my other Aruba Family. I had a very good time...
As always, I invite you all to drop me a line at: mjhodge@bellsouth.net. Until next time, may your life be filled with love, light, and understanding. Until next time,
Peace and Blessings,
Margaret