Homesickness

I miss Mindy Sue, my miniature poodle, and I even think I miss Gemma, my mom’s hyperactive and sometimes annoying wiener dog. I miss not thinking twice about petting a dog I see. I miss cereal. Oh how I miss Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, the only two cereals I care to stock my apartment pantry with. I miss having something other than hard-boiled and scrambled eggs for breakfast. I miss readily available toilet paper in every bathroom. Charmin Ultra Soft and Bath & Body Works Warm Vanilla hand soap, I miss you. I miss not having to carry a wad of toilet paper in my purse and I miss not having to worry about forgetting to bring that extremely important wad with me to every bathroom I enter. I miss my closet, which beautifully houses my favorite clothes and collection of shoes. It might sound silly but I miss having a wide variety of options when I’m getting dressed in the morning. I miss not having to live out of a suitcase. I really miss living by myself and not having to share my living space with 16 other people. I miss knowing where everything is and knowing what there is to do and at what time I can do it.

Mami y Papi, los extraño tanto. I miss seeing your faces, the most familiar faces I know. I miss the comfort and security that it gives me to know that when I’m in Ann Arbor you are only a one and a half hour drive away. Alma, I miss you more than I can say. So I’ll just leave it at that. My sorority sisters, I miss the crazy, stupid amounts of love that we shower each other with every day. You ladies are my home away from home, but here I don’t have a home away from home away from home. Tia, my protégé, I miss being there to guide you and see you grow. You are never far from my thoughts. Jeff, mi mejor amigo through thick and thin. I miss our silly fights and all the joy that just being in the same room with you brings me.

Yes, I am absolutely blessed and incredibly grateful to have had this opportunity to experience living in Havana for three months. Yes, it is the opportunity of a lifetime; one that very few undergraduate American students have the chance to experience. Yes, I am truly enjoying my time here and yes, I have learned more than my mind can even begin to process right now. However, I would be lying to myself if I said that during my time here I missed none of the people, comforts, and material possessions from my life back in the states. Obviously, I do. Yet, when I catch myself thinking about it too much or for too long, I quickly try to snap myself out of it. What’s the point of crowding my head and thoughts with the people and things I miss if my days in Havana are numbered? I want to make sure that I take advantage of as much as I can while I’m here, knowing that when I leave on April 2nd I’m instantly going to miss a million and one things about being here. But I can’t help it. I do miss home.