Today is my last night in Virginia. I've only been here for a week, but I feel like I will return to New York an entirely different person. I've been staying with my boyfriend Josh, his dad, his stepmom, and their two children: boys ages six and ten. It's a nice old farm house in the middle of nowhere and I've loved my stay. I've learned so many things that I will attempt to list some of the more interesting ones.
- Planes are terrifying. I had never been on a plane prior to last Wednesday. I am glad that I was making the trip with someone I trust deeply or I would be a wreck. The first plane, from our small local airport to New York City, was a breeze. We barely ever got off the ground, and I absolutely loved it. Between the smooth flight and the beautiful patchwork-quilt view just like they show in the movies, I got off the plane considering signing up for NASA. Then, after a slight mishap in which we missed the plane we were supposed to catch, we got on another plane. THIS plane was an entirely different story. We flew much higher than before. I spent the first fifteen minutes convinced I was going to vomit, so I leaned back and closed my eyes and tried to focus on my music. The next time I opened my eyes, I realized that my mouth was hanging open; that Josh had reached over me to cover the window; and that we were about to land. I am not looking forward to the return trip.
- It doesn't matter what my hair looks like. I just took a shower and I am not planning on doing anything with my hair and it is very freeing. Tomorrow I will most likely have a huge unruly afro.
- Organic food is actually really, really good. Josh's stepmom makes or grows what she can (yogurt, bread, vegetables, salsa, jam, cheese) and buys almost everything else from people that live in the area. The only store-bought thing I had there was Falafel Chips (I recommend them) and white flour in the pizza Josh made for us. I am not looking forward to returning to TV dinners and frozen ham.
- Josh is a keeper. I am not planning on having children (ever), but watching Josh play with his little brothers (and discipline them for that matter) made me realize that he has the potential to be a great father. If it comes to it, I might oblige him in such an endeavor. Of course, I'd be the one that had to push them out, so it's still up in the air. Also, after spending a week straight with him, I am still not sick of him. The only time I wanted to punch him was today when he was telling stupid jokes for the express purpose of making me want to punch him. Other than that, I believe that as far as teenage relationships go, that's a mark of a good one.
- The only way to make money gambling is to own a Casino.
- I am much more self-sufficient than I ever believed I was. Our afore-mentioned airport disaster (which will remain merely mentioned) was enough to make me believe that I can, in fact, deal with the unpredictable.
- I love the country. I love the quiet, I love the animals, I love the food, I love the people. I hate the thirty-minute car rides to get anywhere interesting. But other than that, I love the country.
- Men have a complex about being able to whoop their daddies in a fight. Despite being my tomboyish self, this is not something I understand.
- The smell of my daddy's cigarettes is a comfort-smell. He smokes three packs a day, and he and everything he touches reeks of tobacco. For some really strange reason, I miss that. When the family and I went out to eat and someone at the restaurant smelled like cigarettes and I sat as close to him as possible. I never thought that that would be what I would miss most about home.
- I was an absolute terror to my parents. Seeing the behavior of children from the perspective of someone older who hasn't ever dealt closely with small children, it was really enlightening. I felt like I was at a middle point, where I could sympathize with both the kids and the parents. I am going to apologize to my mother when I get home for being so strong-willed.
- I will survive when I go off to college. I will not get terminally homesick, especially if I am . This is majorly comforting.