Today I honked and waved to a new friend as I drove home from pilates (yes I found a pretty decent little studio down here)! I know this is so not a big deal to you all but its a big deal to me! This small gesture means that this place is starting to feel like home. I believe this is one of the biggest indications that you are on familiar and comfortable turf, the recognition & greeting of one you can call “friend”. I am happy about it. We are on month two here and I can honestly say – I love this place. I feel at ease in my home, on my street, in my neighborhood. There are many things I miss about home in NJ – my friends, my family, Dunkin Donuts just to name a few. But today I am smiling because because I have a few warm connections here and today that “honk & wave” was proof.

I went through extensive efforts, during the packing phase, to bring bits of home with us on this trip. For the kids, not for Dan and I of course. I packed the boys’ favorite cozy blanket that they fight over on the sofa back home. I packed their dream catchers, small toys, books, crucifixes, favorite cousin & friend photos. I created a photo collage to hang in their room. A few weeks ago, driving home from a long day on the other side of the island, an especially overtired Collin whined, “I just want to go home!”. Tears were welling up in his eyes and it broke my heart. I said, “Collin I am sorry you miss our home in New Jersey”. Collin replied, “No, I want to go home here. Our house in Barbados!” So there you have it. Kids acclimate so fast.  This place has felt like home for quite awhile for the boys. Actually I probably didn’t even have to pack all that stuff for them to feel comfortable here!

 

Today is a school day for the boys. They just got back from a morning surf with their dad and are, as usual, procrastinating on starting school. We still don’t have an official school schedule. But they are doing plenty of math, reading, writing and learning in ways they never could at home!