Back "Home" In Less Than 90 Days!

Hey folks! It's been a while. Since I last posted, I went home for the holidays! Man, oh man. I needed that break. I needed that time to spend with my family and friends and my Nigel. And church! I missed my church family!  Wonderful worship as usual and lots of hugs and kisses. It was so good to be home again.

It felt good to hold my sister Thandi in my arms and to squeeze my nephew Ben and give him his gifts. It felt good to sleep next to Kamlyn after staying up and talking most of the night. And to see my Mommy! Words can't express how much I missed her. My Mom is so proud of me! That means so much. (Parents, tell your kids when you are proud of them.  It makes a WORLD of a difference in their mind and spirit!) Seeing her made my heart happy.  And I cooked for everyone. Beef chow mein.  And they loved it.  Basically licked the pot clean!  I also had one of my infamous "Game Nights" at my house where old friends and new friends came out and enjoyed themselves.  We made some wonderful memories. I also spent time with one of my favorite cousins Tramaine and her family in Baltimore.  It was like a second vacation!  Good times all the way around.

Returning to Guyana was not nearly as hard as it was arriving to Guyana the first time.  I felt like I was leaving home to come back home.  Living here and forming the relationships that I have, I know that I will ALWAYS have a home here in New Amsterdam. And my students will ALWAYS have a place to stay should they happen to travel up to New York!

Gena Came to Visit!
My best friend Genacia from college came down to spend her vacation with me! It was such a treat! As my girl Libby put it, "a special piece of home came down to the new home."

I took Gena all over the place! We went to 63 Beach, to several clubs in Georgetown, to the Sea Wall on Sunday night (which is like a huge outdoor party right by the water, with delicious food and drink for sale), and much, much more. She got to meet some of my new friends down here, and some of my family as well.

Here is Gena holding my baby cousin Malachi.

And here she is holding my cousin Carlvin. Lol 

While down here, we've had too many good times to count.  Guyana is certainly a nice place to live and enjoy your life.  But anywhere could be if you have perspective to believe so. 

A place truly is what you make of it.
Karaoke Night

Game Night

Photos with Various Students

So Claire, Kelli and I have been spending time outside of class with some of our students that are around our age. Good times! Here are some pictures from our first Game Night and from our many trips to karaoke night at the Penguin Hotel, which is just down the road from our house.

Romel, on the left, brings us Japanese cherries from the tree in his yard. Delicious. 

Claire and I

Kaylan, David, and a little bit of Obena lol

Michael and Billy

I think we were singing "Night Nurse."

Where are my young men that know how to Waltz?

David and Obena

Kelli and Kaylan

More karaoke fun. :)

Alexis

 Leronzo

Claire and Compton, one of my guitar students, relaxing after he taught us how to make duck curry. It was delicious. So tender!

 The Three Amigos 

Kelli and David. Lol! Good Times!

My choir students after an incredible concert performance!

Marissa, Steffi and David

 I gave my more advanced Year 2 Guitar students an opportunity to teach the rest of the class.  

I was pleased with the outcome.

 Claire, Sabrina and Josh

Jonathan

Kaylan and Billy. Billy's Family owns the hotel 

where we do karaoke every Friday night.

 Celes is not a student of the school, but a great friend since I've been here in NA.

Carlvin here is my cousin. Also not a student, Carlvin is an incredible singer/songwriter who plays many instruments.  It's in our blood!

Naveta

Anthony and his daughter Victoria, when we sang for her Thanksgiving service.

Kaylan and Trevor

Kaylan and I, putting on our Easter Sunday smiles :)

The Love is Real

I love my new students-turned friends. They love me and accept me as a teacher as well as a person. I realize that we need to be aware of all of the sides of ourselves, and who we can comfortably share certain sides of ourselves with.  Not everyone deserves to experience/know every side of you.  And that is okay! As my friend Duwayne put it, "We are who we are but we are also who people think we are...and then we are who people think we should be...that's where judgment gets in."  

We will NEVER be everything that the people around us want us or expect us to be.  That's a lot of pressure.  But we can be ourselves, love ourselves and others, and let the people that matter the most experience the more guarded/vulnerable sides of us, with comfort in knowing that they will love us regardless. And heck. If they don't, God most certainly will! That's where I'm at.

Can you tell that I love my students? Lol I really have a brand new community that I'm now a part of and will always be welcome to come back to, even if I never teach at the Music Academy ever again.

Right before I was headed to the school. :)

I tried not to overdo it with the writing (just this once lol), but I think you can tell that I'm having a wonderful time.  I will share more soon about my trip to Suriname, my teaching, our talent show, meeting one of my Dad's older sisters for the first time! Man. Tears. Some deep stuff for another day. Thanks again for stopping by and sharing my world.  Love and Blessings until next time!

~Twy