Collected Consciousness: Buhaymeun is how the locals say it.

We're back and Mom's official "Retirement vacation" has come to an end. What a fun trip! I believe we're likely to remember it forever.

As we were driving to the airport to leave, I learned that 10 days is the longest Mom and Dad have been apart for ...? she couldn't remember. Besides the fact that I morbidly told Dad before we left that this was his first chance to see how it would feel if Mom died before him (the Girl Scout in me is "always prepared"), we both really were scared Dad + the dogs wouldn't survive. We spent several days stocking them up on ready-made foods, cleaning the house, giving many instructions on just about everything that could happen, and needlessly worrying about their own well-being. What did husbands do before wives? seriously. Or at least wives like my Mom. pretty cute. All to say, everyone survived without us (not surprised) and we had a great 10 days in the turquoise waters of the Bahamas and Puerto Rico while avoiding the snow/ice that covered the SE the last week.

Let me recap:

I took another job with Semester at Sea as a nurse on their short Reunion Voyage. Just like a land-campus has a 10 yr. reunion, each voyage has reunions as well. It was a sweet ending to my time on the ship this Fall--disembarkation is too hectic and emotional to say good-bye properly, not to mention a completely different experience. Now instead of classes, there are scheduled parties all day. Every bar on the ship is open with full service. Complimentary hamburgers and hotdogs during lunch, much better food, plus the highlights: daily omelet bars and real coffee!! Yes, I am a glutton for breakfasts & the ship met all my needs with the installation of good coffee makers and a crew member to make me omelets.

SAS seems to attract extraordinary people. I enjoyed meeting new friends and especially hearing where their lives have taken them. One thing that humbles me the most in working in this environment are the students. The amazingly talented, driven, motivated, smart, adventurous, industrious, compassionate, creative and smart students that I meet during the voyage. Many of them are sooo much cooler and on their game than I was at their age. I'm dumb-founded by what they've already achieved and expectant of amazing results from their "one wild life". I eat success stories up -- so I made sure to go to the networking event, more to listen than network, and sat on the decks lingering after each meal to continue conversations.

Another cool thing was this Greenpeace ship was docked next to us in Nassau! I wanted to ask for a job.

Our port was San Juan. We were only there for one day, but it was jam-packed with so much Puerto Rican culture, thanks to Maria and her brother, Jose. Maria was a student on Fall 2010 and kindly accepted my proposal to meet us when the ship came to her country. Unquestionably, travels are enhanced when you know a local. After traveling the world herself, she understood this and begin paying back her karmic "travel debt" (or so I like to call the debt travelers owe to the kindness of strangers that literally perpetuate positive travel experiences).

Our one day with them was a perfect mix of local foods, cultural sites/events, history lessons, chilling with cold beer, laughs, Spanish, off-the-beaten track places and sites...and was topped off with an impromtu meal with their aunt of pasteles, morcilla (blood sausage) and topped off with Coquito -- a holiday rum and coconut based drink like eggnog. So good!

Did you know that Bacardi Rum is from Puerto Rico?

We came back to Nassau and took a ferry to Eleuthra Island, where I rent this house for our last week. It was a tiny place, full of locals and very little touristy anything. (my speed) The water was the deepest shade of turquoise ("fake water" Mom said) and the breeze was always blowing (anyone who knows me well has heard my rant about the element of wind...). We rode bikes and went to the beach, went walking every morning and read, ate, slept and ... chilled, total island style. What I loved most, besides living in my sarong most of the time, was meeting the locals.

The place was small enough that basically only the locals lived there, so meeting friendly people was incredibly easy and they were so happy to have us there. By the time we left, we had befriended Patricia, the cook who taught us about Johnny cakes and tuna & grits for breakfast, Monique, whose crab salad was the best I'd ever had, Mr. Burrows, the body builder-come-grocery store owner, Arthur, the "nicest man on the island", Patrick, who seems to have met a stranger to marry in a community where everyone knows everyone, the mayor whose family we sailed with on the first night, and the nice guy who sold me Kalik and Sands every day.

How cute is their tiny pink library?

First time Mom had been on a bike since ... ?

Now that Mom is retired she enjoyed learning what jumping pictures were all about,... which was hilarious! I need to make a flip-book of all of our attempts!

Us happy and leaving the Bahamian paradise!

We left happy, rested and Mom crying "because I don't want it to end"! (she's a sap fo' sure) We flew from the island in the morning, caught US Airways home via Charlotte and were welcomed by piles of snow and super cold weather. Welcome Home! When we were leaving Nassau, the highlight of my trip: this wonderful man hired by the Ministry of Tourism to simply be nice, friendly, smile, wave, and thank everyone for coming to the Bahamas! What an ingenious tourism scheme. I, for one, will be coming back...if not just to visit with Vernal Sands!