Living in the Caribbean

I can confidently say that this is one of the most hectic times of my entire life. Life is definitely not "normal" right now. I have never had my life so drastically changed because of a hurricane.

As many of you may know, I live in Puerto Rico. I've been there for a little over two years. And if you have seen anything on the news about the Caribbean, then you know that it is really hectic down there.

It all started after I came home from an absolutely amazing college conference. I hadn't been home for maybe a few days before I heard about hurricane Irma. It quickly became a dangerous hurricane as it approached the island. We were all sure that it was going to hit us hard and we prepared for that. Thank God though, that it barely touched us. It got dark and a little windy, but we were still able to step outside and watch. Unfortunately, it took out our power, internet, and cable. Our neighborhood is one of the few that has generators, but that doesn't give you air conditioning and you can't use your oven or anything that takes up too much power. In a few days, we were off generator power, but still no internet. Almost a week later after Irma, we got internet back. I was so happy about it. I could finally do some schoolwork! How clueless I was. The next day internet was out again. But we all thought everything was back on track when it came on a few days later.

Then I heard about hurricane Maria. I didn't feel too worried about this one. We survived Irma, right? This wouldn't be so bad. We were prepared. Or so I thought. As the day approached that Maria would hit, worry started to eat away at me. I saw how dangerous of a hurricane Maria was becoming and I saw how it was going to make a direct hit with Puerto Rico. The eye of the storm was supposed to pass only a little ways away from where I lived. Would we really be alright? I can't begin to describe all the thoughts that were going through my head at the time. It wasn't too long, almost two weeks from when Irma hit, before it was the day that the Maria was to impact Puerto Rico. That morning, we found out that the military was evacuating all military dependents who wanted to leave, but there was only a limited amount of seats. Since we were military dependents (my dad is in the military), we quickly signed up. There was havoc as we tried to pack. We had to fit all the necessities for six people into one suitcase and a few backpacks. It was absolutely insane, but we somehow managed it and left for the airport. A few hours later, we boarded a C-130 (quite literally, a cargo plane), leaving my dad behind.

I think sitting on that plane was when it really hit. Hurricane Maria became a much bigger danger in my mind than before. It was so much more real. And it scared me. Those cargo planes, they're like the ones in the movies that you see all the military men on when they're heading out for a mission. Those planes make you very thankful for seat belts. If we hadn't been wearing our seat belts, we would have slid to the back of the plane when it took off. It was such a loud plane that you were required to wear hearing protection. The seats vibrated during the whole flight. We made one stop on the other side of the island to pick up a few more people, then we flew directly to Florida. It was a long flight, especially with younger siblings who didn't like staying seated at all. We touched down late at night and had an even later dinner before going to bed exhausted around midnight. The next day we spent at the hotel, anxious for any recent news on what was going on in Puerto Rico. We saw some videos, a few photos and none of them made me feel reassured at all. In fact, they worried me more than before. That morning we lost contact with my dad. He lost cell service. We didn't hear from him until that evening, and even then it was quick and short. That night we booked flights for the next day to my grandparents.

Since September 21st, we've been with family. We don't know when we'll be able to return to Puerto Rico. Rumors are that it will be four to six months before everything is back and running normally. I feel kind of like I'm in a daze. Like this isn't real. In one day, I went from thinking that I was going to weather a hurricane to being in Florida. It was only two days later and I was in Ohio. This feels so surreal. I don't know where to begin on how to describe it. I'm finally starting to settle into a routine, but it's still not normal. I want some normalcy. I want to be "home". But you know what? I'm okay with where I'm at (or I'm trying very hard to be). Sometimes, things happen that you never would expect. Things that you could never anticipate. Sometimes, life throws things at you (like hurricanes) that destroy whatever plans you had set to fulfill. And sometimes, you just have to go with it. You just have to trust that this is somehow a part of God's plan for your life, even if you have no idea how.

That's where I'm at right now. I have no idea what's to come. Right now, I'm just beginning to realize how much of a adventure life can be.

G Paige