Happy birthday to me!

I'm 35. Instead of having an existential crisis about getting older, I decided to just make myself happy today. So I did something I've always wanted to do: I took a yoga class. More than a decade ago I did a yoga DVD at home several days a week and considered myself fairly flexible. Today was humbling. Fortunately the teacher at Akasha Studio in the Maraval neighborhood of Port-of-Spain was a gentle, encouraging soul. She would make minor corrections to my poses now and then, but just as many times she would come by, pat me on the back and say, "perfect" or "good job." It might seem childish, but I certainly responded to the praise. I was struggling to make it through the hourlong class, even had some fleeting thoughts of walking out. But the teacher was quick to show me modified poses when I appeared to be having trouble. I'm grateful for her attitude, because I felt fabulous -- mentally and physically -- when the class was over. A couple of side notes. 1) "Feel the mountain breeze" is code for "the windows are open, hence no a/c to chill the place down. 2) If you want to find the white people in Trinidad, try a yoga class. I don't mean this last one in any negative way. It was just a little strange. I've been among people of different ethnicities for two weeks, so suddenly being around a dozen other folks who look more like me was a jolt. I still felt somewhat out of place, because they were in far better physical condition than I was. But whatever. They were nice enough, didn't bite. I'll probably go back next week. And the week after. In fact, I may be able to do one of the inverted poses by the time I leave Trinidad. OK, well, maybe not. But I do hope to try one eventually. I bowed out of that particular adventure today. I was slightly out of breath and lightheaded already, so standing on my head didn't seem like the best idea.

When I got back to my room, I almost appreciated the cold shower. I swear I have never sweated so much in my life. Anyway, after freshening up I collapsed on the bed for a bit to give my jelly legs time to recover. Axl and Slash entertained me (iPods=sound of home on demand) while I lay there and thought about my brother. I figure everybody gets tired of me mentioning him. Yes, he's been gone 10 years. But I still wish I could see him on my birthday. Surely that's understandable? My reflections this time weren't painful or sad. I just daydreamed a bit about what I'd say to him if he were here, wondered what he'd think of my Caribbean adventure. He'd probably laugh and say it wasn't much of an adventure so far since I'm mostly doing work and reading books. He'd be half right. He was very protective of me, so I don't know if he'd have approved of me going so far from home. I can easily see him pitching a fit and demanding I come home at once. I'll never know. I do think that wherever he is now though, he has a broader perspective and IS proud of me. That's what I like to believe.

Anyway, after I was sufficiently fueled on guitar riffs, I went to work for a few hours. It was a productive day, though I admit to sneaking over to facebook frequently to read the "happy birthdays" from friends and family. Thank God for technology.

Sr. Arlene, my supervisor, took me to TGI Friday's, where I had sesame jack chicken fingers and fried cheese. She'd never had fried cheese, but tried it at my insistence. She declared it "quite nice." Amen, sister. AND I DIDN'T GET SICK! This is cause for celebration, almost moreso than my actual birthday. Caribbean food doesn't remotely agree with me, so I am very limited in what I can eat without ... digestive distress, we'll call it. The staff sang happy birthday to me and presented me with vanilla ice cream, which was tasty too. Now I'm winding down, looking forward to some video chat with friends and family. Tomorrow it's full steam ahead with my work.

Oh, another good thing to report. My new friend Petra, one of the psychologists at SDCH, is taking me to the beach this weekend if her schedule allows. Not sure which one yet, but I'll be sure to post pics if and when.