I’ve previously lived abroad for 5 months. But that was when I was a child, often visiting my mom. The difference this time is that I am now a mother of 2. We went alone; all 3 of us. For a period of time, we stayed alone. This short-lived experience is one I’ll remain cherishing.
The country was new to us. It was a country I always felt a pull towards.
“I thought I wanted to live there, until I got there, it made me deeply appreciate my home country.“
My country: Trinidad and Tobago’s rich culture. The level of laid-backness. The food trees in the yard that we feed from. The feeling of home. The warmth of the climate. The tropical trees. There’re people liming at the side of the road. The feeling of needing solitude but you’re also not. The ability to people-watch and observe from a distance, because not everyone drives. Ooo… The beautiful Pigeon Point beach.
“It’s not funny, sometimes you have to experience something new to learn if you value what you have.”
Aside from being with a “bad boy” in my late teenage – early adult years. Going to a foreign country with no certainty, absolutely none. With the kids I gave birth to, was the second bravest thing I’ve ever done in my life. The first was risking my life to give birth to my kids.
From that experience, there is a new level I have unlocked.
I have an understanding with God where I make what others would call risky decisions. I usually make the decision because I want to. But before I do, I ask God to keep me safe and provide in the midst of uncertainty. Then I confidently go forward with the decision because I trust God will do as I ask, unless I get a sign to not move.
For this trip, literally all we had were suitcases and tickets. The negative is that it directly negatively affected another in some way. I say this, but I personally do not see it that way; instead, I see it as a seed / an investment. More so, an experience that brought along lessons to contribute to the wisdom of my highest self.
Some Strangers Is Family, They SEE you and Knows what you need in the moment.
Scenario 1 – God keeps presenting me with earthly angels. We’re at the airport; my kids are asking for a snack. “I don’t have any snacks at the moment, love, only apples.” About 30 minutes after, a white couple came and sit by us. He looked at my kids, I’m now wondering why. He said, “Girls y’all want 2 crackers?” They looked at me. I said, “Yes, thanks.” He handed them 2 packets of Ritz, with that cheese filling. I quietly said to them, “God heard us.”
Scenario 2 – We’re off the flight coming through the airport. Long walk to collect our checked luggage. I have 2 carry-ons, my handbag, and 2 kids running around. I didn’t take the escalator because it seemed like a hassle to get on, with the crowd that was behind me. So we took the stairs.
I noticed a woman came off the escalator at the bottom and came up the stairs while we were going down. Surprisingly, she came to me she said, “help?” I said, “Oh, really? Sure. ” She then helped me with one of my carry-ons until we were at a good location in the airport.
“I am not good at accepting help. But if I ask God to provide, then I also have to trust.”
Scenario 3 – We’re getting off the plane: foreign country. A man walked some seats from the back and stopped by us. he looked at me, smiled warmly, and said, “Can I take your luggage down for you?” For some seconds, I paused to gather my thoughts. I then smiled warmly in return and responded, “Yes. Thank you.” My kids in the background saying oh mama he’s kind.
He took it, put them on the empty seats in front of us to not obscure the aisle. He looked at me, smiled warmly again, and continued out of the plane.
Scenario 4 – Completely foreign, I asked my host to use his number that is in our Airbnb to order groceries from Walmart. He responded yes, but then he had a suggestion. The man suggested we walk to the Supermarket nearby if we don’t mind walking. Stating something like it’s reasonable and I get to choose in person as opposed to ordering.
I was not up to it at first, but my kids convinced me we should go. So I did. We all enjoyed the walk.
On that walk, we also met an Asian woman who didn’t speak English, yet she helped us locate where we were going.
From a place of uncertainty. Aside from the kids father, I told no one about our leaving/date until a day before. And this I’d like to keep as a trend, despite Saturn being in my 8th house.
Altogether, the experience felt surreal. From strangers, the provisions felt destined and pure.
Danicker: “My level of vulnerability exercised on this trip has made me more aware of how courageous I am. How naïve I am. And how much I trust in myself and God.”
