*-. la isla bonita .-*

Going home usually means many things for me, most of all positive. The island itself, of course, is amazing; but it is the people in it that are truly to be given credit for making every time I come home really feel like i'm coming 'home'. My dear friends, that make a point of spending time with me, even if we have not talked for months. My family, that lets me know how they cherish dearly every second spent with me. And of course, there is all the fun. The beach and the sun, the neverending string of bars and 'lounges' that are constantly opening, the drinking and going out seven days of the week, the dancing: everything from reggaeton at Zambra to house at Encuentro and Shakira at Switch. This trip, this two-week-in-Santo-Domingo-trip that I get is more than a blessing; at some point it became a necessity. Because coming home also reminds me of who I am. I am a dominican woman, latina, caribena, who is truly blessed. I have many positive qualities, and people that appreciate them; people that love me for who I am and are all about positive energy. It reminds me that I am part of an amazing family, that is incredibly loving and supportive. That, whatever I decide to do with my future or wherever I decide to go, my island will be here, with its people and its bars and its traffic jams and its palm trees and its blackouts and its absolute chaotic charm; it will be here waiting for me, willing to receive me with open arms each time.