Welcome to Galveston

So it clearly has been a while since I've last posted anything. I was on a cruise in the Western Caribbean from Sept. 6 through Sept. 11 and despite various updates from my classmates and their iPhones, I had no idea how serious hurricane Ike was going to be. I left my cell phone (and my worries) in Galveston and it was nice to be disconnected from the world for five days. Our weather in Cozumel and Progresso was perfect and there was no sign of the hurricane until our last day at sea. Apparently we were outrunning the hurricane as our ship was 303 miles from the eye of Mr. Ike. I made it to my house at about 10 a.m. (and returned to 44 messages on the Blackberry) and within the next 1.5 hours I was on the road to Austin with my unpacked suitcase, my laptop, and my little TV (my big girl TV travelled to Austin via Philip's Tahoe). A little over 7 hours and I made it home...exhausted and very unsure of what was to come over the next several days. Little did I know that my little island was in for the fight of a lifetime.

The most recent update that I have received tells me that power will not be restored to the island for the next 3 to 6 weeks. Governor Rick Perry is determined to have UTMB up and running within the week but as for the students, our return depends on living conditions and it is not looking very good for most of us. Luckily, my house sits a considerable height above sea level so I really hope that the flood damage is minimal. In hindsight, I would have packed SO much more into my car had I known that I would not be returning for some time. I wake up every morning to the thought of my pictures, important papers, and clothes floating in circles around my living room. Even worse is the reality that given a situation of crisis, people lose their sense of humanity...and then comes the looting. I am not sure which will be more upsetting: returning to a home covered in 1 to 2 feet of water OR a perfectly dry house that is void of a DVD player and printer/fax/copier.

That being said, it really is not about the "stuff." Stuff can be replaced. It is about the memories, the effort, the history...the pieces of a house that make it a home. Some things are irreplaceable and I worry that the experience of returning to what is left of my house will follow me forever. My mother has volunteered to drive back to Galveston with me and I don't envy her at all. She is in for one hell of a pep talk and I assume she is already preparing for the worst, as am I.

Perpetual optimism is my strong suite. But the next few weeks are going to be a huge test of my rebound abilities. I've done it before and I hope I can do it again. Until then, I will make the most of being home. I'll run errands with Mom, watch football with Dad, go to the lake, and pretend I am simply on an extended vacation. After all, my classmates and I are in the same boat and whatever comes our way, we will deal with together.

"Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way. And don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines."