Well, things are pretty different around the house without Cheeto. For one, the place is overrun with critters. I have had lizards, frogs and cockroaches all over. The lizards and frogs I don’t mind, maybe they’ll eat some mosquitoes. But for the cockroaches, now I can be more aggressive with the Kitchen Insect Eradication Programme. Cheeto used to hang out in the cupboards, so I didn’t put any roach tablets there. Today I found that one roach had taken up residence inside the washer. When I shooed it out, it ran right inside the house, towards my room. They never would have been so brazen when Cheeto was around.

Puss also has been coming around a lot. He came in to break the news to me on Friday night. Since then, he’s been coming around at his normal times, in the morning and in the evening (food times). It’s really funny too… he’s taken up some of Cheeto’s mannerisms. Most of the time, Cheeto was outgoing and Puss kind of held back. Cheeto meowed and begged, but Puss would just chill. Now Puss is flirting, when he rubs himself on my legs, doorframes and table legs; meowing, having hugs and purring. I guess both of us are lonely!

While I was gone, a new group of Peace Corps went through training. Now there are 8 new ones on St. Lucia that will become official on Saturday. People from the training group also will be the first in St. Kitts/Nevis. For that occasion, a lot of dignitaries are coming in. There will be prime ministers, governors general, ambassadors, and hierarchy of Peace Corps. On that tour, the Director, Gaddi Vasquez, the director of PC worldwide, will be stopping in St. Lucia for 2 days. Stop number one on the tour is Massade Boys Training Center! So I’m going to be coordinating a visit there, a tour of the facilities and meeting some of the teachers and boys. Then the whole entourage and all of the volunteers will be going to Soufriere for some presentations and lunch. Should be exciting!

Now about my trip home: I hit the following high-spots:

Spoke to two grade school groups.

Visited my friend Kristen in Madison. Hung around there and had an ethnic lunch.

Visited the Ed, Chad, Brad, Jake, et al. and went out in Chicago.

Went up north with dad to visit The Aunts, various aunts and uncles, my cousin and her kids, and saw some relatives’ new fancy lake-side log home. Saw some fresh snow there.

Went out in Milwaukee with Kristy and Will and his crew.

Made the round of ethnic grocery stores in Milwaukee.

Laid around and had kitty-hugs and watched digital cable.

Watched lots of Queer Eye with mom.

I also ate at restaurants with the following ethnicities:

Laotian

Mexican (4X)

Thai

Wisconsin-y (2X)

Italian (2X)

Multi (Noodles)

Generic (Applebee’s) (but the company was exotic… J )

The trip was really nice. The first few days were a bit strange. Things simultaneously seemed like they had changed drastically, and not at all! But in the end I felt reconciled that I could end up back in the US. So the plan for the moment will be to go back there, hang out with mom and dad for the time being, enroll in an LSAT class, and start the law school application process. I’ll probably find some sort of temporary-ish job till Law School starts in Fall 2005… wherever that may be!