Here's what Mantua had to offer me....
1. Relief...
- That, I made it "in time" (if you know what I mean)... while my grandmother may be old she is definitely not feeble!
- That my grandmother had a hairdryer.
2. Fear...
- That I would have to deal with my drunk uncle who lives at home with my grandmother.
- That I had permanently lost my sense of direction.
- That everytime my 5 year old cousin drew a pictures of Spongebob Squarepants he was smoking.
3. Confusion...
- That, my 18 month old cousin is still breastfeeding.
- That my cousin who never finished high school is home schooling his 7 year old.
- That my 27 year old cousin has not had sex, yet! This is either because of "god" or the fact that she's probably a lesbian.
3. Nausea...
- From all the cigarette smoke that constantly filled the house... The yellow color-washed effect on the walls was not a
faux finish rather 50 years of smoke stains.
- From the large amounts of Maxwell House instant coffee I consumed.
- From a few of the pain killers I chose to take that made me forget about all of the above.
4. Happiness....
- That this trip opened my eyes to a prism of different perspectives.
- That this is only a place I visit and not a place where I am rooted.