Just Another Day
Today was a pretty average day. There was not a whole lot going on here. The most exciting thing that occurred is that I have a new bunkie. I had about two weeks of a private room and now I have a new person to share the space with. Funny thing is she is a Hispanic and from New York just like my last bunkie. She is a little overwhelmed as this camp is very different from the last place she was located. She came from behind the fence. She talked a lot about the differences in the two places, mainly the age of the building. She said it looked terrible. I told her that we jokingly say it is a trap house. Truly it is though, but there are some trap houses that look nicer than this place. LOL!
Other than getting a new bunkie things are the same. I worked, exercised, read, exercised again, and read some more. I also finished the autobiography of Michael Vick - Finally Free. It was an easy read. It was very interesting to see how he fell and bounced back even better than before his prison stint. I think I was captivated by the book because I could relate to his prison experience. We had almost the exact amount of time so it was interesting to read about how he did his time. It was also inspiring to see how quickly he was able to bounce back. It was truly a rising like the phoenix story.
There is a lot of transition going on around here; a lot of people leaving and new people coming in. Today, before one lady left she came to my classroom looking for her friend, who is my student. She hugged a few people and told them goodbye and that she loved them. You could tell that it was a bitter sweet moment. Yes, she was ready to go home, but at the same time she created bonds with the women she was locked up with. These bonds are strong because these women have seen you at your worst. In here, you are naked, no mask. There is only you in your most vulnerable state. You lean on them for comfort. You share your secrets, wins, and failures; so I can understand her mixed emotions. And additionally you hate to leave your friends behind because you understand that they desire to be free too and back with their families.
I think about my release day every day. I visualize myself walking out of that fence. I imagine how I will feel, how my family will respond, what I will say. I have literally planned my entire departure and my coming home party. The theme...Orange Is The New Black! I can't wait.
