Hippie Holiday Henriette living like a gypsy!

The nail polish on my toes has faded a long time ago, five weeks into a tree week vacation in Tobago. With no money and no shampoo, a Gypsy holiday not everyone can handle. 

I surprised my boyfriend with a visit in Tobago. Fully knowing that he wasn’t prepared and that he would have to keep working and maintaining his business. I was just happy to be here I didn’t mind sleeping alone in the jungle in our new house that he built for us. But without a proper phone line I said it’s not possible for me to be there by my self. If an accident or emergency, by the time he found out and reach all the way up there it might just be too late.

Another thing was that our water tank fell down and broke. There was a terrible rainstorm and I woke up from a loud crash thinking it was a tree that fell. When I woke up in the morning take my morning bath outside, I couldn't find the water tank ... It also took the toilet pipe with it in the fall.. hard to live without water, toilet and no phone line. He respected that and from day to day we organize a place for me to sleep. I don’t mind staying at other people’s house as long as they are friends. So I spent one night at an Irish couple’s house, and they where very nice to me (we used to rent their downstairs appointment). I Slept in their daughter’s room as she lives in Trinidad. 

Then I spent 3 nights with our friends little board house, where I slept in a hammock and he in the bed behind a little curtain. Then I got to know a German girl that was here for just two weeks and she let me stay in her room at a guesthouse because she had two beds. That was nice, but she was a little scared I was going to take something from her. She said that she heard about people getting robbed and she wanted a picture of my credit card and passport. As all my stuff was in the jungle I couldn't get to it, but she accepted a picture of my bankcard and let me stay.

I was very grateful for all her help and when she went home I stayed with a friend of mine where I got my own room. My boyfriend was also welcome to spend the night there so I could finally relax and he could stretch out and sleep in a bed and not in a car! 

It was good for a week, but then she discovered that I had let my boyfriend alone in the apartment for 2 hours and was angry with me, then she blamed her boyfriend and said he was the one who was uncomfortable with her being alone in the apartment with her. She has known him for years longer than she has known me and we where left feeling like she thought he was a thief. That was not a good feeling so we left.

Then he went and got sick, a terrible disease that killed over 25 people within 2 weeks. It was a frightening experience seeing a big man that sick, laying on the floor not able to move! He was screaming and I had no idea what to do. We were way into the jungle with no way to get out! I looked at him thinking "how am I going to get him downstairs and out of the jungle by my self". When he finally vomited up all over the floor and was able to move around again I was relieved! He could get up by him self and walk upstairs!  

Put together we got about 1 hours of sleep in total. He was in pain and needed constant care and fluids! With no water in the house I was boiling water and making tea out of bush leafs all night. 

After what felt like a lifetime (24 hours) of this we managed to stumble our way out of the jungle and made it to the car. We drove to his moms house and reached there with vomit all over his clothes and the car! He was vomiting while he was driving. She gave us a room where I could watch over him and get a little rest! It didn’t take long before his pain came back and he started to moan and crawl on the floor again! He fell on the floor and vomited and shit his pants. I tried to get him into the shower, but he’s to big and heavy for me to carry!! 

We fell asleep, exhausted and I was so tired I woke up of peeing in my sleep! Totally embarrassed but too tired to care, his mom organized some clean fresh clothes for me and we had a good laugh! That's when I knew he was feeling a little better and his mom made us some fish tea! We rested there all day and felt like two brand new human beings when we left his moms house that evening. The next night we slept at our own house and we slept like babies after the first heavy meal in days and that just knocked us out.

It felt like forever while it was going on, but it was actually just a couple of days! 

While all of this was going on and we where up in the jungle I tried to communicate with my family and co workers to let them know I wasn't going to make it back to Norway by the timing that was planned, but because we had no WiFi and I had no  credit on my phone I had to borrow his phone to send sms's. Little did I know that they never reached and no body knew why I hadn't gotten back to Norway, my family or my work. I had so many text and messages from people wondering where I was and if I was ok, and I spent an hour just reassuring everyone that everything was good and that nothing worse than an ear infection had happened to me. 

Even tho didn't make it home in time, my family and my boss was very understanding and loving and gave me no trouble. I got a lot of help from a lot of people when I stayed in Tobago for two weeks longer then planned. A dear friend moved out of his apartment and let me stay at his place for free. I'm forever grateful and I wish I had some money to give him as thank you. But staying in Tobago for two weeks longer than planned I had no extra money and was not able to leave him anything. My boyfriend had to provide for me and gave me everything I needed of food and drinks. 

His mom is a spiritual woman (spiritual baptist) and she came to me after his sickness and told me she had spoken to her an-sisters that said they send me to Tobago to take care of her son while he was sick. My boyfriend took this to heart and gave me a whole new place in his life and heart after that. Caribbean men has a tremendous respect for their mothers and call them their queen. And whatever the queen wants and needs they give. I'm fortunate to have that woman on my side and that leaves me with a new reassurance of our long distance relationship.

These last eight years have thought me so much about respect, relationships, family and myself. I learn new things every time I come to Tobago from insecurity and infidelity to loyalty and respect. All I can say to all of you in a long distance relationship is "if he's not planning to get married to you, get out before you get too involved". His love and loyalty is with his mother and child mother, not with you. But if he wants to marry you, he will find a way to make sure you feel safe and loved until the day comes. Give him space and give him time, never try to change him let him evolve on his own time.

Love conquers all and time will tell you what is what, keep your heart and eyes open and your spirit high.