From Dragonfly: Holiday Visitation

I am in the email room, having just left my strip search after my visit today with Sporty and T.S. It's best to leave the visit just a bit before the end of the time, because the line for the strip searches can be long. In fact, a brawl was about to happen between a couple people in wheel chairs about the order of the line. I kid you not. Luckily, the "cutters" rolled to the side and let the line go in the order we were originally waiting. It can take a half hour or more to get through the line into the side room, where four inmates at a time strip, squat, spread, and cough. I try to get the bathroom, so at least I don't have to see anyone else stripping and only the guard can see me. I also need the help of the walls to keep my balance at times.

Anyway, my visit with Sporty and T.S. was wonderful. I still cannot fathom why people believe that it would be too hard to have people visit. I got to sit and listen (without a 15 minute time limit) to everything T.S. did during her first semester of college. I got to talk in depth about ideas for the upcoming summer (job, internship, classes, study abroad, etc.). I got to hug her and tell her how beautiful she is. Tomorrow, I get to do it all over again. With Sporty, I was able to hear about many of my friends and family back home. We were able to talk about movies that are out, and books we each should read. Phone calls just cannot take the place of a visit with the ones you love. It is a long day, so if several friends come at once, it is probably better than just one person visiting and having to keep up the conversation. It's not an issue with Sporty or T.S. and I, but with some people, I can imagine they'd just get bored sitting in there. I did eat some yummy very-bad-for-you mini tacos, orange soda, and some microwaved popcorn - YUM!

Tonight, T.S. and Sporty are going to dinner with SIL and my niece. I'm so grateful to have family close by that are supportive. I think of how many people here that get no support from their families, or whose families will not/ can not visit and it makes me very sad. I could have another 6 months in here, so I value this special time with the people I love.

We also took pictures. In commissary, we can purchase "photo tickets." They are $1 each and that's how many digital shots we can get. They usually put up a backdrop, and we take photos in front of those - but today, the pictures were in front of a Christmas Tree. Never mind my religion, I will cherish these photos (which I will be able to receive in about a month). Yes, it takes a very long time for them to print our digital pictures. I have no idea why. These same photo tickets can be used in indoor rec, where we can take pictures with other inmates. I recently had a picture taken with Danbury and South (before Danbury left) and I also took one by myself to send to my mom. She got it just yesterday and I think she liked it. Yes, I do smile in the pictures. I may not be happy all the time, but I still laugh and I still smile. Being in prison is not the end of the world, it is a blip in a long life and we can refuse to have any happiness, or we can be grateful for the moments of smiles that we find. I choose the smiles.

Tomorrow, T.S. and Sporty will be back for another visit. I think T.S. wants to sleep in a bit later than the 5:30am they woke today - to be in the car line by 7am after breakfast. They were 14th in line at that time and got into the visitation room around 9am. Yes, it can take that long or longer. They officially open the gate at 8am, but it takes a long time to process, plus Sporty said that they were randomly searching cars. Sporty's was not searched.

A very sad thing happened as I was headed into the visitation room. I saw one of my former students, one I adore. She was all done up and excited that her mom was visiting from Nevada. Well, they refused her mom entry because she has a metal knee. In the past, her mom has been searched by wand and allowed to enter - but today she could not because they said she needed an official medical card about her titanium knee. They insisted that if she could not get through the metal detector without setting it off (impossible with a titanium knee) then they would not let her come in. My former student was heart broken. I don't blame her. As I was let into the building, her i.d. was returned to her and she was told to go back to her housing unit. Her mom flew all the way here and did not get to hug her daughter. Just awful.

I highly encourage everyone to read the visitation rules thoroughly before taking the trip to visit their loved one in prison. Every facility is different. I was told that "if" I do go to the camp across the street, I will not be strip searched. I will be able to walk outside with my visitors. I will be in a room with real tables. It will be a totally different experience than the one I have each time someone visits me here. Still no word on if this "camp thing" is really happening. I will try and talk to my case worker when she comes back from her vacation.

I'm off to nap. A long visit is very tiring for me, but I am so glad it happened! Thank you Sporty and T.S. for a wonderful day!