The Deal With.....Money

I promised to give you my take on the Bolivian economy....well, I think I'll just stick to what I know and ramble on about our money.

I had a brain wave and thought I would bless you with more of my perspective on different aspects of our life here. For some of you, you've never been to Bolivia or South America and wonder what life could be like here, or for others, you just enjoy finding out more about our day to day lives. So here goes, let's talk dinero....

The currency here is the Boliviano, or for short, B, and approximately 7 Bs is worth $1. It fluctuates as any currency does but for conversion in my head, I just stick with 7 to 1. There's a 20 and 50 cent piece, a 1B, 2B, and 5B coin as well. The paper money (that I've had the pleasure of holding) is 10B, 20B, 50B, and 100B. Thankfully, the Bolivians appreciate their money like we Canadians and make it nice and colourful! The 5B coin kind of reminds me of a miniture twoonie from back home.

So how much does stuff cost around here? Well, let me list off a few things that I've paid for (or considered paying for) in the last while.....

A micro ride = 1.50Bs = 21 cents
A pack of mega diapers = 80Bs = $11.40
25 oranges = 10Bs = $1.43
1 kilo of chicken = 10Bs = $1.43
A medium papaya = 4Bs = $.57
1 kilo (2lbs) of hamburger = 30Bs =$4.29

Tin of Tuna = 11Bs = $1.57
Vinegar = 7Bs = $1
Flip flops = 25 Bs = $3.57
2 Litres of Milk = 7Bs = $1
1 pound of bacon = 30Bs = $4.29
Really nice sundae = 18Bs = $2.57
Cheap bowl of soup at a restaurant = 2Bs = $.29
Mr. Noodle = 4Bs = double the price we pay at home!
Large pizza = 35Bs = $5
Empanada from a street vendor = 2Bs = $.29
Doctor visit = 30Bs = $4.29
Doctor visit at the best hospital in town = 300Bs = $42.90

And not like we're in the market, but we noticed the televisions at the store are about 3000Bs for a 27 inch, which is $429.

But how much stuff costs really can't be compared unless you consider the average daily wage of a blue collar worker here in Bolivia. A maid would make between 50-75Bs a day and a construction worker would make about 100Bs day. The street vendors would make considerable less than that but work 18 hours a day.

So if you only make $10 a day, you can't afford a pizza for dinner, you would never consider paying for a pound of bacon, you would have to be dying before you went to the doctor, and a micro ride just to see a friend would be a luxury. It would be like me when I was a teacher paying $39 for a blizzard at Dairy Queen. There's NO WAY I could afford that outrageous price. And that's what people live with on a daily basis, even with relatively lower prices than compared to Canada.

We are so blessed because all of our needs and even our crazy wants are taken care of. So when Carl misplaced a 50B bill, it really bothered me. It's like losing a $5 and some change, but to me, I kept thinking of that lady in the little tiny restaurant who could only afford a cheap bowl of soup for her and her son for lunch (and that would have been their big meal). And there I was slurping up my own bowl, and to have a meat and rice plate in addition to that. I really hoped that some poor person found that money on the ground; that would have been 25 bowls of soup for them, lunches for almost a month.

Well, that's my two cents on the matter. Stay tuned for the exciting chapter on food!

Let's Get Political, Political...

You are in for a treat. Here's Kathy's perspective on Bolivian politics. HA!

Now I'm no political science major, but I was thinking I would share with you all some of the things that are happening in the country where I now reside. Most of my information has come from reading the news either here or from CBC or BBC, from conversations with a number of different people, and watching television here. It's certainly not going to be in-depth, but at least you get a little bit of an insight.

So to give you a little background, the president here is Evo Morales and he's been the president for the last 3 or so years. What makes him so unique is that he is the first indigenous president in all of South America. The majority of the population in Bolivian is indigenous with the rest of the population being Hispanic (or other immigrant people groups like Korean etc.).

Now the Hispanic population is primarily located in the southeast part of the country, in the state of Santa Cruz, where we are. There are a few indigenous people here but they are in the minority. The western part of the country is where most of the indigenous people reside, and is also where the capital of the country is, La Paz.

Morales has proposed a number of changes here in the country, but the main two have been the redistribution of wealth and land throughout the country and a more equal distribution of gas and oil revenues. Here in the state of Santa Cruz is where most of the agricultural land and natural resource wealth of the country is, hence many people here are not fond of the possible constitutional changes. The referendum vote on this new constitution is to be held in early December.

The west welcomes these changes, but the east does not. Many of the states are also demanding more autonomy from the federal government, because they want more of say on how things are handled in their own state. Right now everything is centralized and goes through La Paz, in the west. It would be kind of like all of Canada having to send their driver's license application through Ottawa.

The west, the indigenous people, the poorer people and the east, the Hispanics, the comparitively rich, both have valid points, but are having a difficult time hearing one another. Each side blocks roads, holds pro or anti-government rallies, and some government buildings have been looted and burned.

So how does that effect us in Santa Cruz? Well, as North Americans, not much. We arrived just as the protests in the city started, so we are used to hearing the fire crackers go off all throughout the night. Because of the road blockades, some products have not been able to get into Santa Cruz, gas is in short supply, and only yesterday did the airlines start flying out of Santa Cruz again. We haven't received any mail since we have arrived and we aren't exactly sure where our visa applications are, since they were sent to La Paz. As guests in this country, we have been careful to stay away from where demonstrations are taking place.

Both sides are in talks right now, trying to come to some agreements, and to end the demonstrations and protests. It'll be interesting to see how things unfold over the coming months leading up to the referedum vote.

So, that's it in a nutshell. If you are interested in learning more or following the situation, go to BBC's website, Reuters news service, or Associated Press and search for news on Bolivia.

Coming soon....

Kathy's perspective on Bolivian economy! hee hee

A Little More Normalcy

So as you can tell from this week's post title, things have settled down, well sort of...

First things first, I just want to thank everyone who left comments and/or emails giving us encouragement. It really meant a lot and did lift us up. How amazing amidst whatever is going on in your life, to know that friends and family are praying for you. THANK YOU!

For this week's entertaining installment....

We found we have access to a dryer so that means our battle with our lil' pests has been swung to our side. We still have lice in the house, but they are very few and far between, we have their days numbered and they know it! Kezia has been so patient with our nightly combing sessions, she just sits and chatters on about whatever happened that day. She doesn't even holler when I pull out a big chunk of hair. Oops! Praise God for the patience and endurance of my girl!

Joel's hernia, we found out wasn't a large intestinal one, so thankfully it isn't as serious as we thought. My friend Laurie was such a huge help in going to the clinic with me and we discovered that riding the micros isn't actually as scary as we once thought. I even know which line to take around the second ring. So not like I'm thankful for hernias that teach you how to ride the bus in Santa Cruz, but it's good to be able to learn something in every situation.

Laurie was gracious enough to email her sister-in-law for more medical advice, and then we'll take Joel in the next few days to a Dr. that has access to a decent hospital for surgery. It's a day surgery, and so he won't even have to stay for the night. That will be much easier on him, as well as his mother!

We took Joel and Kezia with us when we went to visit two children's homes/orphanages in the city this past week. It was really touching to see the facilities, meet the staff and see these little children. Some were as young as three, others as old as 21 that were in the homes. We were impressed that one of the places has the children living in a house with "siblings" and "parents". Just trying to give these kids a chance at a stable life despite their past. The kids were excited to see us and especially Joel and Kezia. I think our kids were a bit overwhelmed at all these little children greeting them in Spanish. But after a while, they became a bit more outgoing and even asked if we could come back. It's definitely a place where we would be welcome to bring our kids to come and play with the kids. That would be a good experience for them all.

Asha has popped out more teeth, two more this week to be exact. She is coming down with a cold, but that hasn't really stopped her. Her passion in life right now revolves around Wilbur the cat. She loves that crazy animal and cries when she can't go outside to see him. I have to admit, I'm not even a cat liker, but Wilbur, he's not too bad. He isn't needy, isn't aloof, he justs lays around, doesn't mind being lugged around, is actually quite pleasant, and is very tolerate of rough little hands. Asha will make a bee-line out the screen door, climb up on the little table beside him and just pet him. It makes even me thankful for the cat that gives her, and Joel and Kezia, so much joy. In fact, everyone is so thankful that are kids are here for Wilbur because he just loves kids. He's kind of an answer to prayer because Joel was asking when we were in Fresno if we could get a cat and I told him not likely, but here we are in Bolivia, with a cat, the MCC cat, but still, we have a cat.

Carl was feeling a bit out of his element because he hasn't had much to do in the last few months. I think he gets bored easy and likes to keep busy. While we were still in Canada, there were projects and paperwork to take care of. I kind of liked the unemployed Carl who hung around the house doing project after project. But I knew he'd need something more. It's been a bit trying sitting around waiting for our job to start, but yet we understand that we should take the time alotted to us to adjust and figure things out first. So Carl needed something to occupy his hands, so we went to the market and found the only tienda with strawberries (the road to where the fruitillas come from is blocked still) and bought a kilo. Then we bought some sugar, then some jello and.....

Carl made freezer jam. And then because he couldn't find a spot in the fridge for the dulce de leche, he had to move the corn flour. Hmmmmm....he thought, I could make corn muffins. And that's exactly what he did. I kind of like the bored-because-my-job-hasn't-started-Carl. We've been eating really well! Though in the last two days, we did read our job description, met with our country rep, and were presented with the 75 keys that are for us to organize and keep. Things are slowly coming together for our position. There are parts of it that I can't wait to do, others that I will only be glad to leave for Carl, and parts that I wonder how in the world will we do them?

Last night I went with some of the MCC ladies to an English speaking bible study. I thought there would be maybe a dozen or two ladies, but when we showed up, there were over 40! It was quite the sight and sound. At first it was a bit overwhelming because it was so loud, but after mingling a bit, and sampling some of the great snacks, I felt better. I almost teared up when I saw one of the snacks was a type of square that my mom makes. I ate three of those because they tasted like home. We did some singing and then broke up into 4 groups for the study on one of Beth Moore's books. I enjoyed the discussion and hearing from where everyone was from. Most of the ladies were from some type of mission organization, some had been in Bolivia for a few weeks, others years, some even decades. Quite the mix in the group. And I met up with another person I knew from my high school days! Talk about a small world. I'm looking forward to going because until my Spanish improves to fully understand church, this bible study will be a place where I can be spiritually fed.

Tonight we attended our second potluck here with some of the other MCC workers. It worked out pretty well once some of us started to take initiative and figure out the menu. We ate pretty well, even "pumpkin" pie (which I can't remember the spanish word for the particular squash, but it's actually better than pumpkin). The gears started going when people were giving ideas on how this weekly event could work and how the hosts could do this or that. Slowly we are sinking into our new shoes.

And the most exciting thing that happened today is that I started with my Spanish tutor. Her name is Delicia and she just returned from MCC's IVEP program in Canada. In fact, she lived in the same town as my parents and parents' in law are, AND she even met my parents' in law. Such comfort in something in common! So Delicia and I spent two hours going over Spanish vocabulary, verbs, and she spoke in Spanish so that I would get used to how the language sounds. I'm excited about gaining more confidence with my Spanish and realize we are in a perfect place to learn. So I don't want to waste time and opportunity being ashamed of my lack of ability. Just a few days ago, Nati was explaining to me that she was going on holidays, that we would change our house cleaning day, and clarify our laundry day. And I got it! She then said thank you for being so patient and understanding. Oh my! I wish I could have had the words to explain to her how grateful I am for her patience and understanding with me and that I have appreciated her so much already. So all I could say was, Tu Tambien!

It's been a pretty good week I must say. And it's not over yet! Tomorrow we'll wander around and figure out more things with our job, I'll take a little jaunt over to the Spanish school down the way with Laurie, and then Carl and I will go back on Friday. We really need to make some decisions about school this next week, so you can pray for us that we will have wisdom to do what's best for the kids. We'll be still combing out lice for a few more days, and who knows, we may be at the Dr. again and scheduling surgery for Joel. We are constantly scrounging for change for the micros, and we are praying for the blockades to lift so people can get gas for cooking. Ah, there's never a dull moment in our family!

C'mon Over

For those of you who aren't able to come over to our house for a cup of coffee this afternoon, why not sit down by the computer, bring your own cup of joe, and enjoy a tour!

What a Week

Once we arrived at the MCC office and grounds, we were all so tired. We unloaded our bags right into our new home. It's a spacious three bedroom place that has a nice outside sitting area in the front as well as the back. There are banana trees around, and maybe even a coffee plant. The kids were quick to discover that we have a turtle living in our yard. How exciting!

The weather was quite cool our first few days. Fifteen Celsius isn't that cool when you can go into an insulated house with carpet, but when everything is open to the outside, it's hard to get rid of the chill. It was funny seeing some people walk around with earmuffs on!

Thursday was a day to rest and unpack a bit. One of the country reps, Lizette was busy at the hospital with one of the Salters, so we just briefly met her. For supper, we got to go out with Lynn and Laurie and their kids. It was so nice to be reunited with them (we met them at orientation in Akron) and to ask them how their first few weeks had been. By the time supper was over, I was exhausted and ready to go home to sleep. I slept SO well.

We spent the next few days meeting with Cesar (one of the country reps; Lizette's husband) and the staff at the office. We were introduced to some of the programs that happen right here at the office, as well as some of the satellite programs in Santa Cruz. Sometimes we would stay and our kids would just play outside, other times we would leave and then they would be cared for by Nati, a national MCC worker. We have been taken out for most lunches and dinners, which has been nice that we don't have to cook, but there is something about a house that is made a home when you cook in it. We also have had brief introductions into Bolivian culture, politics, history, and MCC history here in the country which have been quite informative.

On Saturday, there was a fundraiser being held by some students through a MCC sponsored program. We went to buy some of the food for lunch and listen to the music. It was good to be with people and to eat traditional Bolivian food. While I was standing around, holding Asha, I looked over at a girl that seemed very familiar. She saw me looking at her and asked me my name. When I told her, I immediately remembered who she was. Kenia was a girl I met 10 years ago when I was here. Her dad, David, drove the micro for our missions team and she always came along. I couldn't believe it was her. We screamed and hugged each other tight. How amazing to be reunited with someone that you thought you'd never see again. I introduced her to Carl and the kids, and we visited a bit before she had to get back to the food table. I told her that I lived just in the house on the property and that some time she should call and we could get together. My heart was very full that day.

On Sunday we went with two other MCCers to church. Carl admitted that he was a bit nervous going on the micros because he had never gone before. I was kind of excited about going again, but had to admit I had no idea what routes they followed or anything. I can't even figure out the streets even when we stand still! It was an adventure getting 4 kids and 4 adults on and off the micros to get to church. On the way there, Joel and Kezia had a hard time not tripping on the uneven roads. I think each of them fell at least twice. And Joel has this desire to pick up everything on the ground; he wanted to be helpful and pick up trash so he started with an empty liquor bottle. Just yuck! Quickly pull out the hand santizer! We haven't been here long enough to build up antibodies! There's so much trash around, Joel could be busy for a millenia.

The service was really good; we even recognized many of the songs. Kezia happily bounded off to Sunday School, but Joel wanted to stay with us. He got teary eyed and said that he really missed Braeside. I figured he would be the first to voice his homesickness. Poor guy.

After the service, we had lunch and then naps. Then we had two families come and visit us, which was such a nice treat. First in the late afternoon, our friends Darryl and Elaine and their 4 kids came to welcome us to Bolivia. They have been missionaries for over 9 years here and we have college and high school connections with them. Then I walked to Laurie's house to invite them over for the evening. I was very proud of myself that I managed to walk somewhere by myself without getting lost. The police man at the end of the street asked me if I lived around here, and of course I couldn't really answer him. So I mumbled something in awful Spanish, he looked at me weird, I tried again, he laughed, then I laughed and then just kept walking. Oh well, it's not like I'll talk with him any time soon.

So the last few days have been us trying our best to get our bearings around here. We are trying to figure out small things like, what do the cleaners in the closet do? And how do we figure out when Nati comes over to watch the kids? And what micro do you take to get to the grocery store? Which market do you go to get vegetables? How do you use the stove? What is a goma? How do I get one for the shower floor? Which day is laundry day? Do we do our own or does someone else do it? How do we keep track of expenses? How do we use the gas stove? Who do we talk to about getting more cat food for Wilbur? How do we use the phone?

Because it's been a bit crazy here with the Salters, one of the country reps gone etc. etc., we have felt like we've had to figure out a lot of things ourselves. Thankfully Carl's Spanish is pretty good, but mine is mas o menos and I'm feeling like an eight year old trying to communicate with everyone. Oh well. Lynn tried to encourage me and said that maybe we aren't told everything right up front so that things can remain flexible. Okay, I'm going to go with that kind of mindset. And really, why should I be in a hurry to have everything answered right now?

Even thought my Spanish is atrocious, people have been so gracious. I carry around my dictionary for vocabulary, but use hand signals when I'm trying to figure out a verb. And then I just give 'er and hope for the best. I'm usually pretty close, and then I'm corrected, then I say the right sentence and then we move on. I've learned new words, but the verbs are still hard. Thankfully, I'm getting much better at understanding what is going on; just as long as they don't expect much in the way of a response! Sometimes, depending on where our orientation has been, or who is leading the tour, the speaking is done in Spanish, and there may or may not be someone there quick enough to translate everything. I try so hard to listen and understand, that after a couple of hours, my head is pounding and feels like it might just pop off. I keep thinking that in a few months, the headache will be gone as I learn the language.

And then things got a bit more complicated on Tuesday after we came from supper with Laura, a fellow MCCer (let's just assume that everyone that I'm naming with be an MCCer unless otherwise stated; our world is a little small right now, but in time we'll get to know more people). We found that Kezia had lice. We have never had to deal with this and now we were stuck somewhere new with no hot water, limited access to a washing machine and no dryer. Thankfully we were able to locate lice shampoo, but I think it was expired and of course, it's in Spanish. Oh my! So we spent until midnight washing all the sheets and blankets and towels, only to find there are no replacements. I was too tired by the end of it to be cranky. And to top it off, she probably got lice in Canada before we even came. So how do you say lice en espanol? How do you explain to people that you barely know?

So that was Tuesday.

Then on Wednesday night, we made another discovery. Something strange on Joel that appeared to be a hernia. I called Laurie, who is a nurse and she agreed to come with me to the Doctor the next day. Carl and I were scheduled to go out to a community in south Santa Cruz to see an MCC project today out at Plan 3000 (which was very interesting; nuns running a holistic clinic with herbs, the chapel there, the resettlement project by the government, the poverty....). The kids were with Nati most of the day, and then as soon as we returned, I took Joel with Laurie to the Dr. in a taxi. We got to the clinic only to find that it would be a two hour wait. We contemplated going to the market, but were told it wasn't safe to go there today (I know this post is getting long, but I'll get to that later) so we decided to go to the air conditioned grocery store, buy some empanadas and sit and visit. Joel was amazing to wait so long and be patient. We made it back to the clinic and I was feeling more confident on the micros. We actually figured out which ones to take around the 2nd ring (where we live close to) and where to get off. I was learning more with this trek than during orientation!

The Dr. was great and confirmed that Joel has a hernia. It's small, and not too worrisome, but that we need to come back in a week to see if it has gotten larger or receded. Then from there, he would decide what to do. Either leave it, or day surgery.

And then to make things a bit more complicated, there are protests here in the city and the country that have made traveling out of the city very difficult and movement around the city a problem. Some places people stay away from, hence the reason why we couldn't go to the market. We don't know how long this will last, but we are watching from the outside in, literally because we are getting our news from CBC website, but also figuratively as well. Anyways, I won't write much more about that.

So it's been 7 days in the country and so much has happened to our little happy family. Hopefully in the next week or so I'll get a Spanish tutor, we'll figure out the workings of our childcare and house stuff. And we're really hoping that no one gets sick, injured, damaged or anything out of the ordinary. I'm just too tired to try and deal with more drama. But I guess in reality, living here will be a constant orientation. Next, I'll have to trek off to the dentist, or the pharmacy or whatever. Then I'll have to get school supplies and gas and flip flops. That's just life.

Sorry I've rambled on. And you are probably wondering, "Where are the pictures?" Well, I didn't take my camera around everywhere. I didn't want to appear like a tourist for one, I didn't want it to get stolen for two, and thirdly, I'm going to be here a while so don't worry, we have plenty of time for visuals!

I'll be back soon to let you know what other adventures we may find ourselves in.

Travel Day

The morning came too quickly and Asha ended up waking up 10 minutes before our alarm went off. I stumbled into the bathroom, looked in the mirror and told myself, "Here's the day Kathy, off we go". And funny how that made everything better. Yes, we're on our way, we've been anticipating this day for months.

My prayers for the day were that our luggage would arrive safely and that the kids would sleep on the plane.

We said goodbye to my brothers and Mom in the morning. I tried not to cry, but it's hard not to at this point. I didn't realize how much I relied on my mom for a listening ear, for sound advice, and for someone just to hang out with, someone who understands me. We were spoiled to have them so close for the summer. And now we were moving across the world...

The drive in was good. Carl and the kids went with his parents and I rode along with my Dad in the big van filled with our luggage. I chatted with him as the sun came up and marveled at how beautiful it was. My last Manitoba sunrise (it's not like I see many of them; I don't get out of bed until the sun is above the horizon!). Maybe the sunrise will look the same in Bolivia, I wondered.

We got to the airport and Judy, Byron and Kristal, Nelson, and John were there to greet us. We small talked for a while, took some pictures, and then we had to get into line to check in. So we cried and hugged and cried some more. And then we waited in line 6 feet away from where they were all standing. So then they joined us in line! Okay, we got up to the counter and then we all hugged and cried and hugged again and then we made our way towards the customs door. We got the luggage charge all figured out and then we just stood there. If we go through the emotional turmoil of saying goodbye, we actually have to leave!

Finally, we walked through with all our luggage, took one teary-eyed glance back, and then went forward. It was hard, but all the dread was gone now. The lump in my chest was gone because there were no more goodbyes. No more agonizing farewells. We were now looking forward to what lay ahead for us.

We were so glad that we were able to take the carseat with us on the airplane. We figured we would take one along to Bolivia for Asha, until she learned to sit still in a vehicle (kids don't ride in carseats, let alone use seatbelts). Carl and I hoped that we would be able to strap her in her seat and that she would be happy (or at least quiet) for the duration of the flights.

The first segment, Kezia and Joel quietly played and Asha ate a few snacks. She wasn't too happy sitting in the seat and squawked a number of times. It was getting a bit annoying, so we decided the next segment, we would give her some Gravol.

We ate lunch in the Chicago airport and had a bit of time to walk around. We gave both girls some Gravol and even before we took off, Kezia was slumped over and snoring. Yes! One down, one to go. Asha took a bit longer but soon she was sleeping as well. Joel listened to music and bopped around in his seat. It was a wonderful flight.

At the Miami airport, we found some greasy pizza and chinese food for supper and then I was planning to take the kids for a walk. We wandered around a bit, trying to avoid the construction places. Asha was happy in the stroller while the other kids chatted away. I wasn't really looking where we were going, I just knew we had to make it back to gate E7. Well, I should have been looking....

We wandered through double glass doors, to where I thought would be terminal F. Wrong. It was back outside to the main entrance of the airport. I had walked past the security area without realizing it. Then panic set in. How would I get back? I don't have any ID! I don't have my boarding pass! Carl doesn't have a cell phone! He has EIGHT carry-on bags with him! He can't just come and get me!

So I ran to information and asked them where the airline information desk was. I waited in line, only to be redirected to another line. Asha wasn't happy in the stroller anymore and Kezia was rolling around, picking up bits of yuckies on the floor. Arg!

Finally I found someone to help me and she told me that I should never walk around the airport without ID or my boarding pass (yes, note to self the next time I'm in an airport again). They paged Carl, someone at the other end watched our stuff, and he met me and the kids at security. I felt like such a dummie. Well, what can you do? A lesson learned, and never repeated again!


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We gave all three of the kids Gravol before our night flight. I have to admit, I was really nervous how they would do for 8+ hours on the plane. But my worries subsided as my prayers were answered...one by one, they quietly dropped off to sleep. And they stayed that way for 7 hours. Sure, it wasn't the most comfortable sleep, but I was so thankful that they all slept.

We landed in La Paz early that next morning to drop off and pick up people. I knew that the altitude was high, and I had briefly read somewhere about altitude sickness....

First Joel complained that he had a headache, and then he started barfing.

Then Carl got a wicked headache.

Then Kezia started to throw up.

Next, moi, yakking up my granola bar.

And then without warning Asha exploded in a sea of vomit.

Do you know how awkward it is to be barfing in a bag while trying to catch your child's puke in another? Not like I'd recommend you try it. Oh, I've never used one of those barf bags before in the dozens of times I flown, but our family used up two rows worth in less than 15 minutes. And we didn't even eat much for breakfast. I was really hoping that we would just get going already and wondered, how do people adjust to living so high up? Well, another lesson learned, hopefully not repeated!

We got to Santa Cruz in less than an hour after take-off. The ride was quite bumpy (and I was secretly scoping out the next rows' barf bags just in case) because there was a rain storm over the city. When we arrived, it was raining hard and it was cool. Thankfully, we made it without incident through customs and were reunited with all but one of our bags. I was so tired and queasy that I didn't even fret (and just a side note, the bag came the next day, yeah!).

Cesar, the country rep (though I think they have a different name now...anyhoo) picked us up and managed to get all our bags in and on the jeep he was driving. I was so thankful to finally be there. As we drove, things looked slightly familiar and our kids just gawked out the window.

I didn't see the sunrise, it was too cloudy and late in the morning, but I looked out and thought, this is home now.

Final Days

The last week or so in Winnipeg went by in a blur. One thing I was glad for was that we had moved out of our house and so we were able to focus on spending time with friends and family before we left instead of packing, cleaning or even making food.

The last few days we were in our house were spent going to the splash park with Kaia and Hadley, having Audrey and Birdena come over and bring KFC, and celebrating my grandparents' 50th anniversary. We figured that amongst all the errands we needed to have some fun time too.

Once we moved out of our house, we spent three days with Carl's parents, a day with Judy in the city, and the last three days with my parents.

While at Carl's parents, the kids enjoyed being in the garden with Grandma, playing with Grandpa, and having a corn roast at the farm. Joel and Kezia and I went to visit Grandma at the preschool where she works and got to play with some of the cool toys. One day Joel and Kezia took a picnic lunch with Grandpa at the farm and ate their sandwhiches high in the treehouse. The kids also enjoyed their sleepovers. Carl and I spent the night out at the cabin and left the kids with their grandparents, which was so nice and relaxing. And Joel had his sleepover at his Uncle Wendell and Auntie Shana's place. He was pretty thrilled.

I got a phone call on Saturday morning from my friend Jenny saying that she wouldn't be able to be in church the next day; she had had her baby. Mara was born 2 weeks early and I just broke down and cried. I couldn't believe it! I was so disappointed that I wouldn't be around for her first baby, but I resigned myself to accept that that is part of life and part of letting go. But Mara wanted to come early so that I could meet her. That was so special. We went that evening to the city, dropped the kids off with Judy and met beautiful Mara. I was on cloud nine.

Afterwards, we headed to Tim and Danae's for a games night; our last hurrah for a while. It was loads of fun and part of me just wanted to keep playing, but midnight was approaching and I knew the next few days would be long.

I glanced at the clock and did the mental calculation of how many hours we had left. Arg, why do I do that?

Our last Sunday at church was emotional, but I was surprised how well we all handled the goodbyes. Joel got an upset stomach, I think from the anxiety of saying farewell to so many people he loves. I remember someone once saying to me that a short goodbye is the best goodbye, and so that's what we did. It's easier that way instead of prolonging the agony.

We hopped back into the car and headed to my parents' place for our final extended family gathering. It was great to spend time with my aunts and uncles and cousins. The food was amazing as usual coming out of my mom's kitchen and we had a meaningful prayer time after the meal. Crazy me, I start taking pictures around 9:30 at night hoping the kids will be able to put on a decent face despite the hour. I managed to get some memorable pictures.

It was hard to say goodbye to my grandparents and aunts and uncles. Maybe this goodbye thing isn't as easy as I thought it would be. I started to feel heavy in my chest (no pun intended folks, even if it does lighten the mood!)

Monday I went for breakfast with Andrea and Matilda and we chatted about anything and everything. It had been a while since we had all been together and it wasn't long before we had eaten up 2 hours of time.

Okay, so the goodbyes started getting a bit more difficult at this point. Now I really don't like this and I'm starting to have this ugly lump in my chest all the time.

That afternoon, Derek and Laura and Luke came over. We had tea and goodies in the basement while the kids played upstairs with my brothers. We chit chatted a bit, I think all of us were dreading what was coming. Soon, Derek would look at Laura and whisper, "We should go," and then Kathy would get that lump in her chest again, our eyes would all well up with tears and we'd try not to look at each other. Brother, I've done this too many times in the last few hours.

But we had to say goodbye. I squeezed Luke's thighs one last time (because he probably won't appreciate my squeeze when he's 3) and cried into Laura's shoulders. I waved as they drove down the driveway and tried to dry my tears.

I think I realized that it's harder for those staying behind to say goodbye. They have life go on as usual, except for the void of us in their lives. The closer our relationship, the greater the void. But for us, being plunked into a new surrounding and life, we have a lot to adjust to before we start noticing that our friends and family aren't around. We're too busy being overwhelmed with adaptation. So I ached in my heart for those that we're leaving behind.

And then Tuesday was our last day. Boy, what a day. We drove to Dan and Jenny and baby Mara's place so that our kids could meet the new baby. Joel cried part of the way there and announced that he didn't want to see the baby. When we got there, Kezia wanted to hold the baby right away, but Joel held back. It wasn't until Dan told him that it was okay if he was feeling weird about saying goodbye, that Joel teared up, nodded, and then came over to hold Mara. He just needed to be reassured that these weird feelings were normal. And after, it was hard to pry him away from the baby.

I felt bad for Jenny because she just had a baby and now on top of that, we came over to say goodbye. What an emotional rollercoaster I was taking her on. But we had to say farewell, and there was no easy way around it. We just kept focusing on the fact that God brough Mara at a perfect time and that we were able to experience part of that blessing before we left.

At this point, we all should have had a nap. We were all emotionally exhausted and the lump in my chest was just getting heavier.

Carl's parents came over for supper to my parents' place and we ate and chatted until about 7. My mom said it was too bad that we didn't get a picture of her sunroom over the last few days; piled with 10 large suitcases and 8 carry-ons, belongings strewn all over....that would have made a great picture, kind of a representation of my life. But now everything was neatly packed and carefully weighed and stacked in the garage, waiting to be loaded in the van in 12 short hours.

Wendell and Shana came over for a bit; they were coming over to say goodbye and I felt sick the moment they arrived. We tried to chit chat, the kids sat on their lap and had stories read one last time. Then Wendell gave Shana the look, the same one Derek gave Laura, and I immediately started to cry. And to make things worse, I could hardly breath because the lump had grown. That's what happens when you see your kids cry as they have to say goodbye to their auntie and uncle.

I'm really hating this now. I thought it would be easy, but it only gets more and more hard. We visited a bit with my parents a bit before we headed to bed. I could hardly sleep and I kept looking at the clock, 8 hours before we leave....5 hours before we leave.....2 hours before we leave. The clock kept ticking....