Beaches and Dreams

Our first few days in Belize were nice and slow. We settled into a lazy routine of waking up for sunrise over the sea, eating breakfast, and then deciding where to spend the first part of our day...rooftop, on the beach, in the hammocks, or in the pool. Both Val and I took a lot of naps, enjoyed playing fetch with Ruger, the manager's dog, and overall, unwinding and losing complete track of time.

Belize

May and June were difficult months, simply for the reason that I didn't know what I should do next. I love teaching adults English as a Second Language, but it is difficult to full-time work in that field in the USA. I kept agonizing over what I should do. A wise friend, David, kept reminding me that I can't plan everything and sometimes I just need to let go. I also felt that I just needed to go! Finally, my dear friend Valerie said that she could take a week of vacation at the end of July. In a quick turn of events, my mom found a small seafront inn in Belize that was doing a summer special. Valerie and I both had enough frequent flyer miles for free tickets to Belize, so we booked the hotel and started counting days.

On the Friday of our departure, I drove to Valerie's, parked my car, and then we drove together to DC. We found a cheap place to park near the airport, and arrived right as the shuttle to the airport was departing. Not good. We could see it driving away, despite the fact that the driver knew we needed it! When he came back, he insisted in his strong West African accent that the shuttle had to leave right on time. Valerie teased me about my increasing anxiety as each minute passed. Half an hour later, we hopped into the shuttle, dropped my bag off at the baggage drop, and headed through security. A few funny conversations later, we were at our gate! We have some interesting memories from the same terminal from our last trip together (to Arizona), and we were in high spirits by the time we reached our gate.

Despite the full waiting area, I wanted to get a picture of me in my happy place...passport in hand, and an airplane waiting to be boarded. I intended for it to be a somewhat discrete snapping of the cell phone camera, but that was not to be. Valerie and I were both cracking up with laughter, and the end result was that we had the attention of the entire lounge, most of whom probably assumed that I excited because I was getting on an airplane for the very first time. Oh, how little do they know...

Before too much longer, we were able to board our first flight, which would take us to Houston.  We continued to bring smiles (and occasional smirks) to the people around us, particularly the fellow in front of us, who at one point discretely paused his music on his phone but left his earbuds in his ears so he could eavesdrop shamelessly on our banter. 

Houston airport closes overnight, and our flight was one of the last ones to arrive. We could stay in the airport, and I had very excitedly told Valerie that I had two passes to the United Club. Valerie, utilizing her super-sleuthing skills, found out soon after we booked our tickets that the United Club was not open overnight but opened at 5 a.m. We arrived in Houston at about 12:30 a.m., and quickly located a fairly empty gate with access to a wall outlet for the all important charging of electronic devices. The next four hours are a blur of nodding off in the most uncomfortable positions as I tried to wrap myself around the metal arms of the seat, waking because of obnoxious country music trumpeting through the loudspeakers at 2 a.m., wrapping my scarf around me to try to find an extra degree of warmth, and then finally, joyfully, realizing it was 4:45 a.m. We gathered our belongings and went to the United Club. After submitting our passes, it was like the world instantly brightened! We took the escalator up to the second floor and saw a delightful buffet with warm oatmeal, plenty of hot beverages, and soft chairs. 

Warm and happy, we enjoyed our breakfast before boarding Plane #2, which took us to Belize City. Upon disembarking, we both sighed in relief at the sticky wave of heat that greeted us. We walked into the airport, and proceeded to shuffle through the queue for immigration. Then, it was a quick stop at baggage claim before walking to customs, and then following the signs to our next domestic flight to Dangriga. 

We found our tiny little airline and dutifully handed over our printed confirmation of tickets (again, Valerie's good planning, not mine!) and our passports, and in turn received handwritten tickets. After a short wait in a somewhat chaotic lounge, where we could purchase plantain chips, Cheetos, and water, we were escorted onto the tarmac to board our tiny little plane to Dangriga. I love tiny little planes. The pilot helped us settle in and then said, "We just have to make a quick stop at the other Belize City airport to pick up another passenger if that's alright?"  I wasn't sure if he actually needed permission, but I smiled and said that was fine! A quick hop and a jump, and we were at the next airport. Then, up and away we went and Valerie and I forgot to speak as we just looked out at the amazing blue beneath us.

I could look at this water for days and not tire of the view. 

Entirely too soon, we were flying over a little bit of land and then we arrived at Dangriga. 

We disembarked and Valerie and I both paused at the tiny little metal cart, where our suitcases and one other passenger's suitcases were being unloaded from the plane. Unsure if we were to simply collect our bags there, we started to ask the man, who looked a little offended and told us, "No! You get your bags from baggage claim!" The pilot rushed over to us, clarifying, "This is Dangriga! Are you getting off at Dangriga?" After assuring him that yes, we were where we were supposed to be, he walked us over to "Baggage Claim"....which was a metal sign a total of about 25 feet from the plane. There we could collect our bags from the little metal cart. And then our pilot waved a tall, slender man over and said, "Stephen, these are your guests for Beaches and Dreams!" 

Stephen gave us a wide grin, shook our hands, and then collected our bags from us to put in the vehicle. He warned us that we would have jungle air conditioning...windows down! And so began our vacation, as we drove over a slightly bumpy paved road and headed a little further south to Hopkins, Belize. 

Peach Pie

Yesterday was an important day! Following in the traditions of the women before me, on both sides of my family, I made my first fruit pie. I've enjoyed many a pie before, but yesterday, with Momma's supervision, I made one myself!

Dad returned this morning from Moz, and we saved the first piece for him! I might not win a pie competition like my grandmother, but it tasted pretty good! :)

The Azores

The last year has been a whirlwind. In November, I decided to leave my position at MC. While I enjoyed parts of working there, it wasn't a good fit for me. I was feeling very stressed and my migraines were increasing as a result. More than anything, I really missed teaching. I had some limited opportunities to teach at MC, and it was becoming clear to me that it would be an outlying part of my job.

Shortly after finishing my final semester at MC, I left for a week of holiday with a friend. We had planned the holiday over the summer, and scheduled for school holidays. Sara and I packed our bags and headed to the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal. We spent a week on São Miguel Island, the largest of the islands in this archipelago. The weather wasn't great by Azores standards, but for those of us escaping winter in Pennsylvania, it was a nice break! It was incredibly humid though! My swimsuit didn't try for the entire week. (I ended up using a hairdryer on it to draw some moisture out before packing it in my backpack!)

Despite some stormy days and incredible wind, we managed to do quite a lot. We went whalewatching, during which we didn't see any whales, but we saw a gorgeous double rainbow over the water!

We booked a few jeep tours, which let us go off the beaten path and enabled a wonderful combination of education and adventure. We had amazing tour guides, who knew their history and biology well.

As you can imagine, I literally took hundreds of pictures, and selecting a few for this post has been difficult! The Azores are volcanic islands, and the volcanic rock in some areas contributes to the green appearance of some of the lakes. Others are the most amazing shades of blue. 

The picture above is overlooking Sete Cidades, which is a gorgeous spot where two lakes, one blue and one green, meet. This picture doesn't do it justice! It is stunning to see.

We rented a tiny little car for one terrifying day. I was the driver. Between the fog and the steep inclines of every narrow road, it was an experience I will never forget! We wove our way from one end of the island to the other, determined to make the most of the experience. Sara and I both realized we are very dependent on Google Maps! Reading a traditional map while zipping around sharp turns is an art form we have not learnt! 

On one of our last days, we tasted fofa, a sweet treat that resembles an eclair. Warm from the kitchen, it was delicious with a coffee!

With each day, Sara and I continued to be amazed at the beauty of this island. The roads are lined with hydrangeas, many of the roads wind around stunning cliffs by the ocean, and the vivid green of the land is almost overwhelming, even in winter. I can only imagine how magnificent this must look in the bright light of summer.

I seldom revisit vacation destinations, but I can see myself returning to the Azores, to explore other islands. It was truly beautiful, and my first taste of Portugal, although it wasn't continental Portugal! It was wonderful to hear Portuguese being spoken. It rekindled my interest in Portuguese, which was first sparked when visiting my parents in Moz in 2012. 

My vacation ended in a flash. Our return was extended by one day due to a missed connection. We arrived back and two days later, I resumed my teaching job with CC, teaching English as a Second Language to adults. Walking into my makeshift classrooms felt like taking a deep breath of fresh air. Despite the uncertainty of what would come next in terms of a permanent job, I knew I had made the right choice.

A weekend of insanity and joy

Well, today is my sweet sister's birthday! Joyful, I love you. I'm so glad you are my sister and one of my dearest friends. And any typos in the this post are the fault of your children, who are currently trying to type on my keyboard along with me!

My sister and her husband are taking a well-deserved holiday. As seems to happen, Plan A was nice and simple. Mom and Dad would watch the three kids. Not a big deal, right? That's what grandparents are for! Well, then my grandfather had shoulder surgery scheduled, and of course, it was for one of the days that my parents were on grandparent-duty. Still, not a problem. Mom's not-so-secret identity is Super-Gran, and she can handle three kids with an ease that leaves the rest of our family shaking their heads. However, Super-Gran's back started hurting. (Excuse me, I need to go pull D off the cushion that A is currently under. I don't know why. Well, I know why I need to pull D off, but I'm not sure why A is under the cushion, considering we are theoretically watching Robin Hood and "winding down for bed." The kids didn't get that memo.) Essentially, Plan A is long in the past, and we are now on Plan LMNOP and remaining open to change.

This weekend has had less sleep, more questions (A is at the stage where EVERYthing requires a minimum of 14 questions), and certainly more nappy-changes than my weekends typically include. Still, it has been a terrific weekend. I love these three kids.

At some point last night, I realized (in a philosophical 4 a.m. moment) that I think of nights as being short. In my single-no-kids life, I fall asleep when I feel like it. The process of falling asleep takes me about five seconds and then before I know it, I wake up to yet another day. The hours I've slept pass in the timeless bliss that is deep sleep. 

Can I just say, last night lasted a really LONG time? Before I had even turned out my bedside light, D had woken up twice. When I heard him the third time at 4.a.m (when my inner philosopher was rudely awakened after four hours of sleep), I looked out the window and thought, "How is it possibly still night?" Simultaneously, I prayed, "Dear Lord, please let him go back to sleep for at least three more hours!" God and Super-Gran were both gracious, and I got to have a slighter longer chunk of sleep in the morning, once everyone else was awake. I still drank my first coffee in record time though!

Bathtime would include more adventures of slippery little drama queens, but at the moment, I have one foot pressing into my shoulder blade (the foot is not mine) and another little someone screaming on the stairs. It's snack-time. I'll write more later :) 

Arizona Mini-break

Once again, this is a "later-post" from my mini-vacation to Arizona at the end of May. Val and I spent our first day in Sedona, Arizona. We drove from Flagstaff with our mouths gaping open. Thankfully, we had chosen to take the scenic route, but really, it all seemed scenic. The red rocks were different but identifying the rock formations echoed my childhood in the Matopos Hills. 

Snoopy Rock

Batman

Valerie and I wandered around the town of Sedona, and after a little while, found a jeep tour company offering a good deal. Our jeep left the paved road and reached the "off roading" road, and I had to laugh at the guide's warnings. It might qualify as off-roading in the USA, but it seemed like almost every road in Moz! Still, it was a delightful way to spend an afternoon.

My mother has slowly won me over. I now love plants. It fascinates me to see the variety of flora in different locales but also the similarities. I was surprised to see plants that I knew from Zimbabwe in Brazil. Arizona offered a wonderful array of plant life in its many landscapes. I particularly liked this pink-tipped grass, which I've learned is called muhlenbergia.

In Sedona, we saw prickly pear cacti, a familiar sight for this Zimbabwean.  We also saw century plants, agave americana. 

Prickly Pear

Century Plants

Near the end of the century plant's lifecycle (which is about thirty years, not a century as the American Pioneers thought), the plant grows a really tall stalk, which looks like a giant stalk of asparagus. This stalk can be up to 30 feet tall! That tall stalk you see in the picture below? Yep, that's a century plant!

Of course, one can't be near the Sonoran desert without noticing the incredible Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea).  I did not expect to see hills covered with Saguaros, nor did I realize that they are so tall!!!

Apparently, the tallest recorded Saguaro was 87 feet tall before it was blown over in a storm. They don't grow arms until they are least 75 years old, and some never do! Most live about 150 years. Saguaros have expandable ribs to help them store water. A large Saguaro can store up to 6 tons of water, accommodated by expanding its ribs, but it can also lose up to 2/3 of its water and still live. I also learned from the Phoenix Botanical Gardens that Saguaros have "rain roots", which are additional roots that grow within an hour after rainfall to allow the Saguaro to absorb as much rainwater as possible. 

Val and I also learned about the relationship between the Palo Verde tree and the Saguaro cactus. Apparently (I wouldn't know), it was observed that a Saguaro often grew under a Palo Verde tree. Birds might have been feeding baby birds in the branches of the Palo Verde tree, and seeds dropped. The Palo Verde tree then acted as a "nurse plant" for the Saguaro. Eventually, the Saguaro might outlive the Palo Verde, because the Saguaro has a shallower root system and the Palo Verde will not get enough water. 

Palo Verde and Saguaro

Sometimes, noticing the plants had additional benefits...we saw a jack rabbit! 

Bay of Fundy

My father really wants to see the Bay of Fundy, which is known for its high tidal range. Although he thought pictures were taken to show him that I made it there before him, I promise that was not my intent! Dad, don't go in March.

The last year has been brought a number of changes to my life! I got a job, not in the city I'd moved to find a job, but instead in the town I had just moved from! After a quick two month stay in the Big City, my dear father borrowed my brother-in-law's truck and, with the help of a friend of mine, moved me back to small town Pennsylvania. A week later, I jumped straight into a very busy job, working with international students at a small private college.

It really wouldn't be possible to fully recap the past year, so I won't even try. Obviously, I survived, although at times, I doubted that I might! Instead, here are my highlights (in no particular order):

1) I'm living in my very own little apartment, just me and my houseplants. I didn't think the houseplants were excessive, but whenever anyone sees my apartment for the first time, they comment "Oh, you really like plants."
2) I went to the Grand Canyon! (Pictures to follow...)
3) I took an impromptu road trip to Montreal at Christmas-time with a friend from work, ensuring that I exited the USA during 2015.
4) Friends from Youth with a Mission invited me to teach for a week in their DTS, which led to a week in March in Nova Scotia, teaching about building cross cultural relationships. (The week was great but the weather was cold!)
5) I became responsible for 110 college students. (I used to joke that instead of having my own children, I would adopt 18 year olds because it would be easier. I've changed my mind. In fact, I have mixed feelings about this being a highlight, but it certainly has been a significant event.)
6) My father, mother, sister and I have lived within ten minutes of driving distance for nearly a year.
7) I bought a 1998 Chevy Tracker. (Love my Tracker!)
8) I've gotten to see my sweet niece and two nephews almost every week.
9) I managed to practice yoga almost weekly. Not only did it help me put aside work for an hour, but I learned to love seeing my flexibility and balance improve.
10) I've learned a lot about myself. This point alone could be pages of words, but instead, I'll leave it at that. It's been good.

After a whirlwind of an academic year, I remain hopeful that my summer will have some slower days, times to enjoy the nearby state parks and bright blue skies, perhaps a few hours to steal away with my sister's kayak...and maybe even some more regular blog posts. :)

Elfreth's Alley

Elfreth's Alley is a little side street in Philadelphia that is called the "oldest residential street in the United States." It's a very pretty little street. The current homes were built between 1728 and 1836, but the street has been home to residences since 1702.