Getting Spanked, Living Abroad, Growing Roots

28 June 2006 – 4 July 2006

Happy (belated) birthday, Bella!
Happy birthday Bodhi Benjamin!
Happy birthday Ruby!
Happy birthday Trinity!
Happy birthday Mark!
And Happy Independence Day, however you perceive, define, and manifest the U.S.A.’s or your own version of freedom!

Spanked!

Wilder and I are fresh back from the States, Chris is just back from Europe, and we are getting absolutely spanked here right now – the weather is slapping us from all sides: lightning is close enough to feel more threatening than exciting, the whack and clap of thunder drown out our voices and pummel us into the house, pushing us down deeper under the covers and further away from the sweltering sun-washed days and blanket less nights of Arizona and the bright days and midnight sunsets of Ireland and Holland.

Given the depression in weather, I think it’s safe to say that for all of us the transition back into Costa Rican paradise is a bit more difficult during the “green season” (aka winter), especially with meteorological and emotional shifts being the bedfellows that they are. Today we were blessed with un poco del sol, which is actually still quite robust when it peeks through. In a matter of seconds, you go from being cozy in long sleeves and sweats to wanting to throw on a swim suit. It’s a little like being in San Francisco, I guess -- you have to wear layers. Being able to frolic outside instead of seeking refuge inside was a super-dooper-smile-inducing treat. You know what that feels like, wherever you live.

Abroad

And talk about weather extremes – Arizona, phew! 108 degrees by 8 in the morning. But the heat didn’t bother us too much since there was so much to do with Grandma Sheila and Grandpa Gary to beat it: Wilder got to swim and splash and jump all over grandma and grandpa several times at a couple of different swimming pools; they also went fishing and caught a bass which Wilder helped reel in and then release; we got to munch popcorn and candy and sip soda at the movies; I got to stroll the aisles of large, air-conditioned stores whose production strategies surely negate all of my political beliefs but sweetly satisfy my consumerist urges; we gawked at the dinosaurs at the natural history museum in Phoenix; and we got to visit cousins Gina, Scott, Dylan, and Brooke and Uncle Dean and Aunt Sandy (and Abby!) for an awesome afternoon, poolside, southwest-style barbecue. We had so much fun that we hardly noticed the burning temperatures.

Chris, on the other hand, had to travel to Ireland – a long trip for a few days’ work. But after a few nights of drinking Guinness with Ireland’s computer elite, he and a couple of friends and co-workers took a rewarding side-trip to Amsterdam because, as you may know, it’s Rembrandt’s 400th birthday celebration and they wanted to see his special combined exhibit with Carvaggio. Unfortunately, the Rijksmuseum isn’t open from 7pm to 8am, so they had to find other ways to appreciate Holland’s beauty and culture. I hear they had a good meal, a long walk through the canals, and a great night’s sleep.

Roots

Back from our respective excursions (this is truly life abroad), we’re just settling back into things here. We’ve just hit the 6-month mark as expatriates and wannabe Ticos and have been pondering even more deeply about this beautiful and crazy and sometimes difficult adventure we’re on. What a trip! It’s been an emotional as well as physical journey, and sometimes we feel like we're on a slippery slope. I hate to burst any idealistic bubbles apart from my own (just in case you were entranced by our beecho, snake, and storm stories), but of course this is our reality, our life, not a vacation (darn it!) and as such, it tends to take a lot of work to maintain. Duh. It's life, really, just life, of course. Albeit, life in paradise! (You may remember my treatise on this term.) But add to that a host of differing cultural, social, linguistic borders to traverse at all times, and the ante is officially upped. This is nothing new; there have been no sudden or surprising revelations about the life we’ve chosen to experience; I think it’s all just really sinking in.

We’re at a natural point in this transition where we’re examining whether to sink our roots in deeper or pull them up. (I can hear people "rooting" for both sides.) Ultimately, we know that we’ve barely just begun to grow here and we’re staying committed to this dream. Not to say that we don’t dream of soy chai in the morning, Kindergym Tuesdays, Armstrong Woods, summer festivals with friends, or crossing the Golden Gate at sunset . . . but John Burroughs said, “For anything worth having one must pay the price; and the price is always work, patience, love, self-sacrifice.” Here, here! So here we are and here we will stay, taking it all in and making sure we experience it with eyes and hearts wide, all the while bracing ourselves for the growing pains that are sure to keep coming and the rewards that such growth reaps.

One positive, exciting and grounding next step is that Wilder will be starting school in August. We visited the pre-school two days in a row this week and met the teacher, Eida, and the cook, Lilly – two incredibly warm and welcoming women. Chris and I were even more charmed by the school than we’d remembered, and with the kids gone on vacation, Wilder had a good time exploring the classroom on his own – dinosaurs, cars, trains, Legos, balls, futbol field and basketball court, a gardening table, a playhouse, an art area, a hand-washing and tooth-brushing station with miniature sinks, and a cafeteria with munchkin-sized tables and chairs to accommodate 30. It’s not Angie’s house, but it measures up. ;) We were impressed with the curriculum and things that the students learn and are exposed to – some of it Wilder already knows, even in Spanish, but it will be great to have it all reinforced in a Spanish-only environment. They do speak and learn a little bit of English – numbers, colors, etc. – so Wilder can share his expertise when the time comes (as long as he doesn’t teach them the “Astronaut Bastardnaut” song he’s made up to show off his phonetic skills).

He’s pretty adamant right now, of course, that he doesn’t want to go to school, but at this point he’d choose staying with us over going to a land made of chocolate, so we’re taking his protests with a grain of salt (er, sugar). Even an ice cream cone for breakfast from Lilly this morning wasn’t enough to illicit an affirmative commitment, but the smiles and hugs Wilder gave her and the teacher indicate that he’s hooked. Just like the bigger picture, it may be hard at first, but it will be worth it and will open up new doors of perception for us all.