Viajes y pensamientos

In love all over again

2011-07-19T17:12:00.000-07:00

Our little guy was born almost a month ago and it's already impossible to imagine life without him. He's just perfect, and it was love at first sight (at least for his parents -- hopefully he feels the same way about us).

The adjustment period has been...um...interesting. But we're getting there. He's a wonderful baby. He eats a lot. (No idea where he gets that...) The added challenge of planning an international move makes things a bit more stressful around here. Sometimes I yearn for a little more stability, but at the same time, I am very excited about life in Brazil and I know that some semblance of normalcy will return once we are settled in at our new home. I just hope I haven't forgotten all my Portuguese!

So far, the parenting detail I think I was least prepared for was my emotional reaction every time my baby cries. I was prepared for sleepless nights (at least in theory); I was prepared for poopy diapers; I was prepared for the idea that finding the time for a shower might become a luxury and that the little one would quickly become the boss of our household. I knew that he would cry, but no one told me how awful that would make me feel! I feel like my heart is being ripped out of my body every time he starts crying, and I want to make it all better right away. The books (and the pediatrician!) tell me that this is not good for my baby, that I do need to let him cry sometimes. Good lord is that difficult!

And speaking of the little guy, he has woken up from his nap and his crying is pulling at my heart strings again. Not sure if I will be able to let him cry this time or not...but at least going to check on him.

What TO Say to a Pregnant Woman

2011-06-21T17:33:00.000-07:00

When Pedro and I were at the grocery store on Friday, the young lady taking care of our transaction asked when the baby was due. "Today, actually," I replied. Then she got all excited and said, "Wow! You look great! You don't look miserable at all! I can't believe how great you look!"

She made me feel like a million bucks, despite all the aches, pains, and general hugeness. Yes, ladies and gents, THAT is what you say to a pregnant woman (whether it's true or not)!

Impatient!

2011-06-07T14:54:00.000-07:00

It feels like I have been pregnant for about 20 years. (Maybe I shouldn't joke about that since P and I both have family members who actually were pregnant for the better part of 20 years - each of our maternal grandmothers gave birth to 16 children. I can't even imagine that!) Still, these last few weeks are DRAAAAAGGING on and on and on. I can't remember another time in my life when the days/hours/minutes passed so slowly. I am ready to meet this little guy! I'm already up every couple hours to use the bathroom or due to some random body ache, so I might as well be up with him. Hopefully he will decide to try life on the outside sometime very soon. I think all this waiting is his way of reminding me exactly who will be in charge in this family from now on. (I wonder how Chama will feel about being usurped...)

Just as a side note, I will not be posting pictures, name, or date of birth information for the baby on this blog because it is open to the public. If you want that info, check Facebook (if we're FB friends) or look for an old fashioned email after he is born.

What Not to Say to a Pregnant Woman

2011-05-13T16:25:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I'm surprised -- maybe because I'm from Minnesota and we are, to a fault, careful not to say things that might possibly offend someone -- but I do find myself astounded at the lack of filter between people's minds and their mouths when conversing with a very pregnant woman.

I'm not mad, I promise. I actually find it funny and am not offended in the least. However, I really do not recommend asking a clearly uncomfortable and almost-there pregnant woman if she's having twins. Or giggling when she says no, and then suggesting that maybe it's triplets instead. Because at any minute, the raging pregnancy hormones could kick in, and laughter might not be her first response. And even if I'm not offended, it really is kind of rude. Do you think I don't look in the mirror every day and see how huge I am? Or just look down and try to remember the last time I could see my feet without bending forward (which, by the way, is quite challenging at this point)? Or notice that I have to practically take a running leap to get enough momentum to get myself into the truck? I am well aware that I am huge, but thank you for so pleasantly reminding me.

Another person also said to me, "Vai ser um bebé muito grande!" That is, basically, "You're going to have a huge baby!" While my doctor seems to agree with her (we'll know better after the upcoming ultrasound), it's still not anything I would ever say to any pregnant woman.

What I find most comical is that, with the exception of one person, the WOMEN who have made these lovely comments/declarations all have children. Ah, how easily we forget!

I know these are not the worst comments I could receive. I am well aware that some friends and family have experienced worse. I am simply making the point that a little etiquette when speaking with a pregnant lady is definitely a good thing.

Ironically, being in Portuguese class with a group of men since January has been just wonderful. They never once complained about me setting the classroom thermostat at 65 degrees, always encouraged me to get plenty of rest, brought me cookies, offered advice on the most useful and most useless baby products, and told kind, understanding stories about their wives and kids. Perhaps we women have a little something to learn men in this regard???!!!

P.S. In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I have received myriad supportive and caring comments from women in my life. It's mostly women I don't know well (or at all) that have felt obliged to make the comments described above.

In the homestretch!

2011-04-16T16:43:00.000-07:00

I generally do not love pictures of myself (I never feel like I look the same in pictures as I do when I see myself in the mirror - go figure), but I'm posting a couple because most of my dear friends and family are far away and have not seen me pregnant.

This one is at about 24 weeks.

This one is from today, at 31 weeks.

Only about 9 weeks or so until the little guy arrives. We can't wait to meet him! This is definitely a different stage of pregnancy. I feel like I waddle everywhere, I move slowly, and I often feel uncomfortable - not in pain or sick, just uncomfortable. But the flip side is that I know the baby's movements and schedule and now feel so much more connected to him.

During the first trimester, I felt sick every day. Actually through about 16 weeks. (I had read that this would stop around 12 weeks, so I pretty much counted the days until 12 weeks rolled around. Then it continued for another month. Fun.) But the good part about the sickness was that I knew that if I was sick, then he was still in there growing and developing. Then the nausea stopped and I felt much better, but I couldn't yet feel him kicking or moving around. That was bizarre and made it difficult to feel like I was really pregnant (except, of course, for the increasing need for maternity wear). It was such a relief when I started to feel him kicking! Now I think he has moved from soccer to gymnastics and is all about the summersault, taking advantage of every opportunity while there's still room in there for him to do all his acrobatics.

Although we spend many waking moments thinking about, talking about, and getting ready for the newest addition to our family, we do have other things going on as well. Our Portuguese studies seem to be going well. Send us all your best Brazilian Portuguese vibes during the first week in May - that is when we need to pass the big test.

The past month or so has also felt warm and fuzzy in terms of reconnecting with people I haven't seen in awhile. Sometimes the transition periods feel a little lonely, so this has been good for the soul. A former student employee and good friend from my days at FFYP is now in the Army and has been in D.C. several times for training, and it's always great to get together. I had a very happy reunion and giddy trip to Penzeys with a dear friend from Caracas last Saturday. I barely knew her the last time I was in the D.C. area, but now it feels like home just to be in the same area as her again. Saturday morning just hasn't felt quite right without a trip to the market and breakfast with the girls. (Now we just need to get C & G back here!)

T and T are coming to visit in a couple weeks, and I can't wait for them to explore D.C. and to just have some time to hang out. S and A, my cousin and his wonderful wife, are in town this weekend and we met them at the Newseum this morning. We always have a great time with them, and the Newseum was incredible. Definitely the best museum I have visited in D.C. so far. Of course, I'm a news junkie, so it was probably a good match to begin with, but I especially enjoyed the fact that the exhibits are a little more in-depth than those at other museums we've visited. In the picture below, P is in front of a portion of the Berlin wall displayed at the Newseum.

Handsome guy!

2011-03-03T18:13:00.000-08:00

No, not the little guy - the big furry mutt! (Of course, the little guy looks from his ultrasounds like cuteness is a given.) Here is the promised photo of Che with all his hair. Isn't he gorgeous? I especially love the Chesapeake curls on his tail. We are enjoying every minute of his fluffiness because we don't know when spring is going to show up and kick his allergies into high gear again.

In other news, we did finally decide on a camera. Thank you to everyone who took the time to make suggestions. We ended up going with the Canon Powershot SD4500 IS, and so far we are happy with it. By that I mean I am thrilled that the few pictures I've taken so far look great and not one of them is blurry despite my tendency to have trembly hands (only) when I take pictures. Let's hope the good luck continues (because, let's be honest, none of it is skill on my part)!

I will be 25 weeks pregnant tomorrow. We have bought about three outfits and at least as many books for our little prince. That's pretty much it. We have a list of other basics we need to buy, but I think we are both overwhelmed by all of the options (even for the basics) and the huge industry of not-so-necessary products based around babies. So we haven't purchased anything. It is hard to tell what we really need and what we will actually use. Every product seems to promise to be amazing and make our lives easy and/or make our baby the brightest, most talented baby that ever lived. I'm a bit skeptical.

I've gotten some very helpful, much-appreciated advice from close friends who are moms to newborns or young children. If you have tried and true suggestions, I would love to hear them as well. We are newbies, and we can use all the help we can get! We're not looking to acquire anything more than what we need and what will really, truly make our lives easier and our chiquitín's life more comfortable...especially considering that we'll be making a big international move only a couple months after the little guy is born, and we won't see most of his/our stuff until 3-4 months later anyway.

Our Portuguese continues to progress (I think, I hope...). I sometimes wonder how anyone could have learned a language well, excluding a direct immersion experience, without the help of the internet. It has been invaluable to watch videos, news, telenovelas, and even Brazil's Oprah (as our instructor refers to Ana Maria Braga) online. It's also a confidence builder...well, except for the telenovelas because I'm lucky if I understand half of what they say. (But they are over-acted so the body language often makes up for it.)

It is now past 9:00 p.m. which means that the cachorros (puppies in Spanish; dogs in Portuguese) need to go out one last time and then this tired pregnant lady needs to go to bed. I'm doing my best to sleep eight hours while I still can!

My only craving: A CAMERA!

2011-02-07T17:56:00.000-08:00

We do not have a camera right now. At least not a non-phone camera. The cameras on our phones are actually "better" (in terms of zoom, megapixels, etc.) than our first Sony digital camera, but somehow, I cannot take a decent picture. Of anything. (I loved that first Sony. I could take decent photos with that camera!) To top it all off, I don't know how to download the crappy but acceptable pictures to my computer, and frankly, I don't really want to take the time to figure it out.

We need to get a camera. I am not one who usually feels any need to take pictures of everyday life...until I don't have a camera. Lately, I've "needed" a camera every day. I want to take a picture of Che with his beautiful, thick coat of hair to send a note to our vet in Venezuela who so lovingly helped us treat his allergies for two years. I want to take a few pictures of where we live in VA. And even though I feel like a whale in this pregnant body, I would like to take a couple pictures of my growing belly so that the little one can see what his mom looked like while carrying him.

That said, I'm intimidated by the process. I loved the aforementioned Sony that was maybe a second generation digital camera (albeit our very first). We got the updated version a few years later - same camera but better specs - and I pretty much hated it. Couldn't take a good picture to save my soul. Luckily, my husband did not have the same misfortune, so it wasn't a totally wasted investment. He got some great photos with that camera, but we need one that will work for both the artist (him) and the utterly photo-talentless pointer-and-shooter (me). I can do hours and hours of research, but that only gets me more confused. I would like something that is a bit higher quality than our previous cameras but easy to use. And I want it to take video. I can't handle having both a separate video camera, and I know I'm going to want videos of the little guy's cuteness (as are family and friends who live far away, I imagine).

Any suggestions?

Three languages, none of them pretty!

2011-01-25T17:48:00.000-08:00

That's English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Actually, all of them are pretty in and of themselves, but not so much when I speak any of them lately. Of course the Portuguese is really rough since I've only been learning it for about a month, but the Spanish is starting to sound like Portuguese and the English...well, I just can't seem to speak a full sentence in English. Portuspanglish, I guess.

It has indeed been a very long time since I posted. Leaving Venezuela was difficult in many ways, not to mention I was pretty sick for the last month I was there, with a vicious cough/cold and baby #1's version of "morning" sickness (which kicked in every evening after about 7:00 p.m.). It was nice to be home in Minnesota for Thanksgiving and all of December - great to spend time with family and friends, and nice to be able to nap often and give my body the attention it needed to help the little one get acclimated in there.

I am happy to report that I have been feeling much, much better since the beginning of January, just in time to start Portuguese training. P and I are both taking a Spanish to Portuguese conversion course; in fact, we are in the same class. There are only five students in the class - the two of us, two consular officers, and a commercial officer. Our classmates are great, and the instructor is fantastic. We're actually a bit nervous about switching professors next week (they switch us once a month), but hopefully our new instructor will be just as good as the first one has been. I am thrilled to finally be in language training for which someone is paying me!

We found a rental unit in Alexandria, VA, which turns out to be an extremely dog-friendly city. There are actually a number of large dogs in our neighborhood, including a Great Dane, a Golden Retriever, and a Doberman. Che and Chama fit in well. There is a great dog park nearby and a vet we like just down the road (we've already been there four times and will be going back again tomorrow). Che is finally feeling better and his hair has grown back after two years of dreadful skin allergies in the ever-summer of Caracas. He looks so handsome! Apparently while we were gone some new, steroid-free allergy meds became available, so when his allergies come back in the spring we should be able to get him better treatment without so many side effects. It turns out that he came home with a tick-borne illness as well, but a good course of antibiotics has taken care of that. Our new vet also thinks that we can start lowering his daily dosage of phenobarbital (for epilepsy) since he hasn't had a seizure in years, so we're very happy about that news. Che just turned six, but it feels like he's a youngster again since he's off all the meds that had him so lethargic in Caracas. We're ecstatic to have our energetic dog back, and Chama (who has been very healthy, thank goodness) loves having a more active wrestling partner.

I hope to post a little more often now that things in our lives have settled down a little bit and we have at least a semblance of a routine. Check back in the coming weeks for more posts!

Nostalgia

2010-09-30T18:39:00.000-07:00

About a month an a half left here. It's going so fast. I vacillate between desperately wanting to be home in Minnesota and blinking back tears because I'm so sad to be leaving. So what am I going to miss about Venezuela?

1. My friends and colleagues from the Embassy community. Hands down, this has been the best part of my experience here.
2. Chacao market - both the vendors there who have been so friendly, wonderful, and kind to all of us gringas and the outings with the girls that make getting up so early worth every minute!
3. El Ávila, the beautiful, serene, endlessly green mountain that lines the north side of Caracas (see below).
4. Breathtaking views from almost anywhere in Caracas, but especially from the Embassy and Valle Arriba.
5. Caribbean beaches just a short drive away.
6. Venezuelan food, particularly arepas, quesillo, aguacate con palmito, empanadas, pepitos, jugo de parchita, limonada frappe...and Gemma's roti (which is Trini food, of course, but lo conocí en Venezuela, so it will always be somewhat Venezuelan to me!).
7. Hablando español todos los días (no cuenta lo que hablamos en casa porque es más espanglish que nada).
8. The weather in Caracas, which is perfect 95% of the time (and is even beautiful when it rains).
9. Having a housekeeper who has helped us retain a certain amount of domestic bliss by taking care of many of the chores that we would otherwise (maybe...probably...almost certainly...) fight about.
10. VIP movie theaters with their big, comfy recliners - now my favorite way to take in a film.

Winding down

2010-08-21T20:21:00.000-07:00

I don't really know how many people read my blog. I know I don't post very often. I thought maybe I should explain why. A lot of my life here in Venezuela has to do with my job. And I don't think that it's appropriate to post anything but general information about my job for a lot of different reasons. But sometimes my job consumes me and I have a hard time thinking of other things to write about. Or I think the minutiae of my life are kind of boring. So I just don't write anything at all. I would LOVE to share some of the hilarious work-related stories of the last two years, but if you want to hear those, you'll have to ask me in person.

To be perfectly honest, life here isn't all that different than at home. Yes, we are close to amazing Caribbean beaches and speak Spanish all day, but the daily tasks are pretty similar to anywhere else - go to work, shop for groceries, cook dinner, hang out with friends, change the oil, etc.

We are now less than three months from the date we will leave Venezuela. I am not sure I am prepared to leave the FS friend group I have made here. I always wonder if I will find people this wonderful, caring, and supportive at future posts. There is always that lingering fear that I won't, although I know that's probably not a realistic concern. I wonder if I will get lonely in DC. I'm not the most social person on the planet, but I've become accustomed to regular time with a relatively fixed group of people here, and that just doesn't exist in my life in the U.S. It really hasn't existed for me since college, but it is something I've enjoyed and relied on a great deal here in Caracas. (Have I ever mentioned how many similarities FS life has to college life? Mostly the good elements of college life.)

Despite my qualms about leaving, I am looking forward to going home and then to DC. I now understand why home leave is mandatory. It was only a couple months ago that I figured out that the wildly popular Glee was a musical TV show. (I still haven't seen an episode, though, so if anyone happens to have the DVDs, I would be much obliged. I'm a total sucker for song and dance shows.) Home leave is government mandated precisely because some wise soul thought we might need to get in touch with our home culture again. This person was right. It's not like you ever lose your own culture, but in the process of adapting to living in a different culture, some facets of your own become dormant.

It will be nice to re-adapt to life in the U.S., if only for a short while. I am especially looking forward to the following:

1. Seeing family and friends, especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
2. Winter (I know I will rue the day I wrote this, but my beloved Che will be so much healthier in the cold winter, and that will make me very happy).
3. Sour cream.
4. Being able to be out and about without being super-paranoid about crime.
5. Going to the grocery store late at night in sweats and a sweatshirt and finding everything I want there.
6. Cheddar cheese.
7. Trying on clothes and shoes in the store before purchasing instead of buying online.
8. Outstanding service at restaurants and in stores.
9. Fresh skim milk whenever I want it.
10. Not standing out wherever I go.

Soon to come: what I will miss most about Venezuela.

A little bit of R&R

2010-07-13T19:56:00.000-07:00

We miss a lot of milestones living so far away, so we were thrilled to be able to travel home at the end of May for my youngest sister's graduation. She made us all so proud, especially as the winner of the Benedictine Award, one of the top honors given by the high school we all attended, and one of the top 10 students in her class. She's a superstar!

P had his first visit to Iowa when we spent a weekend at my parents' camper on the MN/IA border. The weather was great, the bonfires were beautiful, it was fun to relax with my parents, and we had a quite an adventure (which I don't care to repeat for a long time) canoeing down the local river. (It turns out that we don't make the best canoeing partners, something about two strong personalities who want to drive the boat...) But P rescued a calf that was stuck in the river (back on dry land below) and we saw a bald eagle during our time on the water, so it wasn't all bad.

We also went to a Twins game at the new Target Stadium with my brother and future sister-in-law. What an impressive stadium! The weather was absolutely perfect that night and the Twins won a great game. The Minneapolis skyline was gorgeous after the game.

Over the 4th of July, we took advantage of the long weekend and went on a short trip to Panama. We stayed at the beach in Santa Clara for two nights and did a little tour of Panama City - the canal and Casco Viejo, the colonial sector that is being restored - before we left on Tuesday.

We've got a big move coming up in about four months, which means that some stress and anxiety is already setting in. We're excited for what is ahead of us, but it will also be hard to leave Venezuela. Not to mention the many, many details that need to be taken care of in the meantime - from selling things here in Venezuela, getting all the paperwork in order for departure, shipping the dogs home, finding a place to live in Virginia, and saying good-bye to the people and place that has been our home for the last two years. Hence, the trip to Panama, to relax a little during this high-stress time...It served its purpose perfectly. We'll be following that up with a couple other trips with precisely the same goal before we leave!

Growing up & moving on

2010-05-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

Some days it seems like all Chama does while we're at work is grow. Sometimes it seems she grows in a lopsided fashion - legs one week so she looks really tall for the size of the rest of her body, then maybe her head the next week so she looks like she's all head and no body. She is growing fast, though, and it seems to even out after awhile. She was almost 30 pounds when we took her to the vet the last time, and I would guess she is close to 40 by now. She's a very healthy eater, although we've been very vigilant about not giving her any table scraps whatsoever. It's too late to break Che of that totally (he just steals things off the counter), but so far we've done well with Chama - only dog food, bones, and treats.

Chama has apparently entered dog adolescence. You know, when she thinks none of the rules apply to her, that she doesn't have to sit (or insert any command) when instructed, that she's smarter than everyone else, but all the while very confident that she's still very cute and can get away with everything. This last part usually works with P (who hugs her and says "¡Qué belleza!" about 300 times a day, regardless of whatever barbaric deed she has committed), but not so much with me. I do, of course, adore her as well. I really get a kick out of how she sits on Che. She has been doing this since the day she came home with us. Che is so patient and doesn't seem to mind unless she starts gnawing on his face. (I do not have a picture of this seating arrangement yet but will post one as soon as I am able to get a good shot.)

We are now under 6 months from our departure from Venezuela, which means that a countdown of sorts has begun. We're not actually counting down the days, but we now have to start getting everything ready to leave, including an extensive inventory of our belongings (and junk) to decide what to keep, sell, donate, or throw, getting the dogs and their paperwork ready for departure, thinking about a place to stay in DC starting in January, using up our consumables, and mentally preparing ourselves for another move. I will be ready to leave Venezuela, but it will still be sad to say good-bye. I often compare Foreign Service life to college - you live and work and play with/near the same people, it's an intense and growthful experience, and you make deep friendships fast. Then your tour is over and you have to go out and face the big world without the physical presence of the support system you've spent the last two years building. Luckily there is a larger support system that is the entire FS to help you transition (and transition and transition), but all the same, you have to learn to depend on new people every couple years. I am looking forward to the post when I am reunited with close friends from previous posts, but that may take some years still.

In really exciting news under this same theme of growing up and moving on, my youngest sister graduates from high school this week. She'll head to the U of M this fall to start her own exciting college adventure. We're so proud of her and can't wait to see her get her diploma!

Flat Stanley

2010-04-07T17:45:00.000-07:00

We had our first visitor from the States these past few weeks: Flat Stanley! My second cousin's third grade class recently read about Flat Stanley and each made a version to send to a friend or family member far away. Flat Stanley shopped at the market in Chacao, went to see "Jesucristo Superestrella" at the university, visited the Embassy, and chilled with A and me as we had our usual weekend breakfast of empanadas, arepas, and "pretty" cappuccinos at our favorite coffee shop.

The youngest member of our family is also having an adventure of her own as she adapts to wearing a lovely cone around her head. Chama recently turned four months old which means that she is of spaying age. We took her to the vet about a week ago, and they "fixed" her. (I feel a little strange about the word "fixed" since she wasn't broken, but I used the term "spayed" in the previous sentence and "sterilized" just sounds awful. So I guess word variation and colloquialism take the prize over technical accuracy this time.) She runs into everything with the cone, but we're pretty sure it's because she's learned that she can use it to bulldoze any and everything (and everyone). It has not slowed her down one little bit. We've got mixed feelings about that, but at least it means that the operation went well. She had a check-up yesterday and she's healing very well. Just a little bit longer and she'll be back to life with out the cone. That also means she won't make as much noise when she gets into something - good for her but not as easy for us. Can you tell from her face that she's already plotting?

BRASILIA 2011!

2010-03-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

Less than one week after handing in our bid list, our assignment has been made: BRASILIA, capital of Brazil! This was #3 on our bid list, but basically it was tied with two other places - Maputo and Zagreb - for #1, so we really had our fingers crossed for any of the three.

P and I have dreamed and talked about living in Brazil for many years, even before working for the State Department was even on the radar screen, so we are absolutely thrilled. We'll have the chance to learn Portuguese in DC before heading to post sometime in the first half of next year. We've heard that Brasilia is a pretty low-key city which will suit us just fine, especially after the challenges of Caracas. But Brazil is a huge country so we plan to do some exploring as well - Rio, Sao Paulo, the Amazon...there's so much to see and do!

Bidding and a new little one

2010-02-20T18:16:00.000-08:00

Well, little for the time being. We're excited to welcome Chama to our family! She's super cute, has tons of spunk, and is a wonderful pain in the arse. We're in love...and sleeping less, cleaning up lots of accidents, doggie-proofing the apartment, enjoying her tenacious personality, and trying to come up with creative ways to use up her energy. Che has been great with her, although it's clear he would have preferred to have been consulted about this before we brought her home. His vote probably would have been no, but all the same he's demonstrated tremendous patience as jumps on him, licks his face, barks at him, and attempts to steal his bones and his food. She's a lot of fun and is keeping us on our toes!

The other big news in our lives right now is that the bid list is out. It's an exciting time! There are over 300 posts on our list, so I've been busy trying to figure out which ones will work for our family and with my schedule. I hand in a list of 20 places on March 15. So far there are a few posts in Africa, Europe, and the Western Hemisphere that look like they would work well for us. Our second tour will, like this current tour, be a directed assignment, which means that the Department will tell us where we will be going. Usually, however, they are able to give people one of their top 20 choices. Fingers crossed for a great assignment!

Hibernation

2010-01-10T06:00:00.001-08:00

As always, the weather in Caracas today is perfect. It's sunny and warm (but not too warm), and the mountains stand peacefully, majestically, and protectively at the north of the city. It's actually rather quiet right now and a cool breeze (but not too cool) is blowing through the apartment.

I must admit that it was a challenge to get on the plane in Managua and come back here after our holiday trip to visit P's family. Venezuela is beautiful, but it is also chaotic and challenging, partially due to the particular situation here, and partially due simply to the fact that Caracas is a huge city (and I'm not a huge city girl). Nicaragua is safer, smaller, and of course, it is also home (one of them).

Though I never fail to appreciate them, I have found myself looking up at the mountains more and more lately. They tower above the city, and at a certain point, the city is totally lost in the panorama and I, in turn, can lose myself in the view of the mountains. It is peaceful. It is a welcome breather from the busyness and craziness around me. It is a blessing.

Having grown up with long Minnesota winters, I've probably had my fill of cold and snow for my lifetime (although I do miss the snow a little tiny bit). I do not miss the bone-chilling temperatures, but the warm weather here does not allow me to go into my natural hibernation mode at this time of the year, a way of being formed by so many years of short winter days and the pensiveness of months of keeping warm indoors and more limited social interaction. I feel like my body and soul are itching for this hibernation right now, as if they're telling me, "We gave you a couple years off, now let's get back to it!" I am trying to find this space here in Caracas so that I can get off to the right start in 2010...Maybe the picture of a snowy Minnesota landscape next to my computer will help a bit.

Hato Piñero

2009-11-30T15:46:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you all know how much I love animals. I love dogs most of all, but I also thoroughly enjoy a good zoo, bird sightings, fish, deer, etc. So what could be better than Venezuela's version of a safari?

P and I spent our Thanksgiving at Hato Piñero, an 88,000 square hectare nature preserve and cattle ranch in Los Llanos (the plains) of Cojedes state. Although I'm a bit prone to hyperbole (or at the very least overuse of superlatives), I don't think I'm exaggerating at all when I tell you that it was just AWESOME.

The highlight for me was the macaw sighting on Friday morning. But I can't complain about the chigüires (capybara - the world's largest rodent), the Martín Pescador (a type of Kingfisher), the small crocodiles, the beautiful stork, the water buffalo, the owls, the butterflies or the stunning green plains either. On top of that, we were the only guests at the lodge for most of our time there, so we got the full attention of the guides on all of our outings. The experience comes highly recommended.

Here are some of my favorite photos...

Saying Good-bye from Afar

2009-11-20T17:19:00.000-08:00

A very close family friend passed away suddenly this week. Mrs. S was my parents' next door neighbor for 30 years. Her daughter was my best friend when I was young and I spent countless days and nights at her house. Our yards were fenced in together, and that was exactly how I saw our families, homes, and lives for many years: an extension of one another, all fenced in together.

Mrs. S probably never knew it, but she is one of the first people I remember who stretched my worldview beyond the "private Catholic" bubble in which I spent most of my first 20 years. She was Methodist. She didn't have the same political beliefs as my parents. She was a full time professional with a Master's degree. She sent her daughters to public schools. She kept her dogs in the house. She gave her kids an allowance. She stored her peanut butter in the fridge (it really is tastier that way).

She and her family weren't part of the Catholic community that shaped almost every aspect of our lives, yet this was the family I felt closest to for at least the first 13 years of my life. I very clearly remember recognizing that our families were different in some ways but that it didn't matter. Maybe it sounds trivial, but this set the stage for some very important realizations about good people and difference as I grew up. When I started to ask more questions of the world, I always remembered Mrs. S and her family and was reminded that good people don't all think exactly the same way or make exactly the same decisions. And that is part of what makes life complicated and beautiful.

I feel blessed to have had a nice, long conversation with Mr. and Mrs. S in their backyard when I was home this summer. It is difficult not to be able to go home for the wake and funeral, to offer my support to Mr. S and E, and to have a more personal outlet for my own grief. It is one thing to miss a wedding because that is the beginning of something joyful that will, ideally, last many years. But to miss this funeral, this closing, feels much worse.

How is it possible?

2009-11-08T14:20:00.000-08:00

How is it possible that we've been here almost a year? It's crazy how fast the time passes. We don't even know our next post yet, but P and I have already been talking about things we need to do before we leave - of the household variety (what to fix, what to sell, etc.) and the vacation variety (we still want to visit Mérida, cruise the islands, visit an hato). With our 1-year anniversary in Caracas upon us (Nov. 25), we're especially conscious of how little time we really have left.

It's also strange that I've slowly, without even noticing it, become one of the veterans at work. It was not so long ago that I felt that veteran status would never be mine, that I would never be one of the people with more answers than questions. But alas, I'm more of a veteran every day.

I've fallen into the goal-setting mode that usually hits around the new year. It's come a little early since our year is now marked by November rather than January. P is patiently putting up with me as I make lists (already started the spreadsheet of things we should sell and their prices - I know, I'm a little nuts) and remind him of all the things we need to do. A couple months ago we were waiting anxiously for our supplemental shipment; now I'm trying to plan how we're going to use everything up by this time next year! Funny how quickly the perspective can change.

Perhaps I'm feeling the very early crunch because I'm also dealing with one of the challenging realities of Foreign Service life: my friends leave like clockwork. One of my closest friends here is leaving on Tuesday. She's headed back to DC for training then off to Paris for a couple years. I don't think the FS lifestyle keeps us from making friends (on the contrary, especially at challenging posts), but I do think that it slowly hardens us to the pain of good-byes, in a way that may seem cold to people outside the Service. I just tell myself that I'll see her again (the Foreign Service is pretty small, and we're bound to, at the very least, be in Washington at the same time at some point in the future), but who knows when that will be. Could be a year, could be 5, could be 15. That's one of the coping mechanisms. Another may be planning my own departure. (Admittedly, thinking about the next place - even though I don't know where it will be - is exciting and alleviates some of the sadness.)

My Love Affair with Fish Tanks

2009-10-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

Big news - P and I finally got a fish tank. I do not know what it is about fish tanks with me, but I'm a huge fan. I find them so tranquil, serene, and relaxing. With this new addition to the living room, our apartment finally feels like home. (Okay, the rugs really helped, too.)

Notice the real live plants, folks. They're beautiful. So are the goldfish. My personal favorites are the corronchos. I'm not sure what they're called in English, but they are a type of bottom feeder that happens to be very pretty and have a lot of personality. They are black with whitish spots. We have two of them and they chase each other around all the time. They also have very elegant dorsal fins that they open and close like fans.

We are still in the process of finding the right bubbling treasure chest to round our our aquarium. Sometimes it feels silly to have a fish tank given the temporary nature of this lifestyle. However, I think there is something to be said for this type of creature comfort (I love puns!) even if we have to give them away in about a year.

10 Fun Facts About Our Life in Venezuela

2009-10-10T17:34:00.000-07:00

1. We can see the mountains from our apartment...and from work...and from the windows at the gym...and driving around just about everywhere. This MN girl never takes that for granted!

2. I know this will come as a great surprise, but I have not yet learned to cook Venezuelan food (e.g. arepas, quesillo, carne mechada, etc.). Don't worry - I will definitely learn before I leave.

3. My hair stylist was Miss Gay Venezuela 2004. He always makes me look stunning (at least for the 24 hours after he does my hair) but did have a little too much fun with the red highlights last month. (They have since faded a bit and look fine...although I won't be asking for them again!)

4. Venezuela has introduced me to heart of palm. I'm in love. YUM!

5. Everyone thinks that the Gentle Leader we use to walk Che is a muzzle. Given that and his size, most people cross the street before we can pass them on the sidewalk. (Either that or P and I are very scary looking...)

6. Venezuela is (basically) composed of 23 states and the Capital District (Caracas). We have been to 6 of those states and, of course, Caracas. We plan to make it to a few more over the next 13.5 months.

7. I haven't worn sweats to the grocery store once since we got here. Everyone is so dressed up all the time that it feels inappropriate. Oh, but how I long to be able to do my grocery shopping at 11:00 p.m. in my pajamas like I did semi-regularly at Cash Wise!

8. P and I helped sponsor a basketball team so that they could get their uniforms. They named the team "Los Sandinistas" in his honor.

9. You can get your car washed while you're buying groceries or are at the mall by a guy with a special blue cart that's only about the size of a grocery cart, except taller, and hardly uses any water. It's pretty sweet.

10. Baseball is Venezuela's most important sport, and there are a number of Venezuelans in the major leagues. However, soccer is a rising star here and it's been fun to watch as the national team and the Under-20 accomplish many of the country's "first times" for soccer.

Sore tomorrow!

2009-08-10T16:54:00.000-07:00

Here in Venezuela we are a 1-vehicle family. I like this. However, since both P and I are working hard to exercise regularly but often don't exercise together, this has put a damper on my going to the gym on the nights he plays basketball. Normally I would just walk up the mountainous hill we live on, but the rainy season has arrived in Caracas. So tonight I pulled out an old favorite: Denise Austin's Fat Blasting Yoga. No other workout makes me sweat like this one. I never would have guessed that yoga could be this sweaty and really get my heart pumping, but it does the trick every time. I know from experience that I am going to be sore tomorrow! No matter how much I've worked out at the gym, this workout always uses some muscle that I haven't been exercising through weightlifting and the cardio machines.

I am thinking of getting another video or finding something else online for days like today. Maybe I should try a Latin dance video so I could practice and exercise at the same time in the privacy of my own home. Regardless, it would have to be something that doesn't require jumping or stomping because there are people living below us. Any suggestions?

Chirere & Che

2009-07-13T18:48:00.000-07:00

I must admit that we are fans of the beach (and that the picture above is one of the beach we visited but was not taken by anyone we know). Luckily, Venezuela has no shortage of beautiful, warm, clean, breathtaking beaches. We wanted a nice South American glow for our upcoming R&R, so we decided to do a day trip to the Higuerote area, which is less than two hours away. A friend from work recommended Chirere beach, just outside the little tiny town of Chirimena. And she informed me that dogs were welcome. Yes!

So Che got to go on his first trip to the beach. He seemed to enjoy the water a great deal, although the salt and the waves threw him off a bit. It was fun to see him get to use his Labrador and Chesapeake traits a little bit. He's always liked the water but hasn't been swimming much, except for the time or two he jumped into my parents' pool...

Of course, since we were busy watching the dog, we didn't get any pictures, hence the borrowed photo above. Maybe next time. I was really impressed with how well Che did. In fact, I sat in the shade, staring out to the ocean, and thought to myself, "Well, our little doggie has finally grown up. What a nice, well-behaved young adult dog he has become. Who would have guessed that this would be possible when he was tearing the threads out of the carpet, eating numerous remote controls, devouring the socks, shoes and cell phones of our guests, and busting open his crate while we were at work, oh so long ago?" I should not have thought this. Not half an hour later, Che followed P to the car and then back down to the beach. P turned his head for 10 seconds (literally - it could not have been more than that), and the dog was in the neighboring couple's beach bag pulling out and enjoying their lunch.

We were mortified, but they just shook it off. It really could have been a disaster, but they just laughed and laughed and insisted that we didn't tie him up, saying that they have dogs, too, and they know the type of mischief they get themselves into. What nice, reasonable people! (Why can't they live in our building?) They wouldn't let us buy them lunch, but we will indeed remember their kind and good-humored reaction should we ever be on the receiving end of an episode like this!

He looks so innocent...

The countdown has begun!

2009-06-22T17:27:00.000-07:00

We are headed home to MN in less than 1 month. We are ecstatic! Of course, our number one priority is seeing friends and family (especially little Miss S, the newest member of our clan!), but we've been giddily planning the other things we want to do as well. Shopping is a given since we'll be putting together our supplemental shipment over the course of the week. But that's only going to be marginally fun. (Shopping gets so tiring so fast!)

Culver's and Chipotle are high on both of our lists, as is going to a movie (probably Harry Potter) at a theater that does not make us wait a long time to get tickets, then forEVER for popcorn and ever longer than forEVER to actually get in the theater (last time we went to a 9 p.m. movie, we were allowed to enter the theater at 9:10 p.m.). We may also hit the MN Zoo. P hasn't been there, and we are both big zoo fans. Of course, school shopping with D will be a blast as always.

Then there's my guilty pleasure: a pedicure! They're only about $9 here, but unfortunately, that's about all they're worth. I've had 3 since we arrived and all have left me in pain and applying bacitracin to my big toes the following day. (I've stopped going. 3 strikes! Yet another life lesson learned from years at the diamond.) I must admit that the polish here really is quite durable. BUT, they definitely don't put little rhinestones on your toes. And I do love rhinestones on my toenails. I know - who knew? A few years ago I'd never even had a pedicure before. Now I'm a pedicure snob who demands her rhinestones. Maybe I'll have to get some slinky sandals like these babies to show off my toenails, although I'm sure my Chacos would happily (albeit not quite as sexily) do the trick.

Puerto Colombia

2009-06-04T09:07:00.000-07:00

I am home sick today and have already slept for several hours so I figured I could update my blog about our last trip. Since this doesn't require much movement (and therefore aggrivation of numerous body pains) or hearing (my ears are totally plugged), I should be able to do it.

Anyway, we spent Memorial Day weekend at the beaches in and near Puerto Colombia (which is right next door to Choroní). They were different from the calm green waters of Morrocoy but equally as beautiful. There were lots of waves, so it felt like we were getting a workout playing in the water. The trip there was beautiful - to get to Puerto Colombia (which is a TINY town, by the way - much smaller than Tucacas), you have to drive about an hour or so through the mountains. It is hairpin turn after hairpin turn, and there are many areas in which the road is only wide enough for one vehicle. P did an amazing job driving, and I enjoyed the view. There are lots of little streams of water running over the road, and we particularly liked how someone had recycled a bottle and combined it with natural tools to make it a little easier to get water from this little fall.

We stayed at Posada Pittier in Puerto Colombia. There are lots of posadas in and around both Choroní and Puerto Colombia, but Puerto Colombia is the gateway to the area's beaches. Posada Pittier was very nice. Our room was tiny (it was a challenge to walk around the bed), but it was sufficient and the price was right. Breakfast was included on Sunday morning, and it was delicious. The staff was welcoming, friendly, and helpful. Our favorite part of the posada, however, was the pool. It wasn't very large, but it was the perfect depth (right at my shoulders) and was in a beautiful green area. The warm fresh water was the perfect way to wind down after a day in the salty Caribbean Sea.

We spent Saturday at Playa Grande which is right in Puerto Colombia. It was busy but there was plenty of room for everyone. We ate seafood soup and fried fish at a restaurant next to the beach and spent the afternoon frolicking in the waves.

I'm not sure how many ocean boat rides on little fishing boats I have left in me, but the trip to Cepe beach was definitely worth it. The beach is much smaller than Playa Grande, and there were very few people there. The waves were a little less intense, so it didn't take so much out of us. We swam, people-watched, relaxed, and again lunched on fresh fried fish right on the ocean.

We are planning to take a trip to the interior of the country at some point, but we've found the Venezuelan beaches so incredibly relaxing and such a nice break from the stress of life in Caracas that I think we would go back to both Morrocoy and Puerto Colombia in a heartbeat. And of course, we'd be happy to take any visitors to either place as well (hint, hint).

Satin sheets & locked parks

2009-05-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

I haven't written much lately because I haven't had much to say. I'm feeling in a lull and am hoping I'll be more inspired now that P and I had another lovely weekend at the beach. I'll write more about our trip to Choroní/Puerto Colombia soon.

For now, I've decided to write about satin sheets and locked parks. Ironically, the thing they have in common is how nuts they have driven me lately. Let me back up for a moment. I like nice sheets - not Egyptian cotton (can't afford that!), but definitely a higher thread count than your average bed sheet. Whenever I'm at Target (which is not much lately - go figure), I religiously check the clearance isles for high quality sheets. I've had good luck. Then I went a little too far. "What could be more luxurious and wonderful for a sleeping experience than satin sheets?" I thought to myself. Enter my new Target (ebay), where I found a great deal on the sheets pictured below - about $30. Don't they look divine?!

Not quite. They actually do feel great (to me, at least - P didn't like them much)...until they repeatedly slip off the bed during the night, taking the comforter right with them and waking you up time and again. Didn't feel like I got a good night of sleep again until a couple days later when I was totally fed up and changed them. Now I don't know what the heck to do with them because we will never use them again. Unless, of course, someone out there can let me in on a little secret and explain to me how I can avoid satin sheet slippage.

And then there's the locked park thing. We live in a really nice area of Caracas complete with a number of parks. People are generally respectful of the neighborhood and everything is pretty well groomed. Some people are even psycho about it (see a previous post about one of our several dog-hating neighbors). Even so, there are two parks close to our apartment that are locked almost all the time. Why? I have no idea. Who has the keys? I have no idea. Both parks have children's playgrounds. Why would you want to deny kids the ability to play? And families the ability to enjoy a nice park together? And even if they were open, picnicking is prohibited in said parks. I ask again, why?

Oh, and we have a police station about 3 blocks up the road, within about 1 block of each park, so it's not as if the police couldn't get there fast if there was a problem...which there probably wouldn't be. So what's the deal? I can't figure it out. Why have a park if no one can enjoy it? Of course, I must admit that I am a little bitter because I'd really like to be able to take Che in there to run around. However, to be really honest, I'm more annoyed than anything because my theory is that locking the parks is a bit of a classist strategy to avoid sharing them with people who don't live in this uppity "urbanización."

Like the satin sheets issue, if some wise person out there understands the reason for this park locking and would kindly explain it to me, I would be much obliged. I hope I'm wrong about this one.

Gran Torino

2009-04-22T16:50:00.000-07:00

P and I saw Gran Torino last weekend. We both thought it was one of the best films we have seen in a very long time, and we watch a lot of movies. The story is an incredible exploration of culture, family, religion, masculinity, mentoring, and finding meaning in life and death. It is also the only film I've ever seen that highlights the Hmong community. Many of the actors have roots in Minnesota, which makes sense considering that St. Paul is home to more Hmong than any other city and Minnesota ranks second only to California in terms of total Hmong population. Most of the Hmong actors cast in the film had no professional experience before making this movie. The movie was excellent on many different levels, but it is also exciting to see these young people succeed so dramatically (pun intended, as always!). Kudos to them for terrific work. Let's hope this film gets some attention next year at awards time!

Oh, what a little bit of paint can do!

2009-04-19T14:03:00.000-07:00

We had our living room, dining room, and hallway painted this weekend. Previously, the walls were white as can be, making for a very stark, sterile combination with the almost-white floors. We decided that two years was too long to live with all of that white, so we hired a painter. (P and I are terrible painters as we discovered when we decided to paint our bedroom in MN red. It took 5 weeks - no joke - to finish the project, and it just didn't ever turn out quite right.) There's still a little left to be done tomorrow after work, but the change is incredible. And don't the twin paintings in the hallway look incredible against the yellow background?

(I wonder how many coats of white it will take to cover these colors up before we leave Venezuela...)

Going once, going twice, sold to the diplomat with the stud in her nose!

2009-04-03T17:02:00.000-07:00

I must check ebay almost as much as I check my (personal) email, perhaps even more. I've become a bit obsessive. Perhaps not being able to buy anything here - because of A) my Viking size compared to the natives and B) the prohibitively expensive cost - is a blessing. I've never liked "real" shopping for myself anyway, even during those periods of my life when I was in shape. Kind of like running...I've tried and tried, but I just don't like it. I always think, "Maybe this time I'll like it." Nope. Never works.

But online shopping is a different story. Especially on ebay. I would compare ebay to the clearance racks at Target or Kohl's. There's a lot to rifle through, but one can find awesome deals. It provides a fun challenge. My new favorite is the "make an offer" feature that has been added more recently. I wish more sellers would use it (especially those selling the Eagle Creek luggage I want to buy).

But maybe the real reason I like online shopping so much is that it results in the arrival of a package, which is always incredibly exciting when you live abroad...even if you know what the box contains.

Morrocoy National Park

2009-03-11T16:09:00.000-07:00

P and I were finally able to take an overnight trip outside of Caracas. We had trouble making reservations in the closer beach area of Higuerote, so we decided that it must have been a sign and went to Morrocoy instead. We stayed at a beautiful bed & breakfast called Posada Paraíso Queen just outside the town of Tucacas. The first night, we were the only people there besides the owners. It was beautiful, tranquil, and welcoming. The second night, there was only one other couple there, and their goal was the same: get away from the city and relax. Breakfast was included, so we enjoyed the two best breakfasts we've had since arriving in Venezuela. Yum!

While we were expecting intense sun, it rained quite a bit on Saturday. Of course, we didn't let that stop us. P enjoyed getting the truck all muddy (a guy thing, I think) and we also went on a little tour of the keys in Morrocoy National Park, including visits to an island full of pelicans and seagulls, some shallow areas in the ocean full of star fish, and finally to another island with a great beach with crystal clear blue and green waters and lovely white sand. If you're on Facebook, you can check out some more of our pictures.

Sunday was much sunnier. We didn't have as much time since we had to get back to Caracas, but we went out to a smaller island with deeper water and had some fun in the sun. My SPF 30 kept me pretty safe, although I did end up with very mild pinkish-orange glow on my shoulders and more freckles on my face. It feels nice to have a bit of a tan (finally).

And did I mention that we ate seafood? Tons of it - lobster, crab, shrimp, squid, octopus, mussels, fish...

What does 7 years mean for a young married couple?

2009-02-28T20:20:00.000-08:00

I think I have written before about how I have always gotten along better with people who are older than me, with the exception of a few close friends my age who also seem to have this same issue. I was never good at being a typical child, teenager, or even college student. I always felt like I was waiting for my peers to arrive at the same stage as me...and at some point, I just started making older friends. (Note: This is not meant to be derogatory to anyone my age. On the contrary, I've always felt like the odd one out--sometimes in a good way, other times not.) Now this phenomenon seems to be affecting another area of my life.

P and I have been married for more than seven years. We got married younger than most people do these days. Our circumstances made that a necessity. Looking back, I should have just said yes when P asked me to marry him several weeks into our relationship. It's easy to say that now, but it doesn't mean that being married so young was easy. It wasn't, especially with the added complications of a bicultural, bilingual, bi-country context. (Oh, yeah, and then there's also the fact that we're both stubborn and that I'm always right and other fun personality quirks.) But we worked - and continue to work - really hard to figure out how to best love each other and grow both individually and together as very distinct parts of our team.

It is with these seven years of love and work in mind that I bring the conversation back to paragraph one. Lately I have felt extra conscious of how different our relationship feels compared to what I observe in many of our married friends and peers of about our same age here in the embassy and in Venezuela. Almost none of our peers have been married nearly as long. I often feel like I'm back in that same boat as when I was growing up, waiting for our peers' relationships to get to a similar point as ours. I'm not really sure what that point is, however. I guess it's just that we've gone through so many challenges together, the type that either break you up or make you stronger because they force you to decide whether it's worth putting whatever effort it takes into your relationship in order to manage both the internal and external forces that affect it so drastically. (And we've decided that it is indeed worth it.)

So I guess it shouldn't surprise me that our closest friends here are wonderful couples with children only about 10 years younger than us. Oh, and they're bicultural couples, too, with roots in Central America. Hmmm...

Or maybe the issue is that we're just not as spunky or fun as other people our age. Perhaps it has nothing to do with time or bicultural-ness at all...What do you think?

What a Schmuk!

2009-02-23T19:41:00.000-08:00

Hi! Today I'm a guest writer on E's blog. You all know me by now -- it's me, P. E and I embarked on a three-hour journey to Colonia Tovar on President's Day. I decided that it would be nice for E to get some fresh air after her episode of food poisoning. Colonia Tovar is a town in the mountains outside Caracas. It was founded by German immigrants in 1843. The funny thing was that the houses in Colonia Tovar looked like many houses in Central Minnesota. We decided to eat at a restaurant in town (so long to food poisoning, right?). The name of the restaurant was Schmuk, which I did not really find funny, but for E the name was hilarious (see picture below). We had one of the best sausages in history (at least in my opinion) and great German potato salad, too. E couldn't eat everything due to her persistent stomach issues, but at least she got a taste...and a good laugh (and a great picture!).

Mil Boxes, Etc.

2009-02-04T11:34:00.000-08:00

All you bilingual readers should get the pun in my title. Have I mentioned before how much I love puns?

So anyway, it does feel like we have mil (a thousand) boxes in our house right now. Our household effects were finally delivered last Friday, and we spent the entire weekend unpacking. This is what our place looks like right now. Che, of course, has thoroughly enjoyed the extra playthings and even tried to pull down one of our tenuous box structures minutes ago. Luckily, I caught him and his plan was thwarted.

Our POV (read: car) came last Thursday. I think this was an even more momentous event than our household effects!

Anti-big dogs? Bad day? What the heck?!

2009-01-26T15:37:00.000-08:00

P and I are good dogly citizens. We clean up religiously after our beloved Che. First, it's the right thing to do. Second, he's huge, so the #2 would accumulate fast. Third, we live in a nicely groomed neighborhood that doesn't really have any extra green space or weedy areas. Why would we want to contribute to its defecation (I mean, defamation)? (Actually there are extra green spaces, but they are inside the walls that surround each building, and the dogs are not allowed to set foot on them. Lesson learned early.)

So imagine my surprise when I'm cleaning up after the dog this afternoon in a supposedly "public" area and an older lady comes out of a nearby building huffing and puffing about letting my dog go to the bathroom in front of their building (which happens to be right next to my building). I am literally bent over picking up poo at this very moment. She says something like, "That dog!" and then "Going to the bathroom on our lawn!" She is very much in a tizzy, so I say to her, "Ma'am, I always clean up after my dog." To which she responds, "Have your dog go at your own place." She is all worked up and not really even looking at me, just making a litany of comments that seem to be directed at dog owners in general. She comments that that's why they put poison on the lawn and that we better not get mad when our dog dies (nice, huh?) and if she sees us there again she's going to call the police. Hmmm. Doubt that, but also seriously considering testing that one just because I think she's full of it.

The thing is, we're responsible dog owners. Lots of our neighbors are not. I wouldn't say there is poo everywhere, but many people do not clean up after their dogs. So I can only draw the conclusion that Che and I were easy targets...possibly because we're both so big. (Relatively, of course!) And, even though this is gross, #2 can be completely removed from the grass as if nothing ever happened. #1 cannot, and Che usually does that on our building's bit of (yellowing) grass.

The other thing is that they could put "no dogs" signs in their little patch of green. Some of the other buildings do that. But poison? She's nuts. Maybe I should call the police. Actually, the police in our neighborhood are great. They have this great park where Che can run and even have a dog that he loves to play with. Maybe they would be on our side.

I think I'll let P take him to the neighbors' for #2. I'd like to see the lady try to take him on!

Haagen-Dazs

2009-01-17T06:46:00.000-08:00

Do you have any idea how much my quality-ice-cream-starved husband paid for a little carton of Haagen-Dazs ice cream last night? Make your guess. Yep, that's right, folks - about $9. Being the sensible (and much more frugal) wife that I am, I of course tried very hard to talk him out of it. I mean, I had already loaded 2 larger cartons of chocolate ice cream into the cart at about $3 each. But alas, I lost the battle and P got his tiny carton of Pralines & Cream Haagen Dazs ice cream. If it would have been cookie dough like the picture, I probably wouldn't have resisted. But this was one of those times that I was secretly glad that I didn't win the argument. I prefer vanilla-based ice creams, and the vanilla here is terrible. (The chocolate, however, is milder than in the U.S. so I like that well enough.) So maybe he'll be nice and share with me...

Domestic bliss

2009-01-01T08:26:00.000-08:00

You didn’t really think I was talking about my beloved P, did you? He certainly makes me a very happy woman, but blissfulness...that comes from a sparkling house that I did not have to clean myself! Our housekeeper started on Monday. She’s wonderful!

It’s been a huge challenge to keep our apartment clean here. It’s large, and the dog sheds a lot. We don’t have a vacuum cleaner, so we have to sweep. Then mop. Quickly, before it’s gets dusty (and hairy) again. That’s pretty much equivalent to vacuuming the house twice in immediate succession. Not fun after a full day of work. (I’m sure many of you, especially those with kids, can empathize.) Luckily, it’s very common and affordable here to hire someone to help out around the house. This is certainly one of the perks of living in the developing world!

So it is with a clean house and a little more time on my hands that I wish you a wonderful 2009!

Camera conundrum

2008-12-28T09:46:00.000-08:00

I don't know what it is, but P and I never seem to remember to bring the camera. Some friends took us to Colonia Tovar last weekend, and of course, no pictures. Colonia Tovar is a town in the mountains settled by German immigrants and was thus built German-style. Most of the buildings look like what I remember the chalets at Afton Alps looking like. (Of course, most of my time at Afton Alps was spent falling down and skiing into parking lots and under various types of vehicles, but that's another story...or two.) Many of the folks who live there look like me. It's really a beautiful area. The small downtown is purely for tourists, and it was fun to check out the little stores. I must say that when we go back (WITH the camera), we're going to have to do our best to eat at the Schmuck Restaurant. Doesn't that just sound like something you should do once in your life?

We did actually remember the camera when A & N took us up the Avila in the cable cars a couple weeks ago. The second picture above is a view of Caracas from said cable cars. It's really an impressive city. One side of the Avila slopes down into Caracas while the other runs into the ocean. Unfortunately, the ocean side was cloudy, so there was no water to be seen. We'll have to go up again. They accepted our SCSU id cards for the student discount, so it's really reasonable. We also walked partway down the mountain to a town called Galipan where we had lunch. Eating lunch with clouds floating by was a wonderful first for us. Very cool. The walk down was enough for us (good shin and calf workout on those steep hills), so we took a truck back up. Before heading back down via the cable cars, we had some lovely fresas con crema - strawberries with real whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk (taste bud bliss!).

Speaking of fresas con crema, I am adjusting well to Venezuelan cuisine. (This should not surprise anyone.) Because of the size of the Caracas, you actually have to look pretty hard to find "comida criolla." It's not just on every corner like it is in Nicaragua (at least not where we live). There is a bit of everything here, including especially large doses of Italian and Asian food. However, on our own and with some help from our friends from Caracas, we've tried arepas, cachapas, golfeados, fried pork, blood sausage, pan de jamón, hallacas, tequeños, and more. I can't complain...and we will be investing in an arepa maker soon!

The top picture is a night view from our dining room. The floor to ceiling windows make it a nice place to sit and check out the action below at any time during the day. For now, I'm off to be part of the action myself. Che and I need a good walk up the hill to work off all these new foods! (Maybe I'll remember the camera this time.)

Feeling human again

2008-12-16T18:41:00.000-08:00

Our internet was finally hooked up today. I feel like I am reconnected to the human race. It's lovely. More soon...

Finally on the move!

2008-11-18T13:41:00.000-08:00

Exciting news - we will, at last, be heading out next week. Caracas, here we come! Just in time to spend Thanksgiving in a place where it's not celebrated. It will be an interesting start to this new journey!

Fake Mexican...

2008-11-15T06:11:00.000-08:00

Food, that is. It has to stop! Let’s call it what it is – southwestern fare, maybe Tex-Mex, but NOT Mexican.

I will admit it. We are total Latin American food snobs. Not that we need fancy food – we don’t. On the contrary, there are a few hole-in-the-wall local restaurants with cheap food and funny décor that we count among our favorites. But the food has to be good, and you have to get what you ordered.

We tried Uncle Julio’s in Fairfax yesterday. It did have two redeeming factors: one, the music was good (although not Mexican which we found quite humorous) and two, the guacamole was fresh and tasty. (Although, if I’m going to be honest, it was not nearly as good as ours.) After that, it was a total disappointment.

P ordered tacos al carbón. These are easy to make and delicious. Corn tortillas with small strips of beef, chopped onion, cilantro, and limes to squeeze over the top. What arrived on his plate looked like enchiladas without the sauce. It was really bizarre. The meat was decent, but the dish was not tacos al carbón. (Real taco al carbón pictured here.)

I ordered tortilla soup. I love tortilla soup! I was so excited when I saw it on the menu. I’ve tried several different variations and have liked them all, but I haven’t had it since I was in Minnesota. When it came, the waitress could see the distressed look on my face, and P started giggling. I asked her if this was really tortilla soup to make sure that she had brought me the right thing. It was an almost-clear broth with a reddish brown hue, lots of zucchini, some onions, a tiny bit of cilantro, a few pieces of chicken, and a few tortilla strips mixed in. On any other day, it would have looked like a delicious vegetable soup with a bit of chicken. Yesterday, however, it looked awful. You can’t just throw a few tortilla strips into a soup and call it tortilla soup! I was visibly upset, so the waitress asked me if something was wrong. Like a good Minnesotan, I was honest but nice. I told her that it wasn’t what I was expecting but that it would be fine. She hurried away as quickly as possible to avoid a scene with the disappointed tortilla soup customer. She approached our table with trepidation for the rest of our meal. (Real tortilla soup variations pictured here.)

As a background detail: I am a person who has the capacity to get really excited and emotional about food. I’ve been known to have to hold back tears when someone (my own sister!) ate the last bit of dirt cake that I had waited all day to come home and enjoy. I have a profound appreciation for deliciousness!

The result of our misfortunes with fake Mexican? P and I have made a pact to never try another "Mexican" restaurant that combines English and Spanish in the name (e.g. Uncle Julio's Rio Grande Café) or uses Spanish incorrectly (e.g. Don Pablo’s). We will meet friends at such places if necessary, but we will not be patronizing such establishments on our own.

We're still here, so...

2008-11-08T18:16:00.001-08:00

We're taking advantage of eastern Virginia's late fall colors and the wonderful weather to continue exploring DC. We finally discovered the Georgetown area kind of by accident while out driving around the other night. (Yes, I am guilty of aiding and abetting P's avoidance of homework.) It's a beautiful area with lots of fun shops, gorgeous foliage, and stunning old houses. Our favorite accidental find, however, was the National Cathedral. It was so incredible that we just had to get out and walk around it in the dark. The structure itself is breathtaking, and the architecture is like nothing I've ever seen in real life. I don't know anything about architecture, but it appears similar to European churches I've seen in pictures.

I also learned something new. Since all the cathedrals I can ever remember in my life have been Catholic, I just assumed that this one was as well. It's not. It's Episcopalian. Who knew? (That's a rhetorical question. Lots of people probably knew that.) Of course, as usual, we didn't have the camera with us. We're thinking of taking a tour before we head out, so we'll try to remember it then.

Today was a lucky day for us - about 70 degrees in mid-November, beautiful skies, and a parking spot right on the Mall where our big Venezuela-ready vehicle actually fit and we didn't even have to parallel park! We were off to see the White House. It was funny to hear some of the little kids' comments as we arrived at the picture-taking spot. "Mommy, how come the squirrels are allowed in there, but we aren't?" With great excitement from the little girl reaching through the fence, "I'm touching the President's grass!" And then there was the girl who made me smile and reminded my of my wonderful little sister, A, and her picture-taking skills when she was younger. (Instead of moving the camera, she wanted her mom and grandma to bend down so they could get into the frame.) The White House is impressive. We enjoyed wondering about what life is like in the most famous house on the planet. Next time we're back here, we're going to try to get a tour.

On hold

2008-10-31T20:18:00.000-07:00

Well, the good news is that we have our apartment back. It feels huge since they packed up all of our household goods this morning and whisked them away. The bad news is that we won't be leaving this coming week as we're still waiting on approval for our travels. The other bad/good news is that the Band-Aid and Neosporin bill that I expected to cost $300 actually cost $118. (And some argue that we don't need health care reform????)

A little bit of everything in a tiny bit of time!

2008-10-27T18:57:00.000-07:00

I’m a little behind in blog posts. Read on, and I’m sure you’ll understand why. First, a trip to the hospital. Then, visitors! After that, a whirlwind trip to MN to defend my thesis. Friday, packout. Next week, we’re scheduled to head out.

First, the hospital trip. Kinda funny actually, at least in hindsight. Slammed my finger in the car door, bled a lot (for a finger slamming), felt really dizzy, passed out in a way that scared the crap out of P, went to the emergency room, got a Band-Aid and some Neosporin for my finger. (Said medical treatment will probably cost us $300, but the passing out thing was frightening, hence the necessary trip to the ER.)

The family visit was a much better experience. No bandages or antibiotic ointment needed, thank goodness! My aunt, cousin, and godson spent about five days exploring DC over MEA break. It was so good to see them. We had such a fantastic time together. My aunt invited us on a wonderful narrated tour of DC by night. This was a first for us. We haven’t spent much time in the city after dark. The shadows created by the Korean War Memorial were especially impressive. P and my godson D took advantage of male bonding time, and I had a chance to catch up with my aunt and cousin. On Saturday, we met up at the Air and Space Museum. I could not believe how much time we spent there. I generally get bored pretty quickly at museums, but this one held my attention. It’s excellent. I found the exhibits to be a great mix of information appropriate for kids and interesting for adults. P and D went in the flight simulator twice and came out with huge grins and boyish giggles both times. I wanted to go, too, but due to my little trip to the hospital two days before, I decided to pass. We also caught one of the IMAX features. It was a fabulous day. The next day we had dinner at Malibu Grill, a Brazilian steakhouse in Arlington that has become one of our favorites. Then we dropped our visitors off (after a bit of a not-on-purpose-but-still-quite -nice self-guided nighttime tour of DC) and headed home. I’ve linked to D’s blog about trip in my blog roll. They did an amazing job of covering the city and had a wonderful time. Maybe a few others out there will be inspired and come visit us the next time we’re back in DC???

As I write this (but not necessarily as I post – in case you’re wondering about the dates), I’m sitting in the Humphrey Terminal in Minneapolis refusing to pay $4.95 for an hour of internet and waiting to board an itty bitty plane to Milwaukee. I am THRILLED to report that I now have a Master’s degree! I guess it’s probably more accurate to say that I’ll have it once I pay for the credits, but I have indeed earned it. I defended Saturday morning. I was quite stressed out about it as I over-anticipated the tough questions my committee members would ask, but it went extremely well. When the professors on my committee asked me to step out so that they could deliberate, my friend C from grad school was waiting outside. It was such a wonderful surprise! Knowing that I won’t be able to go through a graduation ceremony, she brought her cap, gown, regalia, and diploma so that I could get a graduation picture. Isn’t that fabulous?! (Can you tell that that’s my new word?) I am so relieved to be done, and frankly, I’m pretty proud of myself, too. I have been working on this thesis in some form or another for almost two years, and I FINALLY got it done! (How is it that in the midst of so much craziness people somehow find a greater ability to focus?)

On Friday the movers come to pack up the large share of Sam’s Club and Target that we have somehow stuffed in our one bedroom apartment. The car folks are supposed to pick up the car as well. There’s still no guarantee that we’ll be leaving next week like we’re planning, but we’re hoping that all the necessary paperwork comes through in time. If not, we’ll just stay here (without most of our stuff) until it does.

This week feels frantic already – we still don’t know how our beloved Ché will be traveling to Venezuela (due to some bad information from the airline), and it seems like we’re fighting with every service provider we have about something (especially AT&T about an early/diplomatic release from our contract, which they do not want to facilitate). As a good friend reminded me tonight, though, this too shall pass. And taking care of these not-so-fun details at regular intervals really is part of the life of a Foreign Service family, so I just need to get used to it.

Hopefully my next blog post will be from Venezuela!

Being a Foreign Service Spouse

2008-10-15T19:24:00.000-07:00

I begin this post by professing my total admiration for my beloved P's support of my career and his willingness to accompany me all over the globe. With that in mind, P and I have had lots of serious talks lately about what it means to be a Foreign Service spouse. It means never knowing for sure if a job will be available for you at the next post. It means packing up and moving to strange places at the behest of the Service. It means being social even when it's the last thing you want to do and representing the U.S. government even when it's not employing you. It means that having a fulfilling career of your own may be extremely challenging. It means being part of the community but not being a total insider. And all of it seems to be even more difficult when you're a male spouse.

Granted, there are lots of advantages - lots of interesting places to live, great language training, a strong Foreign Service support system, the opportunity to try all sorts of different jobs, the chance to meet a wide range of interesting people. One of the tasks for us over these first two or three tours will be to figure out if this is a lifestyle that will work for BOTH of us (and our future children) over the long term.

Prayer for women!

2008-10-04T21:52:00.000-07:00

I received this prayer from my dear friend M. I really like it, so I'm posting it here for you to enjoy as well.

Dear god,
The woman reading this
is beautiful, classy, and strong and I love her.
Help her live her life to the fullest.
Please promote her and cause her to excel above expectations.
Help her to shine in the darkest places and
love where it is impossible to love.
Protect her at all times, lift her up when she needs you the most and
let her know that when she walks with you,
she will always be safe.

Hockey time!

2008-10-04T06:50:00.000-07:00

P and I went to our first-ever NHL game last night. Actually, it was P's first-ever hockey game. We could not have picked a more exciting game. The Capitals scored like crazy and ended up winning 5-1. There seemed to be an outrageous number of penalties. (I think someone was in the box for most of the game.) There were also several fights, one to the point that the players got 10 minutes each. I know I should say "how terrible" or something like that, but it really just made the game all the more entertaining. It really did feel like they were putting on a show. Our seats were fantastic - 6 rows up in one of the corners on the side where the Capitals shot twice.

Even though I have not been in a hockey arena or seen a game for years, it felt oddly like home. Perhaps that's because I have so many good memories of HM hockey games from my developing years. Regardless, it felt nice - all warm and fuzzy despite the cold in the arena. For some reason, I've always seen hockey as belonging to the state of Minnesota. I guess I just can't understand how someone who doesn't know how to drive in two feet of snow and live with -20 degree weather on a regular basis could be a real hockey fan. It's kind of like taking the credit without doing any of the work. (I know that logic can't possibly check out or inter-state hockey would not even exist, but hey, we're all allowed our illogicality every once in awhile, right?)

Br. Dietrich

2008-09-26T17:32:00.001-07:00

I just logged on to the Pioneer Press homepage and was startled by some very sad news: Br. Dietrich, our beloved SJU President, has been diagnosed with cancer. It's metastatic melanoma, and it's in both lungs. My google search did not turn up positive news.

I do not remember Br. Dietrich much from my time as a student, but he had an extremely positive impact on my time with Fast Forward. I would hazard to guess that there are not many college presidents who make the time to meet with the director of a little tiny program that produces no income for the colleges, much less support her, her students, and that program at every possible opportunity, quite simply because it's the right thing to do. That is the kind of man that Br. Dietrich is. I'm sure that many others on campus would tell similar stories. SJU has been lucky to have his kind of leadership, and his illness is a great blow to our communities. Please keep Br. Dietrich in your thoughts and prayers.

Acrylic nails and computer despedidas

2008-09-16T17:21:00.000-07:00

DISCLAIMER (in case you think I'm exceptionally brilliant at the literary linking of things completely unrelated): the two elements of the title have nothing in common other than the fact that I'm thinking about both of them right now.

In fact, I can't stop thinking about the acrylic nails because everything feels a little different with them on and typing is slippery and weird. If you didn't know, I have a terrible nail biting problem. So as a little treat to myself for working diligently on my thesis and handling all the transitions of late pretty well, I got a pedicure and acrylic nails. I've had pedicures before (thanks to Aunt D for starting me on that lovely habit!), but I've never had fake nails...unless you count the press-on kind we used to try as little girls. Those fell off in about two seconds, so I'm not counting them. Anyway, I found the acrylic nail process to be quite intriguing. I had no idea how it was done. (If you don't know, I won't go into detail here. Just get your own set! Or Google it.) It's really nice to see my hands look pretty and feminine. Normally I'm only able to grow my nails out about once a year (for 2008 it was late January, so I'm out of luck until 2009), and they usually last about 3 weeks...until some nail-biting event comes along. For me, that could be anything - I do it without thinking. It's especially bad when I'm reading, and I've been doing a ton of that a lot lately. I used to bite my nails terribly during softball games and wouldn't even realize it until they started hurting. It's a nasty habit. Maybe I should try hypnosis. Or just keep up with the acrylic nails. Hmmm...

This Saturday I will say good-bye to the desktop computer that has served me amazingly well for the last five years (but that I have sworn at in two languages on a nightly basis for the last couple months). I have such fond memories...but not a lot of patience for slow computers. This oldie is definitely slow when it's tired. The problem is that I never know when it's going to act exhausted and when it feels like a young pup. We've decided to make the big break and take it to the city's recycling day on Saturday. Then we'll be a one computer family. That's good for our upcoming sojourn, but I don't know what it might mean for the family dynamics during next month. (I'm a little scared to think what it says about me that I might have problems living in a house where I have to - GASP! - share a computer...) Our other computer is a laptop, and frankly, I'm not a big fan. Makes my wrists sore and I can't stand the heat under the keyboard. But I'll try to get over myself and remember that most of the world doesn't have in-home access to computers, much less the internet. I think I'll survive with one computer.

Einstein's Chacos!

2008-09-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

Jefferson Monument - we almost missed the neat little museum and gift shops below. I also loved the four quotes engraved in the walls surrounding the statue of Jefferson. P and I continue to marvel at how the wisdom of a small group of people several hundred years ago is still alive and functioning well today in an age that must have been virtually unimaginable to them at that time (pun intended, as usual).

Iwo Jima Memorial honoring the United States Marine Corps. This picture doesn't show it, but all the wars and conflicts the Marine Corps has been involved with since its inception are listed on the Monument. We found Nicaragua twice.

The closest we'll ever get to Einstein...We just happened upon this sculpture hidden among some trees as we walked to the Vietnam War Memorial and couldn't resist a few pictures.

I think his sandals might be even more wear & tear resistant than mine, but it's a tough call. I bet he can't send his to Colorado to be resoled and rewebbed in 5 business days!

Some info on Venezuela

2008-08-30T17:02:00.000-07:00

Here are some interesting links for more information on our home-to-be:

I'm trying to read a book on Venezuela every week. So far so good...but I only started last week. This week is a bio on Chávez, so maybe I'll be able to keep it up for a second week.

Other than that, P and I have been pretty boring of late. We're working hard to stay on top of all the preparation details, and I am doing my darndest to finally make some headway on my thesis. The folks at the local library are going to see me often over the next month or so!

It's over!

2008-08-23T07:16:00.000-07:00

A-100 is finally over. It's kind of like a semester of school - you think it's never going to end, but then somehow it sneaks up on you and finishes in the blink of an eye. These last 7 weeks felt just like that. With our swearing in ceremony yesterday, it was officially over. I start western hemisphere area studies on Monday for a couple weeks, followed by some security and emergency medical training, then by the consular course. All done at the end of October, then off to Caracas in early November!

Here's a pic of P and me at the swearing in ceremony yesterday.

Can't wait for Caracas!

2008-08-16T11:22:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from Flag Day. P was in attendance along with one of our former FFYP staff members from CSB. I was thrilled that she was able to attend!

A personal note about Flag Day and Caracas...There were many posts on our bid list, and we had to rank all of them high, medium, or low. We also attached a narrative, but it is considered a general explanation of our ranking system and any personal needs. We were not asked to rank posts in any numerical order, but for P and I, Caracas was our #1. To be honest, we didn't really even consider it a possibility because lots of people ranked it high and there was a great need for people in Mexico. We had prepared ourselves for Mexico (which would have been absolutely fine!), but we didn't even dream about Caracas because it was such a long shot (only two positions open, only one of them "now" - meaning for a person who doesn't have to learn Spanish). When Ambassador DiLisi said my name after holding up the Venezuelan flag, I was both stunned and elated! I wasn't even that nervous because I didn't consider it a real possibility! I am thrilled to report that my classmates also seem very satisfied with their posts and that the folks who do the assignments were miraculously able to make all of us happy. (We all were posted to places we'd ranked high.)

Headed to Venezuela!!

2008-08-15T16:56:00.000-07:00

The verdict is in! P and I will be headed to Caracas, Venezuela, for two years starting in November! We are ecstatic! More thoughts and pictures from the Flag Day ceremony tomorrow...P and I are going to celebrate tonight!

Close to the nexus of power

2008-08-01T15:45:00.000-07:00

To say I have learned a great deal over these past seven weeks would be a vast understatement. While I'm enjoying the introduction to the intricacies of the DOS, I have been struck by what it means to live in the DC area and work for the government. This is really where it all happens, folks. In MN, I would read about Congress working on this or that legislation, big shot politician X giving a press conference, or the work of lobbyists on the Hill. Here it happens right next door. In fact, we've had the opportunity to meet and hear from some of the main actors on the foreign policy stage. That has really put a human face on government for me. It is actually people who make things happen, not some nebulous "them" that never really feels like a human being when viewed (or read about) from afar.

I have recognized in a much more real way why political agendas are rarely accomplished in full. Our government is limited by its type. Democracy is messy and slow. For the moment, I think I can be a little more patient, considering the alternative. (A dictatorship would be so much easier, wouldn't it? Scary, huh?) Democracy in the U.S. often translates into the best that the two parties can agree on, not necessarily the best plan overall. The other option is nothing (which clearly happens sometimes as well, e.g. immigration). The thing that I still find most troubling is that Congresspeople have the opportunity to put so many unrelated pieces of legislation in one bill...it's an easy way to hold things up or distribute resources inappropriately.

It also has become clear that foreign policy is much more complicated than it seems, and that most of the public never gets all the details (before or after the fact). Foreign policy often depends greatly on domestic policy and politics, even when they may seem completely unrelated. (For example, if you don't support my bill on X, I won't support your policy in Y country.) I'm still not sure what all these nuances mean, but I am beginning to appreciate the process, however painful, a bit more.

On a more social level, I am still adjusting to being around 90 adults every day. I have not ever worked with this many post-college adults. I miss my students - all of them! It feels a little strange not to have all the socio-emotional drama of working with high school kids. It also feels a little empty not to be surrounded by the energy, creativity, idealism, and enthusiasm of college students. I'm confident, though, that my experience with so many amazing young people gives me a very unique perspective in the Foreign Service. The lessons all the young folks in my life have taught me are some that cannot be learned in any other venue. It's strange preparation for diplomatic work, but I think it'll do!

Friday, August 15, at about 3:00 p.m. EST is the moment we've all been waiting for...Check back to see where P, Che, and I will be headed for the next two years!

INFJ & other tidbits

2008-08-01T15:08:00.000-07:00

So of course, we had to do the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as part of orientation. Thus, I am kindly reminded that I am an introvert. Thanks. As if I wasn't glaringly aware of that as I make a valiant (and exhausting!) effort to interact with 90+ other adults on a daily basis. I was, however, thrilled to note in some of the literature that my type (INFJ) is noted for being "inspiring leaders." That is certainly something I aspire to be! Every time I do one of these personality tests, I feel a little naked. How can they know these private things about me??!! Those are my secrets! As an INFJ, I find that doing this type of thing always makes me a bit hypersensitive for awhile. I start to analyze the minutia of my interactions with others and my way of being in the world. And I question whether or not I'm doing it right, and I am often quite hard on myself...which may or may not be warranted but is not really fun.

Most of our orientation consists of sitting in a classroom that is not really big enough for all of us and listening to a variety of speakers giving us briefings about anything and everything related to the Department of State, the Foreign Service, and FS life. Last week, however, we went on our "off site" to West Virginia. For about two days, we worked in smaller groups and did leadership and teambuilding challenges. Aside from being away from my husband, I was in heaven! Finally, an opportunity to interact in smaller groups and really feel like I was contributing something! It was really fun, and some of the teambuilding challenges were incredible. (I've been thinking about how to write them up and send them back to FFYP, but they're pretty high tech and complicated. We'll see if I can figure something out.) It was a wonderful experience, and the weather in WV was fantastic!

This week, then, has been a bit harsh. Back to the too small classroom. Back to the lectures. Seemed a little cruel after the fun and usefulness of last week. This week's lessons, though, have really put living here in DC and working with the Foreign Service into a different perspective for me. I will comment on that in a different post, so check back!

Other important notes: P found a job! It's a bilingual customer service position with a large waste management company. He starts on Monday. He's also "this close" to being enrolled at American Public University (AKA American Military University). They have an online political science program and have worked with many of our military comrades who are posted abroad, so they have a very well-established system. He should be good to go next week.

Che has also made his first-ever trip to a dog park! It's a few blocks from our apartment, so we'll be going regularly. He had a great time playing, and we really had fun being in a place where people love it if you pet their dogs and are happy to spend and entire conversation talking about their four-legged family members! Oh, and Che also figured out how to open the sliding door to the shoe/coat closet and feasted on an extra heart worm pill. Hmmm...

DC Pics!

2008-07-26T18:54:00.000-07:00

We definitely enjoyed the 3-D Imax features last weekend at the Museum of Natural History. The live bug exhibit was also interesting until P did the tarantula thing on me (as we were looking at the tarantula) and both scared the crap out of me and made me feel like bugs were crawling on me for the rest of the day. I wasn't so interested in all the bones, but I did really enjoy the gems and rocks. The Hope diamond wasn't as impressive as I'd hoped, but the other gems and their unpolished forms were really something else. Colors that you wouldn't believe. Nature is quite creative! I guess I got a little too excited...P quickly directed me out of that exhibit when I commented that I thought I was in need of some more jewelry.

I've also added Che's lovely pause from an intense game of tug-of-war to pose for the camera. It was pretty entertaining to watch him do the same thing time and again as I shot pictures.

After said tug-of-war this morning, we headed into DC to the National Gallery of Art. I don't think we even saw half of what was in one of the two buildings, so we'll have to go back sometime. It was really incredible to see the original works of people I've only read about and experience so much art from all over the world. My favorite "piece" was a series of small bust sculptures parodying the French parliament of long ago. It was really a risk for the artist to put his caricature work in the public eye during that time period, but even today, they are quite funny. I also enjoyed the little bit of Gorilla Girls art representing some of the gender issues in the art world (google it, if you dare!).

When our brains could not appropriately digest any more art, we headed a few blocks up the mall to the Capitol. It's quite the site. Apparently our entire class will have the chance to tour it sometime in the next couple weeks. I'm looking forward to that!

Walking to beat MS!

2008-07-26T07:01:00.001-07:00

Talk about amazing friends! Every September, a group of my mom's friends spends three days walking 50 miles to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Why? Because someone they (and I!) love struggles with MS every single day. This disease seems to have targeted our family: my mom and several of her sisters have been battling it for years. For all people with MS and their families, this means dealing with the varied physical, mental, and emotional hardships of the disease. For my mom, it also means giving herself weekly injections that have yucky side effects and leave her sick for the following 12-24 hours. She never complains, but wouldn't it be better if we could find a cure??!!

If you are a friend of the family and have received a letter (or email) from my mom, but haven't donated yet, please consider doing so. If you are a friend of mine and are interested in supporting the cause, I encourage you to donate to the MS Society. More likely than not, you know someone who is struggling with MS or someone who will be diagnosed in the future.

The MS Society is the primary funder of medical research in this area and also provides tremendous support and resources for the individuals and families struggling with this disease. The overall donation goal for this year's Twin Cities walk - $750,000 - is far from being met. Anything from $5 to $500 helps. Check out my mom's team (and my mom in a grass skirt at last year's walk!) by clicking here. You can make a donation or simply learn more about the disease and efforts for a cure using the links on the web page.

Thank you to the entire JOURNEY WITH JAN team for their efforts again this year!

We remembered...

2008-07-15T17:10:00.001-07:00

...our cameras the second time around. Here's a pic of M and me!

Old Friends

2008-07-10T17:23:00.000-07:00

Old, old, old friends. And I do mean old. Not really speaking of age, though, just time we've known each other. M and I have known each other since we were 5 years old. (That's 23.5 years, to be precise.) We spent 9 years of Catholic grade school together in the northern suburbs of St. Paul. We played sports together. We were nerdy together. We went to the same mass every Sunday, and our families often shared breakfast at the local Hardee's afterward.

Well, we've both become absolutely smitten with traveling the world in a capacity that utilizes our skills and does our very best to make a difference - her in the health field and me in the political/diplomatic realm. This being an incredibly small world, both of us young women from the same small suburb of St. Paul and the same even smaller grade school found ourselves in training in DC at the same time. So of course we had to meet for dinner. (And we both managed to forget our cameras! Can you believe it?!)

We dined at Thaiphoon (you had to know I would love the name!!!!) in Dupont Square last night. Poor P. He just listened patiently as we caught up. I think he could tell that we were having one of those moments. (A consecutive series of moments, I guess.) Every time I see M, it is wonderful. She's always been a wonderful person - incredibly driven, talented, compassionate and kind. Seeing her makes my soul feel good. It doesn't happen very often - only every few years - but every time we are able to get together, I feel so extremely proud of where we have come from, where we are now, and where we are headed. Who would have known that two little girls from the same MN town and school would be sitting in a Thai restaurant in DC, more than 23 years later, discussing M's upcoming year in Tanzania and my impending move to wherever the government sends me???!!!

Thanks, M. This has been a big week for me, but seeing you was definitely the highlight! (And we'll have to get together again for the picture...Here in DC or somewhere else in the world!)

Fun times on the East Coast!

2008-07-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

People seem to drive really nice cars here. I've hardly seen any rust at all. It's quite incredible. They must not need much salt on the streets in the winter. Whatsmore, makes that are rarely seen in MN and definitely reserved for the wealthy (e.g. Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar, and some makes I don't even recognize) seem outrageously commonplace by comparison. Could be that there are simply more wealthy people here...but I'm not convinced that that's the primary reason and I haven't been here long enough to know for sure.

There's lots of Salvadoran and Peruvian cuisine within a couple miles (even blocks!!) of our apartment. YUM! We had a breakfast from heaven the other day: plátanos fritos, queso, frijoles molidos, huevos, aguacate, crema centroamericana y tortillas hechas a mano con frescos naturales (tamarindo y mariñón). There are people from all over the world here, but in particular there is a huge Latino community along with many Asian folks (seems like mostly southeast Asian, but again, it's too early to know the community well).

We didn't make it to the fireworks on the 4th due to the rain, but we spent most of the sunny 3rd seeing some of the sights. We didn't even try to take it all in because we'll be here for awhile, but we saw the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial, and the Washington Monument (Forrest! Forrest! / Jenny?! Jenny?!). The World War II Memorial was my favorite. Well, that and reading Lincoln's words on the walls of his memorial. I didn't expect the historical sightseeing to be very emotional, but I found myself very moved at both those monuments. They were a strangely perfect combination of sadness, hope, tragedy and beauty. I've included some pics somewhere in this post (they keep moving around on me, so I'm not quite sure where they're going to show up.

Monday was the first day of A-100 (i.e. Foreign Service orientation). It was wonderful! There's a lot of information to take in, and just being part of this new endeavor is a bit overwhelming, but it was SOOOOO exciting to be there. My classmates are incredibly talented and accomplished men and women from all sorts of personal, professional and academic backgrounds. I have already met several women about my age married or significantly attached to Latino men, and most of our other halves have met as well. Cross-cultural marriage seems to be more the rule than the exception with folks in the FS, though, so I have high hopes for the friendships to be made, regardless of husband origin. ;-)

Today (Tuesday) P was able to visit the Foreign Service Institute and meet with other family members. He'll go tomorrow, too. We spent some time today researching possible posts. They gave us the list yesterday afternoon, and there are lots of Latin American posts (no Brazil - bummer!), so most of those will be high on our list. We'll keep researching this week and meet with the powers that be next week...but won't find out where we're going until mid August. It will be tough to wait!

To close, here's a picture of me all dressed up on Monday morning. (I wore a suit jacket, too, as required, but that picture didn't turn out.) A big thanks to S and R for helping me find suitable (I love puns!!) clothes!

Arrival

2008-07-02T08:52:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Falls Church early yesterday evening. I had checked out our apartment complex on the internet and liked what I saw, but I made sure not to get my hopes up. Turns out that their website is accurate. Everything looks just like the pictures, and our apartment is actually bigger than I expected. Thus, instead of taking my own pictures, I'm just linking to the website so you can look at them if you want. Watch the video link to the left of the pictures, too, and see if you can pick out my favorite descriptive phrase!

DC or bust!

2008-07-01T06:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our move. We left MN on Sunday, stayed with my grandpa in IL that night, and are currently at a pet-friendly Holiday Inn in PA. We'll arrive in VA this afternoon! (I also must note that the Ohio turnpike is awesome - definitely worth the $10.25 from one edge of Ohio to the other. For good fun, nice scenery, and a very smooth ride, try it sometime.)

Move out of house, check.

2008-06-26T06:58:00.000-07:00

Call insurance company, check. Get rid of copious amounts of garbage, check. Check, check, check. It feels good to check things off my list...and see that there is very little left to do besides drive out to D.C. Just a short time ago, I wasn't really convinced that everything would get done. With the amazing help of my superwoman mother, P and I were able to get everything done even faster than we had hoped.

The packers came on Tuesday and had everything packed and loaded before noon. All we had to do was sit on the front lawn, enjoy the sun and some pop (diet, of course!), and answer questions from time to time. My mom felt like she should be helping them. I would have expected the same sentiment from me, but it was strangely absent. Probably because I HATE packing and I am just so thrilled that someone was doing most of it for us! And I guess it helps that they were getting paid and I was not.

We spent Tuesday afternoon cleaning and then enjoyed some delicious Famous Dave's followed by a refreshing dip in the local Holiday Inn's pool and hot tub. On Wednesday, we finished packing the cars and had the carpets cleaned. Then we left. BIG CHECK.

Now we're ready to enjoy a few days with the fam. On Sunday morning, we're off!

The New Do!

2008-06-19T06:19:00.000-07:00

BEFORE...AHHH!

AFTER...WOW!

It's kind of like one of those magazine pages advertising some "amazing" product. :-) (In this case I guess the product would be Ella at Michelle Kenric's salon.) I'm very pleased!

The Cutting of Hair

2008-06-16T20:20:00.000-07:00

My friends and colleagues know that I'm not one for fancy stuff. I don't wear much make-up and I spend about 10 minutes getting ready on the average morning. (I have more useful ways to spend my time, thank you very much. Plus, as my grade school gym teacher once said, "I don't have to look at myself all day...") My wonderful students always ask me what's going on when I dress up (like today, when I wore slacks and heels for no great reason other than trying out my new shoes). It throws them off a bit because they all know that I think uniforms are the best thing ever. Really. I'm not kidding about that. Especially when they consist of a red FFYP t-shirt and jeans. (Although the old HM skirt and oxford weren't really that bad.)

But I digress. This post isn't about clothes, it's about hair. My hair has officially gotten too long. It is annoying the hell out of me. It's everywhere. Driving me nuts. I'm not really sure at what length it hits the too long threshold, but it is definitely there. New job to the rescue! I am getting it cut tomorrow at the expensive salon here in town. I can't remember the last time I spent more than $15 on a hair cut. Probably never. The "less experienced" stylists at this salon start at $35. I chose a mid-level lady, so god only knows how much that will cost. I'm trying not to care about the cost, though. It will be worth every cent if she can give me a new "do" that is not too long, not too short, doesn't get in my eyes, is easy to take care of (I'm willing to add another 5 minutes or so to my daily beauty regimen), and always looks fantastic. (That's not too much to ask, is it?) I have high hopes!

The Upside of Leaving

2008-06-15T14:43:00.000-07:00

Leaving is hard. Getting ready to leave is hard. Saying good-bye is hard. On the upside, however, I have had or will have the opportunity to see many of my favorite people in the span of about four weeks. I'm usually lucky if that happens in a span of about a year. Nevermind that I will not see many of them again anytime soon (and frankly, may never see some of them again). Despite a few teary good-byes, I have thoroughly enjoyed the socialness of the closing of this current chapter of my life. It's good to spend good time with good people.

Do keep in mind, though, that I have not had to say good-bye to my parents or siblings or my very best (female) friend in the whole wide world (Dr. K!), so perhaps I am premature in making these claims.

On a sort of related note, my dear friend C, a talented photographer, has decided to gift us couples photos as a going away present. P and I have new clothes to wear for the occasion. (My incredible hubby drove me all over town this morning so I could try on no less than half a million shirts and then purchase capris when I really needed a shirt. Then he took me to one last store and I found the "one"!) I can't begin to describe how excited I am. I can't stop thinking about it. Little did C know, we have never had professional photos taken of us, not even at our wedding. (It was a small and simple affair.) I have enjoyed many of her photos, and I love her creativity. Her unique perspective shines through the lens. Did I mention how excited I am?! I have been trying to pamper myself a bit amidst the stress of all of this moving stuff - pedicure looks fantastic, massage felt great in the moment (but now hurts like hell), and my first-ever expensive haircut is on Tuesday - so the timing couldn't be more perfect. Hopefully I will look my best! (I'm not worried about P. He always looks good!) I may even take the plunge and post some photos on this blog...

[I have added C's website to my favorites, so check it out. Her wedding photos are particularly awesome. She also has a cool program where you can sponsor a low-income high school senior so they can get their senior pictures taken for free or reduced cost.]

Mariposas

2008-06-07T19:28:00.000-07:00

Mariposas is the Spanish term for butterflies. As in those beautiful little insects that have a tendency to wow us all and remind us of nature's amazingness, no matter how old we get. Also as in that feeling in your stomach when you are nervous or excited (or both). The word has the same double function in both English and Spanish. P and I have had talked about this new experience of having "mariposas" almost constantly. Unfortunately, it is easily mistaken for nausea when it is so continuous. That being said, I've felt butterflyingly nauseous for the past two weeks. If you click here, you'll see an image that seems pretty indicative of mis mariposas - a mix of lots and lots of beautiful to create a bit of chaos.

Hello, world...Here we come!

2008-05-28T21:28:00.001-07:00

I haven't blogged in awhile. Things have been CRAZY. But I have an excuse in the form of some really big news: just last week I was offered an appointment as a Junior Officer in the U.S. Foreign Service! After nearly a year of taking tests and fulfilling clearance requirements, I knew that this was coming sometime in the next twelve months or so, but I was caught completely off guard that it happened so soon. My name was only put on the register at the end of April, so I thought maybe I'd get an offer for January.

Then the government surprised the hell out of me and actually did something quickly. I start July 7 in Washington, D.C. Yikes! That's only a little over a month to get ready. Both P and I will finish up at our current positions on June 17, spend a long weekend with the extended family in the Cities, and then get packed up and head out. Luckily we have our housing squared away already and we aren't even allowed to pack up our own stuff. (Thank you, Department of State! I have always HATED packing.) Most of our things will go into storage until we are posted abroad. Our apartment in Virginia is furnished, so we'll just take clothes and a few other things to make it feel as much like a home as possible.

We will likely be in the D.C. area for 10-12 months, although it could be shorter than that if I am assigned to a Spanish-speaking country. After I go through all the training I need, we'll be posted abroad. I have no idea where, and I don't really know what I'll be doing. Technically, I could be sent anywhere in the world, but there is a bidding process involved with post assignment, so I will have some say in where I end up. (Currently on my dream list are Brazil, Chile, Panama, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cuba, Tanzania, and Trinidad & Tobago.) More than likely, I'll spend my first tour doing consular work (read: processing visas and dealing with U.S. citizens living in the country in which I'm posted). After that, I hope to do more work in public diplomacy which is my track of the Foreign Service.

It will be very hard to leave my current job. I can't even begin to describe what I've learned and how I've grown personally and professionally as Director of Fast Forward. It is quite emotional to think about leaving the high school and college students who have become such an important part of my life. At the same time, though, I am extremely excited to begin this new career, and I know that the timing isn't perfect, but it is right. I have always dreamed of living and working abroad, and the opportunity to do that in a diplomatic capacity (go peace studies!) is quite an honor.

I will most likely use this blog as a place for updates about where we are and where we're headed, so I hope you'll check back from time to time. I may also break down and join Facebook (gasp!) since that seems to be a great way to share pictures and short updates (even though I'm not one for short). We'll see. For now, I'm just trying to soak up the excitement of it all and keep the feelings of being overwhelmed at bay!

Why is May money month?

2008-05-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

Like the alliteration in the title? Good ol' literary devices. Gotta love 'em.

Anyway, it has happened again. I don't know why I don't expect this every year. Because it has happened every year since we have been married. I'm pretty sure that more money is paid out of all our various bank accounts during May than any other month of the year, even gift-crazy December. It all starts with the car insurance due date on May 12 and heads downhill from there.

Somehow, every May we have loads of medical bills. We never go to the doctor in May, but the bills for all the visits made during February and March (which have somehow become our annual doctor months - we're pretty healthy the rest of the year) seem to magically appear in late April, to be paid out in May.

At least one car also needs fixing every May. Like clockwork. Good-bye stimulus money! Use it to pay down debts -ha! Might as well have signed it right over to Ford from the get-go. (Although the Escape [pronounced in Spanish like in Finding Nemo because it's funnier] is now braking like a gem once again, so I can't complain too much.)

Then there are graduations and Mother's Days (plural because Mother's Day is a different date in Nicaragua). This is the money I like to spend. In fact, I'd like to spend or give away more of it, but it always feels somewhat limited by all the other May expenses. So sorry moms and graduates! If only they would move Mother's Day to July and graduations to October. Those months tend to be a little less expensive, hence better gifts. Plus, one can find lots of great things at garage sales and thus save a bundle. (I don't mean find the gifts at garage sales...just free up more money for gifts by shopping for other things at garage sales.)

After that, there is summer tuition. Not much explanation needed there.

Of course, the additional expense (and probably not absolutely necessary, except for the generous contribution to our general sanity and mental health) is our annual May mini-vacation. This is our treat to ourselves for making it through another school year. This year's destination is Duluth. According to the internet, we have found a great hotel with a view of the lake, right in the downtown area, within walking distance to Canal Park. (The website is a bit shabby, but the hotel sounds great and the few pictures they have seem nice, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.) We've never been to Duluth for longer than a few hours, so it should be lots of fun.

Maybe we'll even be able to forget momentarily that May is money month.

And the brain turns to mush...

2008-05-04T13:35:00.001-07:00

I work in higher education. The schedule in HIED is go, go, go, then stop abruptly. Go, go, go, then stop abruptly again. Relax somewhat over the summer, regain as much of your sanity as possible, then start the cycle all over. We just arrived at the final "stop abruptly" phase for this school year, so I am trying to ready myself for what I know happens next: the brain turns to mush for a week or two.

After spending the entire year making both mental and physical lists of things to do over summer break, I will struggle to get started, despite having copious amounts of time for precisely such things. It turns out that the mind has a real hard time handling the transition between overdrive and plenty of time. When there's no middle ground, it tends to shut down.

So I am both dreading and looking forward to these next couple weeks. The dread stems from the guilt I will likely feel about my lack of productiveness. The excitement flows from the hope that I will not need to use my beauty sleep to dream of solutions to issues at work or minute details that must be taken care of immediately the next morning...and that I will be able to give my tasks the time the really deserve.

Maybe after about 5 years of professional work with this type of schedule, this year will be different. Perhaps I will figure out a way to avoid the mush syndrome. Wish me luck!

El Ché

2008-05-03T12:51:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me well knows that I adore my dog. Since I don't have kids, I talk about him a with absurd regularity. I guess he's an easy topic because he's had a pretty dramatic dog life and is almost always dealing with some sort of malady. The latest news, however, is a little more upbeat: I am very happy to report that we passed our final obedience exam with flying colors!

Che learned a whole bunch of helpful new tricks, but I think the most important part of training was that I gained greater confidence in teaching him and dealing with him. I learned what to do if he is not listening to me and how to deal with some of the other behavioral issues common in dogs of his size (quite large) and temperament (over-the-top friendly).

I've gained so much confidence in this area that I'm bugging P about getting another dog so that Che has a live-in friend. P thinks I'm crazy, which may be true, but am still open to the idea. I'm not sure that I'm going to convince him. We'll see. Lots of people have two dogs and it works out just fine...

The New Age of TV

2008-04-19T19:28:00.000-07:00

We don't get any TV reception here in our semi-rural town, and we don't have cable. However, lest you feel sorry for us, know that we have two things that have turned out to be even better: a subscription to Netflix and full episodes of our favorite shows online (free and with less commercials). I'm not a huge TV fan in general as I get bored very easily (too much reading as a child, I guess), but there are three shows that I have come to watch pretty religiously over the past year or so. Of course, I started with Ugly Betty because I enjoyed the original Colombian version upon which it is based (Betty la fea). I was super excited to see Latin@s in mainstream TV and wanted to see how that was going to play out. Plus I love a good comedy, and Ugly Betty makes me laugh. A lot. After that we saw some clips of The Office on You Tube, liked them, and proceeded to catch up on the three previous seasons. (Yes, we are attracted to shows with almost painful degrees of hyperbole.) Recently, after numerous recommendations, we decided to try HBO's The Wire as well. We're on season two and can't get enough. I think we've watched up to four one-hour episodes at a time, maybe more. I find myself feeling highly annoyed when the episodes on a given DVD end. It's exactly how I felt as I neared the end of every Harry Potter book - I wanted to slow my reading down so that it wouldn't end because I was so drawn in to the story.

I don't consider myself a great - or even good - critic of TV or cinema. I am not one of those people that feels a desire to gain something meaningful from every film I see. I like to be entertained, and I like to laugh. I don't want to have to think too hard. I do that enough during any given day. Most TV and movies are like siesta time for my brain, and I've come to terms with that. I used to think that as an "intellectual being" I should analyze any form of media that took up any portion of my time. I am now older and wiser. I am choosing not to spend my mental time that way.

So if you need a brain siesta like me, check out my two hyperbolous faves. The Wire is a lot heavier with much graver implications (okay, you got me...I can't help but analyze that one), but it's absolutely entertaining in its own right.

Snow on April 10 and other surrealities

2008-04-10T18:48:00.000-07:00

My tolerance for snow officially ends on April 1 of any given year. I'm usually pretty tired of it before then, but I'll put up with it without much more than the usual Minnesotan complaints. We are now 10 days past my snow threshold and I am ready to move south. Permanently.

The weather has had severe PMS lately and cannot decide what it wants. I think it needs a hot bath (the key word being hot) to help itself, and everyone else suffering through its mood swings, feel a whole lot better. Or maybe it needs a good mojito - warm and tingly with a hint of freshness in every swig - to be convinced that it really is time for spring.

The surreality of this disruptive snowstorm in what is almost the middle of April has made me think about other things surreal. Like celebrities. (It's an obvious connection, isn't it?) I was checking out people.com today (it's one of my daily "news" magazines, right up there with the NY Times, the Pioneer Press, La Prensa, and the St. Cloud Times...similar quality reporting, I know) and thought, yet again, that the idea that any celebrity is "normal" (aren't they always saying that in those "serious" interviews they do?) is really quite absurd. Who has the opportunity to spend most of their days shopping at expensive boutiques and restaurant (or club) hopping? In the middle of the week? Who can wear those insanely strange and ugly sunglasses with leggings and hideous tops and somehow be referred to as fashionable? My idea of fashion is, admittedly, a nice pair of jeans and a comfy sweatshirt, but I do know silly-looking when I see it. For the rest of us, I think these celebrity folks live in what we, somewhere in our subconscious, consider to be a continuous movie. I wonder if it feels like a movie all the time for them, too...especially with all the picture-taking every time they leave their mansions.

Having babies. That's next on my surreal list. Maybe I should rephrase that: my friends having babies, or consciously trying to have babies. I had the wonderful chance to see my good friend R and her beautiful newborn a couple weekends ago. She lives in another state, so I did not witness any of her pregnancy (except the very first part when she didn't know that she was with child). Despite this fact, it felt absolutely natural to see her with her baby boy, but surreal at the same time...because I don't feel old enough or ready to have kids, but lots of people around me who are the same age and maturity level as me are either starting their families or trying. And P and I have been married longer than almost all of our friends. It's certainly not that we're attached to our wild and crazy childless lifestyle. It's more like we're just not ready, for a wide variety of reasons. So it feels surreal that other people, who seem like they are kinda like us, are indeed ready to be parents.

Updates

2008-04-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

Since I don't have any mini-essay brewing in my head today, I thought I would simply post some updates. Perhaps the ol' mind isn't in overdrive today because I wrote enough for several months (or years) yesterday and the day before. Or because I'm not feeling the constant pangs of guilt associated with my thesis because I HANDED IN THE DRAFT YESTERDAY! Yes, that's right - YEA ME! Yesterday at about 6:00 p.m. I slid that beast of three thesis chapters under my adviser's door. I have no idea what she will say, but I am thrilled to have it out of my hands for awhile.

My foot size hasn't changed, but the Adidas were a good fit (pun intended). No more foot tingling at the gym for me!

The new vegetable-eating lifestyle has been going very well. I was totally being dramatic last week. I've been experimenting with avoiding oil when cooking meat as well and must say that the resulting sauces have been scrum (Aunt M's favorite food adjective).

I still have not received my MPR water bottle. I'm feeling a little annoyed, despite the fact that I have enough water bottles for every room in the house...and my office. Not quite sure why I chose the water bottle as my "free" ($6.00 for shipping and handling - hmmm...) gift.

Ché and I are thoroughly enjoying dog training, and he's really coming along. His new tricks are looking, touching, and waiting. We're also working hard on heeling, his least favorite. He got a good laugh out of the trainer on Wednesday when he repeatedly stopped to pick up his leash during a wait and come exercise. (He's never liked to run with a dragging leash. Who would?) I am feeling much more confident that I know how to correct negative behavior. I'm pretty sure we will take the next set of classes as well.

Still plugging away on translations, but no new plans to expand the business at the moment. It's really appealing to P as he hates his job, but he would need a lot of practice with the actual translation portion (not just editing) before he could make it a viable option.

More soon!

Otro(s) mundo(s)

2008-04-02T19:45:00.000-07:00

Me acuerdo que cuando tenía aproximadamente 15 años, escribí un ensayo acerca de las ventajas de aprender otro idioma y experimentar otras culturas. Creo que las describí principalmente como una ventana o una puerta a otro mundo. Cuando pienso en mi sabiduría a tan sólo los 15 años me quedo asombrada. ¿Cómo podía haber entendido eso a esa edad tan joven y sin saber nada de otras culturas? No soy así de sabia a los 28 años. Pero tenía toda la razón a los 15.

Desde chiquita quería aprender a hablar fluidamente el castellano. No era cuestión de aprenderlo o no sino de cuando y cómo. Durante muchos años llevé conmigo ese deseo de conocer otra cultura íntimamente. He tenido la suerte de poder lograr esa meta temprano en la vida. Mi descripción en ese ensayo juvenil es increíblemente cierta; a pesar de terminar casi una maestría y tener ahora el vocabulario de dos lenguas, hoy en día no podría pintar una imagen más apropiada.

A veces pienso que he aprendido a funcionar en dos mundos y medio: la cultura en la cual crecí, la cultura nicaragüense y por cierta extensión la latinoamericana, y la cultura mezclada gringa-latina que encontramos en los Estados Unidos (también cariñosamente llamada la cultura del espanglish). Son tres culturas muy distintas y me ofrecen una gran oportunidad de ver al mundo desde varios puntos de vista.

Por ejemplo, mis padres y la mayoría de mis amigos sienten “love” porque solamente lo conocen en inglés. Además de conocer el “love,” yo “quiero,” yo “amo” y las cosas “me dan gusto.” Mi ser siente una gran diferencia entre los cuatro términos y nunca podré regresar al mundo en el cual solamente “love” existe.

Lo comparo al proceso de aprender a leer: una vez que sabés leer nunca podés dejar de hacerlo. Una vez que abrís la ventana/puerta a otro mundo de esta manera, tomando el paso muy en serio y dedicándote a comprender lo bueno, lo malo, lo sencillo y lo complejo, ya no la podés cerrar.

Tengo casi una década de poderme comunicar con facilidad en español e interactuar con confianza dentro de la mayoría de las culturas latinas, pero todavía no me acostumbro totalmente a la paradoja de poder funcionar de esta forma, de poder moverme entre los dos mundos y medio sin demasiados problemas. A mí me parece normal porque esto es mi vida y conozco a muchas personas quienes también tienen que (a fuerzas o por elección suya) poder hacer lo mismo. Al mismo tiempo, estoy rodeada diariamente por gente quien no tiene ni idea lo que significa vivir así. Vive en un solo mundo. Sólo tiene una vía por el cual acercarse a las grandes preguntas y los problemas más importantes de la vida, los cuales existen más allá de cualquier cultura pero se resuelven distintamente.

Sabiendo esto de experiencia propia, ahora me pregunto: “¿Qué estoy perdiendo en este mundo porque solamente hablo dos idiomas y medio?” Creo que ya toca abrir otra puerta…

Food Grief

2008-03-29T17:14:00.001-07:00

I'm grieving. For food. Sounds silly, I know. But tomorrow I start a diet. Or rather, "a new way of living" or some stupid motto like that. Today, I'm sad because starting tomorrow, it's veggies, veggies, and more veggies. And minuscule portion sizes. It does not sound fun, and I'm not looking forward to it.

I know, however, that I will be fine. Better than fine, actually. Healthier. I love veggies. I really do. It's just that I like sweets and salty stuff, too. I like to eat healthy...but I also like to eat plenty. (What can I say? I'm a pretty good cook! And I don't like to use the low-fat version of most products.) The thought of having to think about what I'm eating all the time really stresses me out...and annoys me to no end.

But so does feeling unhealthy and wondering what happened to my once-semi-svelte figure when I look in the mirror. So here I am. 28 years old, no longer working with the same metabolism I had when I was 20. I have made the decision to "change my eating lifestyle." I am sure that it will not be nearly as bad as I am imagining it to be. But right now it feels pretty darn dramatic.

I have never understood this type of attachment to food, but I have always had it. I like to eat. Food always makes me feel good, at least in the moment. My mom's breads or bars. My granny's oh-so-sweet applesauce. My aunt's pickle, cream cheese and ham hors d'oeuvre. My guacamole. Yum. Good times.

The funny thing is that I've been eating lots more fruit and vegetables over the past couple months, and I've felt really good. I've stayed away from sweets for the most part and limited my salty treats. But since I'm planning to step it all up tomorrow, today I'm grieving...for things that I haven't even been eating! How there can be all this emotion attached to food, I have no idea. I feel absolutely silly, but here I am grieving nonetheless. :-)

Turning off MPR????

2008-03-26T19:51:00.000-07:00

I'll admit it. I'm a talk radio junkie. Not just any talk radio, though, and certainly not the Rush Limbaugh my dad would love me to listen to. MPR. Minnesota Public Radio. Yum. I discovered it after college and have never gone back. (Okay, I guess I have gone back. But only during the oh-so-annoying membership drives twice a year.) I even became a member this year, and I'm very excited to receive my official MPR water bottle for just six extra dollars! It should be here any time now. (P is going to have a good laugh [or something] as I don't think he knows that I joined...)

I should have known that I would be into talk radio. My dad loves talk radio. I listened to sooooooo much of it growing up. But to tell you the truth, I mostly hated it. I didn't mind Rush's ideas as much when I was younger (I do now!), but I couldn't stand his ranting. It was highly agitating and it really stressed me out. And the other hosts weren't much better. WCCO never bothered me, but I don't remember much of it. My parents listened to that was when I was much, much younger. Anyway, here I am, loving talk radio.

That said, I do have a bone to pick with MPR. I am getting pretty darn tired of all of this fatalistic economy talk. It seems that every time I turn on the radio, all I hear is that the economy is headed down the drain with lightening speed and that we're never ever going to sell our house (or we're going to lose a ton of money in the process). While this may be true (although I hope not!), I don't want to hear about it ALL THE TIME! There are lots of great things happening in the world - and even other newsworthy events that are not so great - that would be a much better use of airtime.

My annoyance with the constant coverage of our supposedly ever-worsening economy and the housing debacle is in direct contrast to my all-American belief in the freedom of the press and the absolute necessity for an active, questioning, honest journalism sector. The devil and the angel have been duking it out in my head for the last couple of weeks. (No, I am not sure which represents which.) My gut tells me that the press is giving this "dreadful" economy way too much time. My gut is usually right. (Isn't yours?) It's not that I question the importance of the economy, but I wonder if all this negative coverage does more harm than good. It certainly does absolutely zippo for consumer confidence. But then the angel/devil in my head asks, "Is it the media's job to boost consumer confidence? Wouldn't limiting coverage just make for a dishonest press? Who has the right to control that?" The response that follows goes something like this, "Well, the media is making a bigger deal than necessary out of all of this because they are able to prey on people's fears and therefore attract more listeners/viewers/readers. It's manipulation either way, and it has the potential to make the economy even worse!"

It is at this point in this mental debate that I usually hit the #2 button on my car stereo and find some tunes or mindless "regular" radio banter. I may have to limit my MPR to Click and Clack (Car Talk) until the economic frenzy settles down a bit.

Traducciones

2008-03-23T14:32:00.000-07:00

P and I own a very small translation business called Nicoya Services. Because you just might need an English to Spanish or Spanish to English translation someday, here's my unabashed (and equally uncreative) commercial plug: Email us at nicoya.services@yahoo.com if you need a document translated. We charge a fair price (by the word, not by the hour or by the page) and do solid work.

Now that that's out of the way, I'll continue on to the real reason for my post. I did some minor calculations the other day and figured out that if I spent 25-30 hours per week doing translations, I could make about $20K more than my current salary at my 45+ hour a week job. And that includes at least two weeks of vacation every year. I'm not sure why I hadn't done the math sooner, but I was floored. I did the calculations about five times to make sure I was doing them right.

The thought is enticing. Right now, our business pretty much just funds our trips to Nicaragua to visit P's family every year and a half or so. We spend an average of (maybe) a few hours per week translating. However, I'm not sure that I could spend 25-30 hours per week deciphering technical vocabulary and absurdly complicated legalese in two languages. It can be arduous work and sometimes my eyes start to cross so badly that I start to question if they'll ever get back to normal. But that's usually after a long day at my other job. But the 25-30 hours per week doesn't include advertising or invoicing time. But invoices are pretty quick, so that doesn't mean much. But there are are also major tradeoffs when you own your own business - I'm particularly thinking of insurance costs. But there's tons of flexibility. But I'm not sure that translating could "fill me up" as a person the way that my current and previous positions have. But...

There are lots of "buts" to both sides, and we're really not ready to make this leap right now. For one, I am the one with the training and ability with translating and grammar, but P's the nativeness checker. It takes both of us to make one successful translation. Figuring out that dynamic would be part of the challenge. All of that aside, it is exciting to think about the possibilities for expansion.

I tend to equate more money and fewer hours with greater "freedom," but I wonder if that is really true when you are your own boss. It could just mean that I'm more tied to my work than ever. But then again, I could run a translation business from anywhere on the planet with reliable electrical and internet connections. Hmm...perhaps therein lies the real possibility!

Big feet

2008-03-22T08:55:00.000-07:00

Notice that I did not title this post "big foot" because I do not see myself as any sort of scary monster. I do, however, have unusually large feet for a person of the female sex. To top that off, I have really sensitive feet and am extra picky about my shoes. You probably wouldn't guess that if you saw my shoes (they don't look all that special), but you have no idea how many pairs I tried on to be able to purchase that not-so-special-looking footwear.

Now my husband thinks I'm crazy. My feet are a little tiny bit smaller than his, but we wear the same size shoe because I like them big and he likes them tight. He thinks it's okay for a good pair of shoes to give you blisters until you've broken them in. I hold no such belief. I don't like my feet to hurt. Ever.

The problem is that they often do. I always purchase men's tennis shoes because they don't make the women's variety long enough or wide enough. (Yes, I have tried wide women's tennis shoes. Still too small.) I just bought a new pair and returned them after one trip to the gym. Twenty minutes into my workout on the elliptical machine, my feet were numb despite my toe-wiggling efforts to avoid this phenomenon. Over an hour later, they were still tingling. So the New Balance pair went back to Kohl's. (I have never owned a pair of New Balance shoes, and I had such high hopes. Alas, they were dashed.) I came home with a pair of Adidas. I was vacilating between the Adidas and the NB when I purchased the first time around, so I'm on round two and will try out the Adidas tomorrow. They are wider in the front part of the shoe, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Want to guess my size? Men's 11. Yikes!

Don't even get me started on women's dress shoes. The only place I can buy dress shoes is at Payless. I'm not joking. No one else carries my size. Even at Payless, the selection for women with enormous feet is much less than if I wore, say, a size 8. (Wander over to that section sometime. You'll see what I'm talking about.) And since shoe sizes seem to be getting smaller (I used to wear a women's 11), now that I need a size 12, I'm really limited. I commented as much to the sales lady following me around at Payless one day. (I was the only person in the shop and she seemed really bored, hence the following in a self-serve store.) Her response was, "Well if you put on 15 or 20 pounds, it can affect your shoe size." (Open mouth...insert foot...Did she really want me to purchase shoes from her store with those kinds of comments?) When she saw the look on my face and realized what she had said, she quickly followed up with, "Or if you work standing on your feet all day, your body weight can redistribute itself a bit and affect your feet." At that time, neither of those things applied to me. I had recently lost about 25 pounds (which, unfortunately, I have since regained to no change in my shoe size) and I don't stand up at work all day. So I am led to deduce that what used to be a size 11 is now a size 12. I've also noticed that they now carry some women's 13s at Payless, so that confirms my suspicions even further.

Now don't get the wrong idea. I don't dislike my feet. They've served me well, and I don't think they look funny on me (usually). There's also something to be said for being able to borrow your husband's shoes when needed. I don't think most women can do that! And despite their manly size, my feet can look decidedly feminine with a little nail polish and some sandals. But damn, it's hard to find shoes!

My thesis

2008-03-19T18:41:00.000-07:00

My thesis is (currently) one of my biggest fears. It really is quite ridiculous, but I harbor prodigious quantities of angst, anxiety, chickenheartedness (never heard of that word before today, but it was listed as a synonym for fear on thesaurus.com and it sounds like what I feel), trepidation, and worry regarding my thesis. It is on my mind ALL THE TIME.

My fears are irrational. All I have to do is pass the damn thing. I don't even get a grade. It's pass or fail for the preliminary oral (first three chapters) and pass or fail for the final defense (all five chapters). I know that I will not fail. I just don't do failing work. But I can't find a way to get rid of the crippling fear.

I'm not even sure what I'm afraid of. I guess it's of doing disappointing work. I am also, admittedly, totally intimidated by my advisor. I don't want to disappoint her, but I especially don't want to disappoint myself by doing a crappy job...so that has left me avoiding much of the thesis altogether. I spent more than four hours working on it earlier today, and I had to continuously talk myself into moving foward. I would get excited for a few brief moments and then feel overwhelmed by dispair. Maybe part of the fear is really having no idea when I will be done along with no idea what quality of work I'm producing.

The subject of my thesis is building leadership skills through student employment positions. Anyone who knows me in a professional capacity knows that I am extremely passionate about this (although the amazing students I supervise would probably describe it more like near-insanity). These are college students for goodness sake - they have LOADS of potential, and it just isn't tapped when they're only responsible for making copies, cleaning transparencies, or answering the phone while otherwise sitting on their butts doing homework between menial tasks. Anyway, I have a great deal of knowledge and experience in this area because it is my own little crusade, and I want to make sure that students' potential is well-represented by my thesis. There is relatively little research in this area, so I feel extra pressure to produce a valuable investigation.

But as Dr. K says, "It just needs to be done, not perfect." If I shoot for perfect, it will never get done. So here's to done!

Cuidando los dientes con acento

2008-03-17T17:06:00.000-07:00

My dear hubby has had a toothache on and off for awhile now, and it finally got bad enough for him to actually go in. I guess grimacing at least once every hour because half of your face hurts like hell will cause you to pick up the phone. P wasn't a big fan of our "new" dentist here in St. Joe the last time he went (admittedly, he is a little "different," but I like him), so he decided to call the other dentist office in town. Despite a toothache with a sore face (which usually means that you should be seen within a couple days - it's a semi-emergency in the dental world), the first question dentist office #2 asked him was whether he would be paying in cash or if he had insurance. (Funny, if you don't have an accent, the first question they ask is when you can come in. And then they ask you what kind of insurance you have, not if you have insurance.) He replied that he had insurance and gave the lady the name of the insurance company. Then she told him that they couldn't see him until April. For a serious toothache. (Clearly, they don't want business from people with accents.) He made an appointment. Then he called me, and I was pissed. So I called dentist #1 (who now looked much better) and they got him in within two days and acted apologetic that it was going to take two whole days for him to be seen. Now poor P is in great pain because dentist #1 took out the wisdom tooth that was causing so many problems, but he will be much better within a couple days...and thank goodness he was seen before April!

All that with dentist #2 could just be coincidence, you say. I'm sure it had nothing to do with his accent. That could have happened to anyone. If that is your responce, well, then, I ask you, "Do you have an accent? Do things like this happen to you all the time?" If not, then this is something you should think about. How do you treat people with accents? What assumptions do you make about them when they are your clients or when you speak with them on the phone? Let me tell you this: I'm really tired of perfectly "nice" people being jerks to my husband but coating it with a smile or a pleasant tone of voice to make it seem like they treat everyone this way. Once or twice is perhaps a coincidence, but when something like this happens at least weekly, the collective impact is powerful, painful, unwelcoming, and decidely NOT Minnesota nice.

Competition

2008-03-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

I have been reminded lately that I have some very competitive tendencies. I like to win, and I generally work hard to be highly proficient at most everything I do. This just hit me again the other night on the way home from doggie obedience classes. During the class, I had sized up the "competition" and - even though there is absolutely nothing competitive involved - decided that I would make sure that Ché would be the best trained dog in the whole class at the end of the seven weeks. I had this thought and surge of motivation before I could even realize what was happening. Then I laughed to myself, told P that Ché and I were going to "ganarle a" (beat) everyone else, and turned into the Chipotle parking lot for some yumminess. Sure enough, Ché and I have practiced well over the required 30 minutes per day for the last few days. I like his progress, and I secretly hope that others are practicing...but not as much as us!

When I was much younger, I understood successful competition (winning) to be something that I could have only at the expense of someone else (the idea that there is only one #1 spot to be had, for example). Somewhere along the line, however, I figured out that there was no monopoly on being good at something and that competition to be "peerless" in excellence often led to a great deal of loneliness. I recall a softball game during my junior or senior year of high school. We were a talented team, but we weren't winning this particular game and our coach was furious. He tried to motivate us by saying, with a great deal of exasperation, something simple like, "The game isn't fun if you lose." I very vividly remember that being a "light bulb" moment in my life as I recognized the absolute stupidity of his comment. (One team has to lose every game, right? So does that mean that only one softball team has fun during any given game? That's ridiculous!) I thought about all of the games that my teams had lost during the many years that I had played various types of ball, and I suddenly realized how wrong my coach was. I had had copious amounts of fun just playing. I was lucky to rarely play on terrible teams, but we certainly lost plenty of games over the years. Despite the losses, those experiences, especially softball, were an incredibly joyous, fulfilling, and formative part of my childhood. Sure, I didn't like to lose (no one does), but I had a hell of a time playing.

My students have heard my soap box about competition numerous times. In fact, I pull it out whenever I notice someone who demonstrates a seemingly deep need to be "the best" and in so doing alienates others (and therefore could never really be "the best" anyway). I am pretty sure that I did plenty of this myself when I was younger, and it still flares up from time to time. But I have recognized that it only served to stress me out and separate me from the very people who could, in collaboration, make me better. I work very hard to promote and model teamwork because I have learned that we are each stronger leaders when we recognize and learn from (instead of fearing, envying, or competing with) the leadership skills of others.

So there's my soap box for today. Stepping down now...

Constructive Criticism

2008-03-13T20:35:00.000-07:00

Does constructive criticism ever really feel constructive? I'm pretty sure that the only time it actually feels constructive and does not elicit yucky and uncomfortable emotions is when we solicit it ourselves - i.e. "Please read my essay and give me feedback" or "Please listen to my speech and let me know what I can do to improve." It also seems manageable when received as a group because the responsibility can be spread out over among the members. As individuals, however, especially when we're not expecting it, it kinda stings. Pretty much always. And there are generally two extreme responses: defensiveness or self-blame. After enduring either one of those reactions, it's time to move on. The best response in these surprise constructive criticism situations (after a little bit of time to wallow in one of the aforementioned feelings), I think, is evaluation. What is worthwhile in this criticism? What can I take from this? (The positive side of the self-blame spectrum.) What is objectively not true? What can I leave where it is? (The positive side of the defensiveness spectrum.) I can usually get to this place after at least one night of sleeping terribly and most likely dreaming about whatever I did to deserve the constructive criticism. And then waking up in the middle of the night to call my voicemail at work and leave myself a reminder message about some steps I can take to improve or a new protocol we can use to make some process more effective.

My personal experience with these yucky feelings and the consequent bad sleep (not too often, thank goodness), coupled with the fact that I supervise a talented group of budding young professionals who have a tendency to be hyper-sensitive to any kind of individual criticism, has caused me to spend a great deal of time thinking about how constructive criticism should be packaged. The so-called sandwich approach is dangerous because people tend to hear the delicious Great Harvest bread and not the not-so-appetizing bologna (or PB & pickle for my veg friends). Being too direct, especially with Midwesterners, can be even worse. Then it becomes all about me and what a mean person I am and never even makes it to the self-analysis stage. So what is the answer, you ask? I don't have it. (Read an earlier post - I'm still trying to answer lots of questions, dammit!) But I do think I'm getting closer. Despite the genetically programmed Midwestern response, I do think that being direct is the side of the continuum that is most valuable. Lately, I've tried two things - one, asking about a general situation in which I knew there was a problem, listening to the person tell me about said problem, letting the person constructively criticize him or herself, agreeing with the evaluation, and suggesting (or asking him or her to suggest) some solutions to correct the problem. The second is simply passing along the criticism and then doing major follow-up. This gets the person to the totally uncomfortable place and leaves him or her to suffer for a bit, and then helps him or her move out of it. I must say that I must prefer the former to the latter. The latter can be messy and time-consuming, and people just plain feel bad for awhile. That was never the purpose of constructive criticism, but I guess it is a means to an end. It's a good thing that I am learning to deal with the idea that not everyone has to be happy all the time!

Any suggestions on packaging unsolicited constructive criticism in a way that actually makes it both audible and palatable?

Doggie Training

2008-03-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow night, Ché and I will attend our first doggie training session. A few years late, some of you may say. And it's true. You especially know that if you have ever stayed at our house...because Ché has probably tried to grab your sleeve (especially if you're a man) or eaten at least one of your socks. The thing is, though, that P and I rarely have guests, and for the most part, Ché is really well-behaved with us. In fact, I've never had a dog that didn't run away the first chance he got until Ché came along. (That was an issue with every single dog my family had growing up.) Ché is a good dog, but he lacks some socialization skills. I seem to have the same problem sometimes, so we're going to training. I question who will really be receiving said training - probably more me than him. Regardless, it will be good for us both to get out a bit more.

If I hadn't already won the doggy love war with my beloved P (which, by most accounts, I have), I will definitely win it now. Ché will love me more because every Wednesday evening I will load him in the car (which he now enjoys to no end despite spending the first year and a half of his life puking every time he got in a vehicle), take him to a place with a bunch of other people and dogs (which he can't get enough of, even if his social skills are lacking), give him a ton of treats (yum!), and then load him in the car again. Sounds like a successful strategy for bribing the dog to love me more, doesn't it?!

What the hell am I doing?

2008-03-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered this? Okay, dumb question. Of course you have. I probably wonder this a few...or more...times per day. Usually followed by another question, "Wasn't I supposed to be done asking that question sometime soon after college?" Well, I guess it's still soon after college because I'm still trying to figure out what it all means and where I fit in the big wide world. So here's to continuing the journey of more questions than answers!

Side note: yes, there definitely is such a thing as a stupid question. Whoever said there wasn't was just plain lying and probably didn't spend much time with teenagers or traditional-age college students. However, in case by now you think I'm really mean, I do always tell my students, "It may be a stupid question, but ask it anyway." If it's dumb, they'll figure it out pretty quick...or they'll just see the look on my face.