Guatemala

After flying back to Spain from San Francisco, I had less than 24 hours to unpack my suitcase and then pack it up again, this time going to Guatemala with Miguel.

My mother in law and her sister volunteered to stay with the kids while I went with Miguel on one of his trips. I was excited because it was my first flight with Miguel as one of the pilots in the Airbus 340 and my first visit to Central/South America. Since it was Easter week, a lot of the crew had brought members of their families along. We were to spend two days in Guatemala and then fly to Panama, leave the flight attendents in Panama, pick up another crew and then continue back to Spain. One of the other pilots was Jesus Rosario, a good friend of Miguel´s.

It was an interesting experience. It was recommended that we hire a bus to take us around as a group instead of doing things on our own. We were twenty and we spent the first day climbing up to the lava fields of one of the active volcano (there are 33 volcanos in Guatemala) and then visiting Antigua, the old capital of Guatemala. When we got to the volcano, most of the group went up to the lava on horseback. Miguel and I (plus a couple others) opted to walk. It wasn´t a bad hike, just a bit dusty in some places.

That beer at the bottom certainly tasted good. I have never drunk so much beer in my life. We tried to stay away from anything with ice and of course, tap water. So, what did you order when you went out? Beer. It was called Gallo (which means rooster). It was actually pretty good beer.

Antigua was a surprise. When the Spaniards came to Guatemala, they settled at the base of the volcano, thinking it was only a mountain. After the first mudslide and then a couple of earthquakes, they moved the capital to the current location of Guatemala City (in the late 1800s). The city was abandoned. Only recently (last 40 years) the owners of the stores/houses have come back to bring the city back to life. Now it is UNESCO World Heritage Site. We had lunch at a famous convent and the saw the processions in the city for Semana Santa. The design you see on the ground on the right and on the borders of the walkway on the left are made of sand.

Day Two was a day to relax. Miguel went and met a contact he has at the military base close to the airport. I went into the city with a group of people to a market of local goods. We caught a taxi at the hotel and then caught another one for the trip back. The area around the hotel is safe but we went through some interesing looking neighborhoods... The market was fun and we got back in time for lunch around the hotel. The it was time to pack up the suitcase and go back to Spain.

I had a great time and everyone asks me if I would go back. Maybe some day, but there so many other places I want to visit in Central / South America.....

Madrid-London-Seattle-San Francisco-London-Madrid...without kids!

10 March 2008. It was a beautiful moment. I boarded the plane to Seattle, via Heathrow, with only my green carry on suitcase. I was kid free! I could read my book, watch a movie, sleep and actually eat my meal without having to share my dessert with a kid. It was wonderful!

Miguel was home with the kids and I was on my way to Seattle to celebrate my Mom´s birthday and to attend the Jackson School of International Studies alumni dinner.

The dinner itself was on Friday. My friend, Kara Condon, had snagged us a condo in Seattle for the weekend (friend of her mother´s). The condo was between the Seattle Art Museum and Pike Place Market, a choice location, with a view of Puget Sound and the ferry dock. The dinner that night was a lot of fun. We met up with the other people from our Task Force (which is like a senior thesis) and it seemed that we had just seen each other last week, instead of 13 years ago. Kara gave a wonderful speech and we all enjoyed each other´s company, catching up and laughing about the past.

The next day, Joe Zender, another collegue from our Task Force, brought his boat up from Tacoma, and we spent the afternoon motoring around Lake Union and Lake Washington. It was neat to see the UW from the water, plus we saw the Sleepless in Seattle houseboat. We had a wonderful afternoon and have vowed not to let another 13 years past before we got together again.

On Sunday, I packed my green suitcase again (a bit fuller..) and caught a plane to San Francisco to see my friend Teresa Mulvihill-Talbot. It was great to see her and Fabrice and see her life in San Francisco. An extra plus was that I got to be a tourist in a city that I had visited so long ago. The highlight of the trip was our lunch in Sonoma, which is close to Napa Valley. Teresa rented a convertible and we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge to the wine country to enjoy the weather, each other´s company and the feeling of freedom that a convertible brings.

Teresa and Fabrice were great hosts. I had a relaxing time, just walking around San Francisco, poking around the shops in their neigborhood and enjoying the idle life of just sitting around, doing nothing and talking.

Tuesday came too fast and once again I found myself at an airport, catching a long flight back to Europe (once again painless without kids....) I missed Miguel and my kids, Spain and my life. It is nice to escape and do something different, but nothing beats a hug from a 4 year old who says "I missed you Mama."

The Statue of Liberty at JABY

Yes, it is true. The Statue of Liberty came to Oscar´s school. Twice a month, the parents are encouraged to come and do something with the kids at Oscar´s school, JABY. Some Friday afternoon, we can come and do some songs, put on a puppet show and just enjoy spending time with the kids. My friends Eva and Maite had gone two weeks before dressed up as the class mascots and put on a play for the kids. I kinda got into the spirit and suggested to Miguel that I should go as the Statue of Liberty. My husband has a bit mouth and as soon as I suggested it, he had told Eva and Maite and I was stuck. In reality, I had a good time. When I entered the class and asked them "Do you know who I am" the answer was, "Oscar´s Mama" Ok, so I had to explain a bit about the statue, where it lived, what it represented, etc. Then I divided them into two groups and they did a big puzzle of the USA. Afterwards, they colored a map of the US.

The kids had the best time coloring the maps. They had tons of questions. They wanted to know where Oscar´s Granny and Grandpa lived, where Mickey Mouse lived and where cowboys are from.

After the maps, I taught them the Itsy Bitsy Spider Song. They had the best time with the fingers making the spiders and the action of "washed the spider out". They enjoyed the Pin the Tail on the Donkey and loved the tails that I made with their names on them (they are holding them in the last photo).

Miguel was a huge help and the kids just loved Dani. He had the time of his life. He ran around with the kids and got into everything. I am glad that I did it because it was interesting to see the classroom, the dynamic of the kids and of course, to spend some time with Oscar but boy, it was hard to do especially in a foreign languague.!!

"Blast from the Past" Dia de la Tortilla

3 February 2007 Dia de la Tortilla in Torrejon de Ardoz

It was a beautiful rainy day. We told everyone that we were going, and Tanya had packed a picnic so we loaded up the car and boy did we get wet. Miguel was flying so it was just Tanya and the boys. We met Maite Ramos (our neighbor) and her two boys, Diego and Raul there. After walking around for a bit, we decided that we had had enough rain so we packed up the wet kids, strollers and met back at our house for a proper indoor picnic. Atleast we tried!!

Catching up.....

After a couple hints from family members, I have decided to dedicate a bit of time to update our blog. I really don´t know how to go about this so I guess I will just post the most recent events in our lives and then just insert some "Blast from the Past" posts. Enjoy!

"Blast from the Past" Music class

I guess this isn´t exactly a blast from the past. Every Monday, Dani and I drop Oscar off at school at 930 and then we hit the road to Madrid for our weekly music class at the American Women´s Club. We started the music classes in September 2007. (I felt so guilty because I had not gone to any playgroups for Dani. When Oscar was a baby I used to cart him all over Madrid to different playgroups. ) Dani just loves the class. The class is in English and we sing normal American children songs. The teacher is great. She has ducks for the kids during the duck songs, spiders for the Itsty Bitsy Spider. She also has a background in classical music so there is a free play halfway through the class with classical music. She brings out plastic animals and the kids move them in time to the music (kinda). I love the class because I have made some good friends.

Here we are with the twins, Noa and Adriana and their mother, Amber.

Miguel and his trips

I thought I would dedicate a post to Miguel and his trips.

We have a map of the world taped to the back of our front door and before he flies, Miguel draws his flight on the map. Oscar loves looking at it and tracing the flight with his finger.

He always wants to know where Papa is when I tell him where (Quito for example) Oscar spends the rest of the day landing his playmobil plane in Quito. The dining room table is always Seattle (Granny and Grandpa´s house), the train table Chicago, the sofa Madrid and the coffee table the new destination. When I went to Germany in February to see my friends there, we drew my flight on the map and he told me "Your flight is very short, not like Papa´s".

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast.

Oscar saw his first Gran Via (our Broadway here in Madrid) Production. On the 22 February, Oscar along with 20 of his schoolmates, went and saw Beauty and the Beast (La Bella y la Bestia). We rented a bus to drive us into Madrid so we won´t have to worry about traffic, parking, etc. On the bus, we sang songs from Beauty in the Beast (en español, image that) and the typical songs that kids sing on the bus. As the only foreigner, it was an interesting experience. At one point they were singing the spanish version of "who stole the cookes from the Cookie Jar" and I was praying that they won´t call on me. Of course they did and I muddled through it with the help of Oscar. Everyday he amazes me with his ability to change from one language/culture to another.

The musical was fun but long (three hours). At one point Oscar asked me if it was time to go home. I was a bit afraid that he might have nightmares that night because it was scary in some parts but he didn´t. True to form, when you ask him how the musical was his answer is "We got to ride in a bus!"

Madrid with Friends

Here are some photos of the kids having a good time in the Plaza del Dos de Mayo in Madrid. Oscar on the see-saw with Akio Berger (the daughter of my Japanese friend Yuko) and our neighbors, Solene and Diego Fernandez.

Dani trying to keep up with the big kids....

Alicante 29 September

We decided to take advantage of the "Verano de San Miguel" (the spanish version of an"Indian Summer") so we drove to Alicante for the weekend. The kids had a great time on the beach and in the pool. We took a nice walk along the boardwalk and of course, we went to the park.

Hiking in the Guadalajara area

On the 26 September we took a hike to a castle close to Guadalajara (a city northeast of Torrejon). Here is Oscar below the castle (notice his new hiking boots....). Miguel and Oscar in the castle.

Dani fell asleep on the way down to the car.

We stopped in Siguenza to eat some icecream and play in the park.