Pics from Mexico and El Salvador

50 Pesos for a Puppy - the kids begged all night long!

  

                                                                               

            What do you think these are? They are cashew nuts!

                                Trinity and Tequila

                                   A  Happy Coconut

   Avalon at "Dale Dale" Cafe in El Tunco - owned by fellow blogger.

    The professional bra fitter at the Mercado.

                           Douglas climbing down.

Car Vandalism

Douglas was bored and sent me this email today from his iphone of his car having some work done on it.  He parks it on the street outside his house - someone tried to break into the lock of the car on the driver's side of the door, but couldn't quite get in.  I think the same guy came back for more a couple of weeks later and tried the driver's side - again no luck getting in. With no locks on the passenger's back doors, how does one get into the car? He had to climb into the trunk of the car! Ya, quite a sight.  So, here he is getting the locks fixed on the car only to park his car on the same darn street where it keeps getting vandalized!

Family Reunification

We have spent the last few weeks in El Salvador with Douglas. It has been absolutely wonderful for him and the girls - and me too.  Our journey there was not a direct flight - big mistake! The first flight out of Toronto was cancelled due to a snow storm in Chicago.  We then got a flight out the next morning to Mexico City - stayed there for a day/night and then got a flight out the next day to El Salvador. Avalon was so ecstatic to see her Daddy that she left her carry on luggage at customs and flew out to greet him - we didn't realize until that night that we were short a suitcase.  Thankfully some good-hearted person handed in her suitcase to security.

We escaped the smoggy city and spent our time on the coast - we caught the Bohemian vibe of El Tunco and stayed in our favourite resort "La Roca Sunzal". It was HOT!!!! We stayed in the ocean and pool from morning to night. We had ice cream, limonada and palettas (popsicles) by the pool. We loved it so much that Douglas is moving out of the city and moving to El Tunco.  He has leased space on the main vortex of this little "happening" place to open a funky little Hair Studio.  Apparently, there is a real need by the locals for a hairstylist - they have to travel into the city to get their hair done.

I'm posting some pics of our wonderful time there. Just counting the days until we return. My contract ends August 1st, so it has bought me some months to see what happens with the ineptitude of this Immigration process.

             

Proud Canadian

                (Inukshuk at Whistler Mt. Summit)

I'm getting excited about the Olympics in Vancouver starting this Friday! We have been hearing for days now,  the news reports that they had to truck in snow from other mountains and cancel some practice days due to the "spring" weather they were experiencing, and luckily they had a little snow fall today.

The theme song is sung by Nikki Yanofsky - a 15 year old Jazz singer from Montreal. I went to "youtube" to watch it again and found a long version of the song. It brings tears to my eyes when I watch it.
Click here to see video of Olympic Theme Song

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans!"

John Lennon couldn't have said it better.

Our plans have been "stop and go" since Douglas flew to El Salvador in April.  At the end of January I had just been lining up a 9 month sabbatical from my University position to begin at the end of February, busy keeping my eye on the prices of flights to El Salvador on the 'net, Douglas running around looking for a house for us on the coast and then "BAM" the opportunity of a promotion at work is offered.  Now, let me try to convince myself again; with University positions comes tenure, security, benefits and perks - to be honest this has been an enormous - not the only, but definitely -  contributing factor in our hesitation to pack up and move. The education of the girls has been the other very huge factor, when the girls are old enough to go to University, one of my benefits is that 90% of their tuition is paid for by the University! Yes, quite sweet!

Needless to say, it was a very difficult decision that had to be made.  I was quite keen for the adventure of El Salvador, but surprisingly, it was my usually free spirited and "who gives a heck?" attitude husband that thought it might be better for us to stay up here for a bit and see how much longer the Immigration paperwork will take. So, I accepted the position on a 6 month basis & (will review the situation at the end of July); with travel plans modified, but still able to execute.  I started this past Monday in my new position. My head is still swimming a bit with information overload!

I am so inspired when I read all these blogs of American women who pick up and move to Mexico or Honduras or elsewhere, when their husbands have been deported from the country or are awaiting Immigration decisions.  There are so many challenges that they face and yet, they alter their lives forever by staying together.

I don't know if I have made the right decision, but I am relieved that 6 months will "buy" us a bit more time to see how quickly or not Guatemala City will process him.  They received the paperwork at the end of November  and our MP has said that  they are apparently looking at the file again on March 2nd. Is this good news? I have no idea!

The girls and I fly out next week to El Salvador via Chicago and Mexico City. We have 6-7 hr layovers at both airports.  Unfortunately, the indirect flights will make it a long journey to get down there, but the flights were a great price and I am a bargain hunter! We won't be back until mid-March, so Douglas can get a good look at his girls. It has been a long 10 months since he has seen them and they are soooo excited to be finally seeing him again.

Winter

 

"Winter is the season in which people try to keep

the house as warm as it was in the summer, when they complained

about the heat!"

I don't want to hear about how hot it is in Latin America.  It was - (minus) 20 with the wind chill today and tomorrow doesn't look much better - in fact next week doesn't look much better.  Thumbelina spends her days curled up by the fire after her quick run in the backyard.  We all have perpetual "hat heads".

 

Avalon started a trend with her "Sock Monkey" hat and gloves that she got back in October - unfortunately, now they are everywhere!

From the front seat of the car, Trinity doesn't like the heat blowing on her, so it's a constant battle between the two of us - turn it on, turn it off.  I might have to banish her to the back! The winds have been so cold the past few days that I dread getting out of the vehicle to get gas, so I procrastinate until it starts beeping it's low gas warning to me.  Every Tim Hortons' drive thru is packed.

At least, there are some pretty outdoor skating photo ops:

 

  

 

 

Chrismas & New Years Eve in my Little Corner of the World

This Christmas was without Douglas - he was missed. The girls and I spent it at my Mum and Dad's house. It was wonderful, despite the cloud of Douglas being alone in El Salvador. Our weather was pretty mild this year - not like last year! Last year, the last day of school before Christmas break was cancelled due to a snow storm. We live by a lake - this is what the lake front looked like last year at Christmas time:

                                           

This is a lamp post by the pier.

The only snow this year was from the ice rink down by the lake.

This year my entire family and I celebrated Christmas with a wonderful woman from Prague, her infant and four year old child, who has come into our life - she is my couisin's soon to be ex-wife.  She is going through an incredibly bitter divorce, but his adulterous affair was a blessing in disguise for her and her children. We have become incredibly close, speak everyday and get together a couple of times a week for fun with the kids.  She has brought much love & drama into our lives! There certainly has not been a dull moment since April with Iveta around! Now, the joke is that we are "dating" since we are always together and sans husbands!

                                                

This was the year of the Sock Monkey for Avalon-she is obsessed with them - big ones, little ones, funky dressed up ones, necklaces etc. !!  For Trinity, it was the year of electronics! (aarrgghh!)

My "hot date" for New Years - Iveta & her kidlets, my Sister and her kidlets and of course my kidlets.  So, for those that have lost count - that is three adults, two infants and 5 other children aged 5-12.  Yes, we are a glutton for punishment! My sisters' husband was smart - oops, I mean "ill". To ring in the New Year, we went to Niagara Falls, Ontario.  We had a great meal at Kelseys on Clifton Hill...

gambled at the Canadiana Midway (we start 'em young)

saw the "Lights of Niagara" (Avalon fell down on the ice post posing) -oh look a picture of my sisters' arm holding her baby pram

and rang in the New Year with Fireworks!  It was a great evening.  We wound it down around 1:45 am on the GIANT Skywheel

where I remembered in mid-air how much I loathed it!! Nothing to grasp in a glass enclosed gondola that holds you  175 feet above the falls, with young children really interested in the gondola doors ("for the fifth time, can you please remain seated in the middle of the gondola before I have a panic attack, please and thank you") that keep us safely inside! Last New Years Eve, Douglas & the kids & I went to a Spanish Dinner and Dance - this year he experienced the authentic thing in Latin America with all the errant cohetes (fireworks)!

Snippets from El Salvador

Tequila in the Pacific Ocean

Lunch in Suchitoto 

Las Orchideas

La Fonda El Mirador

Observations of El Salvador

It was like a second honeymoon with an incredibly sad, tearful (& I do mean tearful) ending. I cannot even begin to describe how wonderful it was to see my husband, Douglas and how heartrenching it was to leave him there.  I cried on the way down in the plane in anticipation and excitement and cried on the way back.  The darn flight attendant remembered me and just had to inquire about my visit - well, that was all I needed to burst into tears! Delays with the kids' paperwork continued, so I headed down by myself.  Ironically, their paperwork arrived on the second day I was in El Salvador.  We will be going down again in February, so now things are organized for them to fly.

I was prepared for a Latin American developing country and perhaps was a little surprised at how much I enjoyed it. We stayed primarily at his house in San Benito but did venture out to a few other places and stayed in beautiful resorts.

Some observations:

1.  I could never drive in this city. I could not get over how disrespectful and lawless the drivers were (& yet, the people are so friendly) - anything goes.  I don't know how it is possible that my husband has not had tons of accidents.  The brave vendors walking in between the cars selling fruits etc. was interesting!  The plumes of BLACK smoke from the busses was disgusting - environmentalism is not even on the radar down here.  I did enjoy not having those canvas grocery bags & .05cent plastic grocery bags forced down my throat at every supermarket though. No seat belt laws seem to exist as I saw so many families pile into the back of the truck beds! Many potholes - the only roads that seem to be looked after are the ones going to the Coast.  Almost killed ourselves on the way to Suchitoto - all of a sudden the highway seemed to turn into a two lane hwy - in looking at the video tape I still don't understand what happened.  We didn't see any signs, just all of a sudden a car was barrelling it's way towards us!  We also barely missed driving into concrete blocks that were set up on the hwy.  - again no signs anywhere - just happened to be following another car in front of us in the dark and all of a sudden we are driving on the other side of the highway!  Maybe someone could explain that to us - I feel we are missing something. Douglas has a great ride, but not for El Salvador.  The rims and tires are very expensive and has had five blow outs in 8 months - at $140.00 a tire - time to get a jeep.  Now, he is looking around for one.  It was an adventure driving up the Volcanoe in his sedan!

2.  The poverty intertwined with the wealthy and the poverty in the outlying villages was very sad to see. The glue sniffers on the street disturbing.  Of course, there is no social safety net to help these people. Toronto has it's share of homeless, windshield washers and addicts on the street even with shelters and social programs aplenty, but what was disturbing was seeing the children.  I kept thinking - "these kids should be in school getting an education, and here they are with no shoes trying to sell us a pen, gum or windshield wash!"  Even with the free education that has been introduced last month with the new President, the financially challenged families still need the income that their children can bring in.

A young girl, probably about 11 yrs. of age, approached us one day in the MetroCentro Mall and handed my husband a slip of paper that said she was "deaf and mute" looking for money. She then turned to me, stared at me, and then turned to my husband and asked him "are her eyes real?"  Ha Ha.  Yes, it was quite funny. I did not see many blue eyes down there nor blondes - I don't know where all the "gringos" were hiding!

3.  It is not a pet culture.  I saw one other person with a dog on a leash and I saw many running about. I saw two cats the entire time I was there. This is the newest member of our family - everywhere Douglas goes, this doggie goes - everyone would point and say "I, chee waa waa" - Yes, just like that! It was hilarious! He carries him in a little bag and he just sits in there all day.  His name is Tequila!  A cross between a rat, a bat and a gremlin I think. He is such a cutie petutie!!

4.  No tourist infrastructure and severly lacking in cultural activities.  There is not much else to do in the city other than going to the Malls, but they are fabulous Malls - equivelant to a high end Mall in any other big city.La Gran Via was a great place (Mall and restaurants with outdoor patios - something like a Yorkville in Toronto.)

5.  Amazing meals (I had many different fish dinners) at amazing prices.  We had meals equivalent to a "Keg Steakhouse" meal for just under $50.00 - (I should note: we don't drink alcohol.)

6.  Electronics very pricey.  I would say 50% more than what I would pay in Canada.

7.  Salvadoran people very friendly and polite, very sweet people!

8.  Ocean was of course fantastic - again not Americanized - very raw and quaint. The below pics are from the resort we stayed at in Playa El Tunco - Rocha Sunzal - it was a bargain at $65.00 per night (breakfasts included).

9.  Loved the "cheezy" cemetaries!  (Looks like "The Dollar Store" vomited all over them.)

10.  Homegirl, Mary, was everywhere! Love it! (Even at the Gas Station!)

11.  Came across a Christmas Parade in Escalon.  It was better than any Canadian parade I have attended. I loved the costumes, dancing and the interactiveness of it all.

12.  The high crime rate keeps you sequestered in the gated communities and away from downtown and other areas, keeps you indoors at night.  I didn't have the freedom to just go for a walk without thinking first of my safety and where I was heading.  Also, it was so darned hot, I wouldn't want to walk more than a block or two!  There is no lake or nice vista to really go for a walk to - just really the Malls.  You really have to get out of the city to see the beautiful volcanoes and other spots, but you absolutely cannot live without a car.  I would never ride the bus there - too dangerous and too packed! It seemed that just the poor would use the bus system.  I had my jewellery on and felt safe with my "bling bling" - but again, we stayed in the upscale areas  - if I stuck the camcorder out the window, Douglas would be quick to tell me to get my arm back in the vehicle.  I wanted to see the downtown - particularly the mercado - but he has only ventured down there a couple of times and is leary about going down there.  There is a lot of crime and being "foreigners", we are a target for petty theft/muggings.  Maybe next time I can convince him!

On the day of my departure (Monday), Immigration phoned Douglas to advise him of a package he needed to pick up at the Embassy. Inside it contained his "B" number (Permanent Canadian Resident Number) - so YAY - one step closer to him returning back home to us! I fear though, it will be another 8-12 months from this point on - their online stats show anywhere from 8 months to 22 months from point of receiving application in Guatemala City to point of completion of application.

I'm now back in the balmy temperatures of -3, while Douglas slugs it out in 31 degree weather! We will unfortunately be apart for Christmas this year thanks to Canadian Immigration red tape. :(