Odds and Ends from Houston

Well, we made it without any problems to the good ole US of A. It feels great to be back. Can I just tell you what an experience it is to go to Walmart after being out of the country? I am always in a state of shock seeing the endless amount of options of every different type of product. Aisles of shampoos, soaps, crackers, canned beans, pool toys, salad dressings. I found a really nice toothpaste (Crest with tartar control AND Scope AND in this nifty little bottle instead of a tube) I had never seen before and some little Tootsie Roll bite things. Awesome!

As I left Latin America (well, sort-0f, I am just in Texas), it was as if all the progress I had made in becoming a true soccer fan just stayed there in Small Town. I was running through the mall, my head spinning with all of the Fourth of July sales, and I saw it: the Argentina vs. Germany game being shown on a kiosk television. I had totally forgotten about it. True to American form there were only 3 people gathered in front of the TV watching the overtime period and as I got closer I realized they weren't even Americans. They were Europeans.

So, congrats to No Cool Story; I know she is rooting for Germany. I have to say though, I will be cheering for Italy on Tuesday (that is if I remember to watch) and for Brazil for as long as they are in it.

Anyway, this little pre-vacation vacation is just what I needed after the stress of the last few weeks. I am staying with some great friends we made in Venezuela and they are taking such good care of us. And I got to hang out with Grammy for a bit today, and to meet Heather from One Woman's World for all of, hmmmm 2 1/2 minutes. She seemed just lovely.

And did I mention Walmart? I am going again first thing in the morning.

Good-Bye Small Town

Well, the day has finally arrived.

Good-bye Small Town.

Good-bye big shrimp.

Good-bye big shrimp's shiny girlfriend.

Good-bye monkeys

and turtles.


And good-bye Brother Pech,

Ms. R,


and K-squared's mom.

I will miss you all.

I think Julio (5 yrs old) summed up everyone's feelings on moving yesterday when he told me:

"Mom, I want to do two things. Stay here and move."

I know just what he means.

Works for Me Wednesday-Travel Papers

Since I am traveling this week I thought I would share a travel tip.

When am planning the trip, I print out all of our confirmations, like for airlines, car rentals, hotels, etc. Then I make a Hotmail file just for my travel stuff and keep the emails there until after the trip. With the hard copies, I organize them in the order that I will be using them, and then place them all in a plastic paper protector. Then I place this in my carry-on bag. Other things I include: phone numbers of anyone who may be picking us up, Mapquest driving directions if needed, coupons to attractions we may visit.

This has saved us several times when the hotel or car rental place has mysteriously lost our reservation.

Works for me!

Visit Shannon's site for links to other WFMW participants!

Best of Small Town-Church

I cannot leave Small Town with out a post about what church has been like for me. One thing I love so much about my church is that everyone has the opportunity to participate in one way or another; sometimes as a teacher, sometimes in a leadership position, sometimes working in the nursery with the little kids. There are constant opportunities for growth and learning.

Here in Small Town I have had the chance to work with the women's organization called the Relief Society. When I am not chasing my kids around, visiting the big shrimp or monkeys, or blogging :), I am usually working on church stuff. It often feels like a part-time job, but in a good way. There have been times when I have been so bored or lonely or both that it was the only thing I had other than my family.

The Mexican women have been so kind to me despite the fact that I am a "gringa" and don't speak their language perfectly. They have let me in to their homes and have shared their heartbreaks and triumphs with me. Last week they had a farewell for me; they sat around in a circle and each one took a turn to tell me what they appreciated about me, something they learned from me, or some memory of something we had done as a group. It was very moving for me as I don't think we are very open like that in the States.

So, I wanted to share some photos of some of the things we have done the last two years.

Our church emphasizes food storage and emergency preparation; not in a "doomsday" kind of way but more of a "if ye are prepared ye shall not fear" way. After a couple of unique experiences in Venezuela, I am a huge fan of these concepts, and so when I saw they hadn't caught on too much down here, I bought a Mylar pouch sealer machine from the States, learned how to use it, and then taught them how to dry pack food:



We did this in my home every month. Some months only one or two women would show up, but at least it was a start.

We had cooking classes:



We made hygiene kits for victims of Hurricane Stan:



One of the most memorable activities was last Christmas. We collected new underwear, socks, and sandals for 96 kids living at a local orphanage. This was so much work, but well worth it.

Here we are at my house before we delivered the gifts:



delivering the gifts:



The kids we gave the gifts to:



Each one came up and gave a kiss to the woman who had their gift; it was so sweet:



And then there were activities that aren't photo-worthy, but much more worthy in substance. One woman I worked with is a psychologist and she gave numerous classes to try to raise the self-esteem of the woman. Our purpose in offering such classes were, first, to try to break the cycle of poverty that is so prevalent here; the number of young teenage girls that got pregnant in the last two years was very disturbing. And second, so that wives won't find it acceptable when their husbands abuse them. Luckily this dear friend of mine will be staying in Small Town and continue working on issues like these.

It has been a lot of hard work last 2 years and I feel tired, but happy. It has strengthened my belief that you will love those whom you serve; you can't help but love them. Even though I am ready to leave Small Town, it is hard to leave so many people that care about me and my family.
(On the other hand, my kids can't wait to go to an English-speaking ward in Big City Mexico. They have never gone to Primary in their own language other than on vacation!)

Last Small Town Saturday

Yes, it's our last Saturday here in Small Town. It was actually a lot more exciting than most Saturdays. Here are the highlights:

I'm sorry if you are all getting bored of monkeys, but I had to go say goodbye to Monica today. I am really going to miss her. When she saw me today she ran down out of her tree and climbed up my leg.



We took our relationship to the next level: Grooming.



Here's a very pregnant mommy monkey who looks like she is about to pop (can't you feel her pain?):




On the way home, I captured this shot:



I always crack up about the Brittany Spears driving with her baby on her lap episode a few months back. We see so many horrible driving arrangements here. This is not nearly the worst we've seen, (last week I saw a family of 5 on a motorcycle), but it's always a little awkward to take a picture of someone from your car (especially while driving).

When we got home we watched the Mexico vs. Argentina soccer game. Mexico played well, but in the end lost in overtime. :( My kids are totally into it. Here's a shot from the beginning of the game (remember we are in a middle of a move, my house doesn't always look like that):



And last but not least, a special thanks to Special Agent Jack Bauer of "24" for keeping us un-bored on the weekends the last 16 months. We started season 1 last April and rationed 1-3 episodes per weekend and just finished up. I can't wait to see Jack save the world on his own, again, in season 5.



This has been one of the busiest Saturdays in Small Town history!

Food Friday-Clam Pasta

This is my last Friday in Small Town. I've got a non-freezable recipe and then I'll probably be taking a little break from Freezer Food Friday for a while as I need to try out some new recipes and I'll be traveling for 6 weeks!

Week in Review

One Finished Project

I have found that after we move from a place my interest in doing anything with photos from that place wanes. So, I have filled 4 photo albums, all in chronological order thank you very much, with pictures from Small Town. I had to make prints of 587 pictures, most of which I had to INDIVIDUALLY convert the file type because of our lame photo editing program! Not cheap, or fun, but at least it is done.




One Cultural Difference

Ok, here's the weird thing about Mexican newspapers. The front page almost always has on it either a very gruesome picture of a dead person, or a basically naked lady. Every morning, the street vendors selling them at the traffic lights come up and press the newspaper to the car window trying to entice the driver to buy.

When I say gruesome, I really mean it. Like decapitated bodies, huge knife gashes, and gunshot wounds to the head. Ewwww!

And when I say almost naked lady, I mean it. I am always trying to distract Julio from looking at it, "Hey, check out that fine looking pack of dogs over their, QUICK!"

(I was going to buy one and scan it, but I didn't want to offend anyone. You'll just have to take my word for it.)

Recipe

One of my all-time favorite recipes came from my friend Jules. Jules has been one of my best friends ever since we met while we were both living in Washington D.C. 8 years ago. We lived in the same apartment building while her husband was in med school and Guapo was in business school. We had so much fun together! Staying up late, watching Pride and Prejudice while our husbands teased us, eating, playing canasta. And then we left and it was sad.

While we were living in Venezuela she and her husband and son came and stayed with us for 6 weeks while her husband did a rotation in a nearby hospital. What's the saying about fish and company going bad after 3 days? Doesn't apply to Jules and her family. Even though 4 adults and 3 children were living in a 3 bedroom apartment, we never got sick of each other. Amazing!

In March, when I was in Houston she drove 3 hours to come and see us. And this summer we are going to get to hang out for a few days in Colorado. We can't wait. She is such an awesome person, mom, and friend. (and I think she has secret desires of becoming a blogger. Come on Jules, what are you waiting for???)



This pasta recipe is the best! We have it often. Margarita usually has at least 3 servings. If there are leftovers (most often not in our house), they are fantastic.

Here it is:

Linguine with Clams
6 or 7 large cloves of garlic
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 bunch chopped parsley (leaves only)
2 cans clams (minced or chopped)
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 lb. linguine

Finely chop garlic and put in small saucepan with olive oil. Simmer over very low heat until fragrant. Do not brown. Add parsley and cook 1 minute. Add juice from the 2 cans of clams, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Add 1 chopped tomato. Return to boil; reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes or until slightly condensed. Add clams and second tomato. Return to boil and then remove from heat. Add to cooked, drained, and rinsed pasta and serve.

YUM.

Check out Handiemom's and Utmommy's sites for other recipes!

***Naddin's posting a recipe today as well!

The Best of Small Town-Ms. R

Friday is the last day of school here so I thought I'd tell you about the unique school experience my kids have had here in Small Town.

Guapo and I came to Small Town for two days before we actually moved here to check out housing and schools. I will have you know I spent the better part of those two days crying in a room at the Holiday Inn.

At the time, Margarita (now 8 yrs) was finishing up her kindergarten year at an excellent international school in Caracas, Venezuela. There is no international school in Small Town and the Mexican schools that we visited were just not acceptable. But, we had to come, so we picked the lesser of the evils for her last three months of kinder.

During that time, she brought home lots of homework: my favorites were memorizing multiplication tables (she had just turned 6 for Pete's sake), and cursive writing. She dealt with it like a champ, but as a mom, it was difficult to watch. This lifestyle is hard enough, but when you feel like you are hurting your kids, it can be almost unbearable.

(When Julio attended Pre-K at a Mexican school last year he brought home math problems like, “24-16=?” If he missed school, I would be reprimanded by the teacher that he was holding the whole class back. Grrrrr. And when a kid hit another kid, the hit-ee was instructed to hit the hitter. Great, just what I want my kids to learn.)

Enter Ms. R, an American teacher who was here working exclusively for an international company. Long story short, several companies, including Guapo's, teamed up with her and for the last two years she has been my children’s teacher (Margarita for two years and Julio for the past year).

During that time, the school has ranged from 8 to 12 students. They follow the Calvert homeschooling program. Class is held in a house that with the help of Ms. R, has been made to look like a school inside. Here is Margarita's classroom:

Ms. R does everything in her power to make the kids' experience as "normal" as possible.

They take field trips. Here they are visiting the Small Town Zoo:

They have cultural events. Here's a shot from "Colombia Day" where they were learning about typical Colombian dance:

They have birthday parties:



They dance:

If Ms. R hadn’t been in Small Town, we could not have stayed here. I can't say enough good about her. She, along with another wonderful woman from Columbia, juggle 4 grades everyday, from kinder to 5th grade. She’s the kind of teacher who requires obedience in her classroom, but does so in such a loving way that kids want to behave. She has been a second mom to all of her students.

So, thanks to Ms. R, what I thought would be the worst part of Small Town has instead turned out to be the very best part. My kids have received loving, individual attention that I don’t think they could have received anywhere else. The schooling situation here would not work for everyone, but it has for us. In March, my kids had entrance exams at several schools in Big City Mexico and everyone commented how far ahead they are. It pains me to take my kids away from this amazing woman and her little school.

So, thank you Ms. R, for being such a blessing to me and to my children the last 2 years! We will miss you!