20 days and counting...

We've been taking advantage of every weekend moment we have in Boston, as we have so few left. We spent some good friend time this weekend, sharing a Dominican meal at our favorite restaurant Merengue with the friends we live with and visiting some favorite couples we will miss dearly when we move.

It's so hard to believe we are getting on that airplane in 20 days...20 days! SO, to countdown the days and get the Dominican love flowing I am going to share 20 things I love about the Dominican Republic or are looking forward to.

#20

Dominican Hospitality...I have truly never met people more hospitable or friendly than the Dominican people. Spending time together with family and friends is one of the highest values of the Dominican culture. It is part of the culture to invite family and friends over to your house for a visit, and being the guest of honor is a privelege. Oftentimes, the invitation is extended for "Almuerzo" or the mid-day meal. The visit begins with refreshments and conversation in the living room, which is usually freshly squeezed juice from local fruit (pineapple is one of my favorites). Every person I have met there has been genuinely interested in getting to know me and are always eager to ask questions, using their English if possible. After refreshments the meal is served at the table in the dining room, which is always beautifully set with their best linens and serving pieces. The meal ALWAYS includes more food than you could ever eat at one sitting. Typical fare is some type of meat, usually grilled chicken or steak, Plantains (either green or ripe), rice and beans, avocado (my favorite), salad, and vegetables. Any meal that includes avocado picked ripe from the tree is alright by me! After the meal dessert and coffee are served. The dessert might be small Dominican fig candies or flan or Tres Leches, and the coffee is the strongest coffee I have ever tasted. Of course, after the meal and the dining conversation that ranges from family to politics, you want to lie down and take a nap. But, usually we just say a long good-bye promising to see them soon and shuffle off to refreshments at someone else's house for the afternoon, or back to work if you are not on vacation as we were.

It's exciting to think I will be hosting meals in my new home and sharing the warmth of my American hospitality with my new Dominican friends and family. I am already planning on sharing many of my favorite American recipes.

The warmth of the Domincan people is welcoming and genuine. Kisses on the cheek are always exchanged, and no one goes away feeling as if they were left out. I'm looking forward to some good ole' Dominican love.

An attempt to update in pictures

It has been so long since I've shared pictures. Partly this has been due to not blogging and partly because we thought we had packed our camera software and couldn't download the pictures from our camera. After realizing our computer didn't actually need the software to download we got to it and downloaded 900 pictures! Don't worry I am not sharing all of them. Actually, we had been needing to clean off the camera. There was an entire season of pictures on it. There weren't any of the snow, but there were several from Spring when the flowers were just starting to bloom and the trees were budding. Now, those same trees are all turning amazing colors and about to drop their leaves. Funny how life gets away from you.

If you are interested in the last couple of months, here you go:

This is a picture of all of the cousins on my dad's side in California. We did pretty well having everyone actually sitting and in the picture.This is another picture from California with homemade dog ears. Eric almost immediately modified his by ripping off one of the ears.

Here is Eric with his cousins Nicholas and Kasey eating his first ice cream cone at Grandma and Pop's house in California. I still can't get over how much my brother and my kids look alike!We went to visit my dad in the assisted living facility he is in. We had fun taking pictures of Pop's and his kids!
Apple-picking in Amesbury, MA. Eating his very first apple off the core with mama.

Trying to get a family shot with a kid who is WAY past his naptime is not easy!
Fun shot of Eric pointing and telling us something about what he is seeing. Can't understand one single word, but followed along anyway.
Bathtime.

Tossing the pigskin.
Swinging in the park.

Sliding on his own as mama and Aunt Chelsea sat at the top and bottom.

This is not a shower cap. It's one of those saran wrap food covers. He loves to take it out of the drawer and put it on both his head and Felix's(the Josti's dog).
Eating cheerios with papa.

Hanging out with Maddie. I need to work on getting better shots of the two of them playing together on the floor. They love it.

It's hitting me, this move thing.

This picture is what it looks like all around us in New England right now. The pictures never really do justice to the real thing. The cool mornings, warm afternoons and stunning leaves changing colors daily make us all so happy to call New England home. There are colors up here that I have never seen on Autumn trees...red, orange, burnt orange, rust. My favorite trees, though, are those that look as if they are on fire they are so red, but underneath the red they are still green. The contrast is amazing.

So, for the next month I can call New England home, but the day is coming when I will have to say goodbye (at least for awhile). And, the reality of the move really hit me yesterday.

I have really taken all of our recent changes in stride. When people sympathize with our situation (having to move our of our apartment 2 1/2 months early, move in with friends, and make a HUGE move to another country) they ask how I am doing and I have honestly told people I am doing well. Other than feeling a little isolated because I am not able to easily access the city from where we are living, I am really settled here at the Josti's house. They are, of course, very close friends of ours and have so graciously given the first floor of their house over to us. And, this whole time I've been a little surprised that I haven't had any sort of breakdown about the move. I mean, I know I have moved across the country and lived in 4 different states since graduating from High School, but I still don't like change that much. And, besides we were really getting settled here in Boston.

So, I guess it all hit me yesterday. We are moving to the Dominican Republic. We will never live in our apartment, where we started our life together, again. We can't go back, and even though I have a lot of anxiety about the "what ifs" of our future life, we have only one choice, to go forward.

It's not that I'm not excited about our move. I am. It's an opportunity unlike any other to move to another country and live among family. I have an extended family ready to introduce me to life in their country. We are going to be welcomed with open arms. My son is going to experience life with one side of his family and learn two languages similtaneously. My husband is going to be able (God-willing) to do some meaningful work to help the infrastructure of his home country. And, I am going to have so many new adventures to write about on my blog.

But, there is all of the other stuff on the other side of my emotions. Saying goodbye to friends that are like family, leaving a daily pattern I can predict and know how to manage, taking on a new language, mosquitoes that carry illnesses, water that I need to keep out of my child's mouth while bathing (yeah, these are the kinds of things I worry about), and unpredictable salary...all things I can't control. And, the list can go on in my head if I let it.

This is just part of life. You have to change to grow. Change has always brought the most extraordinary spiritual and personal growth in my life. It's just so hard to jump off the "change" cliff into the next adventure sometimes.

Today I am feeling better about it all. Mostly, last night I turned a corner and realized the next month is going to be about letting go of what I have known as life in Boston over the past 8 years and getting ready to embrace the new life waiting for us at the end of our one-way airline tickets.

We have an apartment!!!!

We have and apartment waiting for us in Santo Domingo. It's still feels a little surreal that we are leaving in less than 6 weeks. It's getting chilly (well some nights are down right cold) here in New England, so that makes it even more surreal that we will soon be basking in island warmth.

The apartment is in the same small apartment complex Eric's sister, Zoila, and her family live in. It's actually the same floor plan, which makes it easy to picture where I want to put things in my head. And, it right above her apartment on the 4th floor, which is actually the top floor of the building. We'll have roof access to dry our clothes on lines.

It's has 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, with a third room and small bathroom behind the kitchen that we'll be using for an office. It also has a nice balcony overlooking the street and the courtyard below.

Here is the outside of the complex. Our apartment is the top balcony in the middle. I can't wait to get in and make it home!

Inbetween

What a month!

We moved out of our apartment after a grueling month of selling, donating, storing and packing. Because this is an international move we had to take extra consideration with everything we decided to ship over to the Dominican Republic. Space and cost were on my mind as I went through drawer after drawer after closet. More than once it occured to me how comforting it is to hold on to stuff and how hard it can be to let go. It was a good lesson in how "stuff-oriented" our culture has become and how I can easily fall right into the category.

We had a big moving sale two weeks before the move. With a lot of help from friends and a long weekend, which included a threat of rain forcing us to move the sale inside, it was a success. From the money we made we were able to buy a used washer, fridge, and stove from Craigslist! A nice payoff for all the work it required to have a moving sale. I parted with a lot of stuff I was sad to see go, but it felt liberating once it was all done to have the weight of extras off my shoulders.

Moving day was insane! Fortunately, a good friend volunteered to take Eric for the day, which turned into the wee hours of the night. I was relieved we didn't have to keep up with him or that he didn't have to see his world dismantling around him. He had a lot more fun at Aunt Stacey's house. We cleaned and waited for the movers to show up, which they did at 6:00 that evening. Seems we were the last house they were moving that day. They expertly wrapped up our furniture in paper, cardboard and miles of tape and had the truck locked and loaded at 11:30 p.m.! We were exhausted and still had to load the cars and take the trash down. That last load almost killed us both!

So, here we are on the other side of the move staying with some great friends for 2 1/2 months until we leave for Santo Domingo on November 15th. Our things are being stored by our moving company in their warehouse until they ship out to the Dominican Republic in mid-October. We are inbetween lives right now. Finishing out this one and getting ready for the life change ahead. I keep telling myself it's time to relax and make a list of all the things we want to do in Boston before we leave. But, I find myself looking around for a project, because I've gotten so used to the packing and all of the work it takes to coordinate a move.

I have a shift in emotions about our move from day to day. One day I am so excited about the change of scenery and all of the adventures awaiting us in the DR. The next I am sad about leaving the comfort of this well-lived life we've had in Boston where I know how to get from Mission Hill to Waltham using shortcuts and backroads. And the very next moment finds me anxious about all of the comforts I have to give up to live in a 3rd world country. Namely, how hot we are going to be all the time, mosquitoes, power outtages, etc.

For now, I am enjoying the quiet sound of life in the burbs, the emmerging fall weather, and the company of good friends.

Domincan Bound!

Most of you know we are getting ready to move to the Dominican Republic. We are moving this Fall to the capital city, Santo Domingo. We're planning to live there for two years then come back to the U.S. Two years in another country...many thoughts and feelings are swirling around in my head and heart. It all seems surreal to me, as I don't really know what life will be like on the other side of this move. I like to know what to expect and I make lists and plans in my head surrounding my expectations. I'm coming up at a lose here, because I just don't know how to plan for this one! It's totally out of my comfort zone!

I've moved quite a few times since graduating high school and saying "bye-bye" to my home state of Northern California. I've lived in the South, I've lived in the Northeast and now I am headed for the Caribbean. The thrill I felt each time I moved and opened myself to a new experience is motivating me, but I'm so anxious about things that seemed so trivial before I had a child. Will we find a pediatrician who shares the same medical perspective we do? What if my child gets sick from the water or mosquitoes? Will I survive "Dominican" driving? How will I handle random loss of electicity and water? Will I REALLY be able to communicate in Spanish without having to think about EVERY word I say? Etc, etc...

It's a funny thing, because I have had several opportunities to travel to Latin American and Caribbean countries. Every time I have fallen in love with the culture and people. I have almost moved to a couple of these locations to work as a teacher or in some sort of Christian ministry/humanitarian capacity. The thought of immersing myself in another culture and people has always had a special place in my heart.

It's probably no surprise to others that I married a Latino and am moving to his home country. I'm not really that surprised by any of it either. We're just not going under the circumstances I expected. I'm not going to work in a school or an orphanage or on a mission of some kind. I'm going to support my husband as he takes what he learned in graduate school back to his country to make a difference. I'm going so my child will have a chance to experience part of his cultural background. I guess I'm surprised that I'm not going for my own reasons. I, selfishly, wonder about my identity there. It seems so noble, in a way, to go and support my husband, but I'm really nervous about finding my own fit.

I'll tell you more about our timeline next time I blog. For now, I'll leave you with a few pictures of where we are headed:

This is a good depiction of Santo Domingo. If you look closely you can see cars in gridlock in an intersection. Thoughts of driving...yikes!

Apartment buildings next to a park in Santo Domingo.

The center of the island is a mountain range. One of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen!Eric's grandparents live in a small mountain town where we will spend many weekends with family.

Summer Days

It's been so long since I blogged last that I don't even know where to start. It's just like me to get busy with other things and forget to keep everyone updated on all of the things I am busy with!

We have had both of our moms in town over the last month, so there has been a lot of activity in our house. I miss that we don't live near our moms and it's so great to see Eric interact with his Gammy and Abuela. My mom was here for his party, so that pretty much took up all of our time. While Eric's mom was here we did a lot of shopping (she LOVES to shop and look in all of our American stores. Eric says she has made shopping a sport). And, we went to Cape Cod.

I've been to the Cape a few times since moving here, but this is the first time I felt like I really experienced the Cape. We started in Sandwich where we visited the Glass Museum. After that we drove almost to the end of the Cape and went to the beach in Orleans. On our way we passed a cemetary where several of the original Pilgrims are buried. We "drove" past it because I was the only one in the car who wanted to stop.

Since then, we have been laying low dodging the heat and humid days and going out on the nice warm sunny days. I have been tending to my garden, which is producing some lovely tomatoes and herbs. We had radishes earlier in the summer and the carrots are taking root. Many of the flowers got choked out with the endless weeds. Seriously, you turn your back for 2 or 3 days and they've taken over!

We went to Kelly and Steve's Lakehouse in Central Mass for the 4th of July. Eric and Maddie took their first dip in the lake. We set off our own fireworks over the lake and somehow Eric slept through the whole thing. I don't know how kids do that!

My sweet one-year old is transitioning into his toddler phase. He is becoming quite strong-willed (where he gets that from, I don't know?!). He's in to everything and protests the slightest command. Man do I have it coming for me in the next few years?! Amid all of the usual toddler stuff he is so much fun and beginning to walk! He isn't walking on his own yet, but with a hand to hold onto he can walk the entire block to the garden and back!

he biggest thing in our lives right now is planning to move to the Dominican Republic in November. It feels like a long way away, but it's really right around the corner. My head is swimming with things to do, lists to make, people to contact, things to sell, things to pack, etc...

...with Gammy.

...with Abuela. (even though he has the same shirt on it was two weeks later.)

At the lake on the 4th (or rather in the lake).

The guys stretching their legs at the beach on Cape Cod.

Giving Maddie Josti a hug. Papa Eric says, "That's my boy! Si Senor!"