Getting Used To It

Last night, I put on a dress, did my hair and make-up, and went out.

Alone.

G stayed behind and put the girls to bed. As I opened the front door and crossed the threshold, I felt as if I were stepping out of the hectic mommy life into a carefree life. As I walked to the bus stop, I savored not having my little girl strapped to my body and holding hands with my big girl or wrangling with a stroller while making sure A keeps her hand on the stroller as she walks along. I savored not having different thoughts running frantically through my mind of ten thousand things I had on my to-do list. I left all that at the threshold.

The weather is very lovely now. I am thankful that it is June and the temperatures are still in the 70s. The breezes are refreshing and I do not need to turn on the AC unit yet. I was perfectly comfortable while waiting for the bus.

I got on a bus and I spent the ride sending text messages with a dear friend in the States. Normally, I would be hanging onto the girls as the bus lurches and stops in the chaotic traffic.

At the third stop, I got off and I walked along a tramway lined with shops, window shopping a bit on the way. I turned left on a cobblestone street and stepped inside an art studio. I'd gotten dressed for a gallery opening.

The artist, an American, had done a collection of work over two years, painting different parts of this city. Her style was to take pictures of interesting features of different buildings and paint a composite of those photographs in one painting. Each painting represented an area of the city. I liked her style but found the color scheme much too dark for my taste. I wasn't planning to purchase a painting and the somber colors cinched it for me. I talked with the charming artist and complimented her technique and said nothing of her choices of colors. All the other attendees were unfamiliar Americans, sipping on refreshment. There was a guitarist and singer providing background music.

I talked with the studio owner and his wife. She led me to the back where she was holding a painting that G bought from another opening. We both walked up the cobblestone street and stopped by a framing shop, across from a beautiful, old Orthodox church. I'd been in there once during Mass and the church was completely empty. It was sad.

We discussed the frames, I selected one, and the worker said it would be ready in an hour.

I continued to talk with my friend as we headed back to the studio, enjoying the evening breezes coming off the water. She went inside to continue her hostess duties. I hung back and found messages on my phone from a mother of a young baby. We commiserated over bad naps, exhaustion, frustration over lack of time and productivity. I didn't really want to talk to the American strangers inside the studio.

I looked up from my phone. The man who framed my painting had brought the painting over in less than an hour. I paid him and found my friend and bid her goodbye.

As I waited for a bus, I marveled at how fairly empty the sidewalks and streets were for a Friday night. Possibly the protests have something to do with that. The first bus that stops at my bus stop came along. It was packed to the brim. I would be able to step just inside the door and not move an inch further. I let it pass.

I took the next bus which wasn't as packed but it filled up along the way. I squeezed out at my stop with my painting, its glass and frame intact.

The sun had already set but the sky was still light when I walked along the newly paved and widened sidewalk to my home. I suddenly realized that I was finally used to the city. I was actually enjoying it. I didn't mind the press of the crowd on the bus and hanging on for dear life while the bus careened around corners. I was really okay with the urban life, as long as I can get a break from it periodically. I was glad that I was out alone, not to have something else distracting me, and to muse over my adjustment to the city.

Maybe this city isn't so bad after all.

We have secured a place to live while we come back to the States for 6 months next year. It is cute little white house with a gigantic yard in North Carolina. I look forward to the open spaces, the big yard, the roads less traveled. Yet, I'm okay with this city.

I'm content in the here and the now.

Protests

It's been about a week since protests have been going on here. I'm not going into why and how or offer an analysis and opinion. We are not citizens here and this is not our fight. I am sure you have seen on the news about the protests and you should have plenty of information from different news sources. The protests began with a simple issue and it has morphed into a bigger, complex issue involving the Prime Minister and his style of leadership. People are discontent and expressing it through protests and social media. Freedom of speech isn't sacred here as it is in the States and people have been arrested for "inciting protests" on social media. The government is monitoring the social media and tracking down addresses. So, for that reason, I err on extreme caution here on the blog.

The protests have spread to other cities mainly in the western part of the country. The eastern part is mostly aligned with the Prime Minister who share the same conservative values as they so they are silent. The western part is mostly secular who may not agree with the PM's actions. In my city, the protests are mainly on the other side of the Strait. On my side of the Strait, the only hint that anything is going on is when people begin banging pots, pans, cow bells, blowing whistles, honking horns, flashing lights, and marching through the streets and blocking traffic, every night at 9pm. They do this in solidarity with the protestors. Each night, the expression of solidarity decreases in the length. All the marches so far have been peaceful, although the protests in two hotspots in my city have drawn some clashes with the police, as in other cities.

The air here is supercharged with tension and excitement. It'll be interesting to see what will come out of this. I'm not sure protests here have any effect on the leadership and policies so my guess is that it will fizzle out. I'm amazed that it has lasted this long. It's not another Arab Spring, as some news sources are saying, because the characteristics are different. I wasn't surprised this would draw some news coverage but I am amazed at the sheer amount that it has garnered already. I think it's because of recent instability in the Middle East.

So, friends and family members, do not worry about us. Even if things change (and it can change swiftly), we are under very good care of our company who are monitoring the situation and send us daily updates, advice for our safety, and contingency plans. Our neighborhood is quiet and we have seen no marches or gatherings of any kind around our block. Life continues as usual; shops are open, buses are running, people are going about their daily business, and we are doing the same, albeit in an alert state.

We love you.

Catch Up

The last time I posted, we were about to leave for two weeks in the States. We arrived at my father's in SC for a few days before heading to our conference in VA. It was Easter and A's birthday. We celebrated her birthday on my dad's back porch with cake and ice cream. The next day was Easter Sunday and we went to church with my dad and stepmom. After that, we spent about a week at the conference and my mom and stepfather were able to come up and spend time with Ava towards the end  of our conference. Soon after, we returned here.

Spring here was long and very lovely with the temperatures gradually rising. It stayed in the 60s for a while and then in the 70s for another long while. In Florida, spring is about two weeks long, ha. We might see weather in the 70s before it climbs into the 90s and stay there until after September. Maybe I exaggerate but that is how I remember Florida. I have enjoyed seeing the trees bloom here and I appreciate spring so much more after a cold winter. Even now, it's early June and the temperatures are still in the 70s. The sun warms our faces while the cool breezes keep the sting of heat away.

We are continued language and I have just one more session left. I thought I would finish in early May but there were cancellations that just prolonged the ending. G went on a trip over Mother's Day weekend. He took A shopping before the trip for my gift and had all the gifts ready and stashed in his closet for me to find on Mother's Day. A made a present for me at school and also picked out a bag of colored glass rocks. G, instead of shooting down her idea, helped her by developing the gift idea more with a pretty glass jar and lid. It now sits in the bathroom with the blue glass rocks filling the jar.

Last week, we took a work trip out east where we could encourage friends there. Nothing spectacular happened except a pretty sunset, a fence covered in raw wool, and thunderstorms. In spite of the storms, it was still dry there and our lips were splitting.

Storm to the left, sun dropping behind the mountain

Raw wool hanging out to dry before being sold to factories

Wild poppies were blooming. I love the bright red splashes everywhere.  

I think that's all in a nutshell.