Our eyes were glued to the tiny window, such a small access to view this land new to us. The plane taxied to its gate and we waited patiently to grab our bags. We exited the plane and felt the warm air embrace us. "It's not that hot," we said to each other as we made our way down the stairs, across the pavement and into the terminal.
We walked up the ramp and into a larger hallway. Right away a new reality set it for us. We were in a place where we didn't speak the language, we couldn't understand the announcements, read the signs, or communicate basic needs. Learning Arabic, which up until now had been an interesting challenge, instantly became an urgent need. In other countries, English is clearly seen as the universal language through which people of different nations can communicate. Here, in Libya, I got the impression that Arabic was put above English, and that all entering should realize that they weren't going to be catered to. It's a notion that I'm sympathetic too, that I support when I travel in countries whose language I understand. But, now, being on the receiving end of the message and not having the tools to navigate the culture, I still agree, but with a sour taste in my mouth.
Not knowing where to go, we made like sheep and followed the crowd. We found the customs lines and waited for our turn to present our passports. After a few minutes, maybe more, a man in a striped shirt, horizontal stripes, walked by asking if people were with the American school. He had a hand written sign, on a single sheet of line paper, American School, it read.
Should we trust this guy?
He asked for our passports and told us to wait on the other side. He pointed to a small but growing group of wide-eyed, lost-looking Americans.
Sure, why not?
We continued past the counter and joined the other group. We introduced ourselves and exchanged hellos and all that stuff. Meanwhile, we kept a close eye on the gentleman who held our very identities in his hands. Soon enough, though, we were all on our way out to pick up our luggage, and our passports were returned to us.
We walked downstairs to an open room and began to collect our luggage. 1, 2, 3 pieces of luggage. So far so good. 4, 5, 6 pieces of luggage. Almost halfway. 7, 8, 9, 10, feeling like the count from Seseme Street. Alright, looks like everything is here. 11, 12 . . . . . . 13?
Carolina's backpack didn't show up that day. Some of the other teachers who arrived with us also had one or two pieces missing. Chances were that it didn't fight on the significantly smaller plane that brought us to Tripoli. Especially since about 6 other teachers and their families also were on the plane, and they also carried more than your average amount of luggage too.
It took quite a few rotations of the luggage carousel to realize that it wasn't going to show up. Carolina filed a report and we hoped for the best. The airport officials got a kick out of Carolina's passport thought, it was as if they had never met a Mexican before.
Before we could leave the luggage area, we had to pass through another security checkpoint. This time to make sure that we weren't brining in any contraband, drugs, alcohol, who knows what else. But we exited into the airports main entrance and found the school director, Judith, who hired us in February. We gathered together, and received some greatly appreciated bottles of water.
Walking out of the airport and into the open we felt another wave of warm air come over us. The bustling traffic, the conversations in a foreign tongue, the reality of where we were, it all came rushing at as just like the air coming from the hot desert to the south. But in that moment, we had our three cartloads of luggage to maneuver through the crowds and to the waiting trucks.
Judith had arranged two big trucks to load all the teachers' luggage and vans to take us to our homes. This is when we met Mafaud. An older man of about 50 years or so, he could pass for any Mexican grandfather. Somewhat short, chubby, but healthy looking. He speaks pretty good English, and was eager to converse with us newcomers. Mafaud is a professional driver, he works for Shadi, a company that provides passenger vans for private companies in Tripoli. We were told to follow him to his van. I introduced myself to him, and he asked if I spoke Arabic. Not yet I told him.
Where ar ru fram?
California . . . the United States
Ah well, you have an Arab face, he said. This is a conversation that I've had with many other Libyans since we've been here.
We got in the van, and witnessed first hand the awesomely terrifying thrill that is driving in Libya.
Have you ever spoken to someone who doesn't really seem to understand the concept of personal space? Even when you slyly back away, they fill in that gap you created between you with their own body. Well, imagine that experience in a car, on narrow roads, traveling at highway speeds. That's driving in Libya. Luckily, Mafaud is an excellent driver.
Traveling through this land one begins to see a certain absence of color. The desert sands, a dull orange with shades of yellow and brown, dominate everything. Small plots of farms lay between brick houses, the vegetation seems to struggle against suffocation.
As we began to enter busier neighborhoods, the streets became more crowded, and the buildings were more clustered together. Still, the desert sands are everywhere, like some force that simply will not be denied.
We left the airport and traveled through the outskirts of the city until we arrived in Janzour, one of the many suburbs that surround the city of Tripoli. We began going from one house to the next. The van would stop in front of a house, and the truck behind us would stop to unload luggage. Eager to get out of the van, stretch my legs, and plant my feet on the ground again, I helped out with some of the luggage. When we continued I jumped into the passenger seat, and struck up a conversation with Mafaud. I told him more about us, and he shared some Arabic words with me, which I've forgotten by now. He talked to us about Libya, about how quickly things have changed in the country over the last few years.
Soon, it was our turn to see our new home. We turned off of a main road and onto a dirt road. We've since named this road, Nopal Ave, not cause we're mexican, but because of the cactus growing there. There is a lot, A LOT of cactus here, growing like weeds along almost every street. So, once on this dirt road, we turned a corner into an alley, then another right, and finally reached our house.
Our house is similar to many other houses in the neighborhood. It has a high wall surrounding the property. There is a metal door to pass through. Once inside the property, there is a green lawn surrounding the house, with lots of different trees, and a swimming pool. This is our oasis in the desert. The house itself is huge, 2 bedrooms, an office, a spacious living room, dinning room, kitchen, and a parlor room with its own bathroom for a total of 3 bathrooms. We're told that the parlor room, which has its own entrance, is used when men come over and visit the home. They come in through the separate entrance so as not to enter the space where the women are at, hence its own bathroom.
Once we unloaded our luggage and toured the house, Judith and Mafaud left with the van and truck. She told us she'd be back the next morning for orientation, but to enjoy the roasted chicken in the fridge, along with some of other food already bought for us.
We were happy to finally be there, in our new country and new home. But at that moment I think we were too tired to really understand that. Our first instinct was to sleep, we but relied on our better judgement to get some unpacking done.
After a few hours of unpacking and eating, we showered and finally rested our bodies on our new bed. There was a new world just outside the walls of our little oasis for us to explore. It made itself known to us even as we readied for bed. Penetrating our walls with ease, was the unmistakable sound of the Adhan, the Muslim call to prayer. From the myriad of minarets (towers next to Mosques) that pierce the sky, the voices of the many different muezzins (singers/callers) filled the air and call an entire nation to attention. It was a reminder of how alien we were to this land. It was a reminder of just how much there is here to learn, to witness, and to experience. It too was like a wave of warm air that night.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Bon Voyage
They say the the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Well, it's true, but our journey was more like 9 thousand miles and that first single step was weighed down with nearly 20 pieces of luggage. Luggage, and words of goodbye that were as difficult to let go as the embraces of our families those last moments at the airport, made our last moments at home difficult, stressful, and fast.
On Thursday the 5th, we rented a white cargo van to take our luggage to the airport. Yes, I was not exaggerating about the nearly 20 pieces of luggage, which I continue to refer to as the twenty pieces of luggage, even though it was more like 17.
That same day some of Carolina's family, her mom, dad and brother Alex, made the trip from Hanford to Pittsburg to see us off at the airport. We ran some last minute errands, and had dinner at the Olive Garden, that's right, you're friendly neighborhood Olive Garden, damn their tasty breadsticks!
The rest of that day we spent in last minute packing. We bought suitcase numbers 16 and 17, adjusted some things, washed out clothes, and tried to get a couple hours of sleep before it was time to leave in the morning. Actually, instead of sleeping I went to Denny's with my best buddy Big Rob and Melissa, it was a perfect last meal of all you can eat pancakes!
We left Pittsburg at 3 am, I drove the van and Alex followed behind. We unloaded our luggage at the curb at SFO, then went around in circles until I found a parking garage with a high enough clearance for the van. We had to take the shuttle back to the airline counter.
We checked in 13 pieces of luggage, and thanks to our new employer, the $1800.00 was covered. We spent just a few minutes giving hugs and kisses, then we went through security. I think that airports are the worse places for goodbyes.
A few hours and a couple of timezones later, we landed in Atlanta. Here's an interesting fact, Atlanta is considered to be the busiest airport in the world, according to something I read on the plane. Just our luck, it was damn busy. Whether or not it's the busiest in the world, it might be one of the most inconvenient airports out there. Our gate was the last gate farthest away from the center. We had to walk down a corridor of a about a mile or so. We just followed the line of the non-functioning shuttle to find our way. The walk wouldn't have been bad if we didn't have our carry on luggage in tow.
We knew we were at our gate when we found a room full of Dutch people on their way back home. We met one girl there who had won a trip to Atlanta, it was her first time traveling away from home and she was really nervous and glad to be going home. Carolina made friends with her while a bought my last double-quarter pound at Mickey D's. I know McDonald's is everywhere, but i've eaten at McDonald's in different countries and it's just not the same.
On the plane I sat next to a Dutch man traveling with his wife and daughter. I was wearing my México jersey and he asked where I was from. He told me that there are a lot of Mexicanos in Amsterdam, that he has a lot of Mexican friends and that they all get together and party all the time. Even more reason for me to vist now!
At the airport in Amsterdam I bought a Starbucks frapaccino. It cost 8 Euros, I paid with a $20 bill, I got about 7 Euros back. We seriously need to get our act together America! We're becoming Europe's Mexico, come on!
The time came for us to go through security again before boarding our final flight for Tripoli. In the waiting room we got our first impressions of our new home. The room was almost evenly divided by white European men, or Libyan men. About 10 women total and a few kids rounded out the numbers. Y dos méxicanos, hombre y hembra.
We took off again and promised each other that we would have to return to Amsterdam as tourists sometime soon. 3 hours later we would land in Tripoli, but not before flying over Italy. Seeing the Italian countryside from the air was breathtaking. We could see the sky scrapping Alps recede to the valley's of northern Italy and the Po Valley. We watched as the aircraft brought us southward along Italy's eastern coast against the Adriatic Sea, then over it's western side, entering the Mediterranean as we passed over the eternal city, Roma.
After flying over open water we soon were able to spot a mountain far away near the horizon, Mt. Etna perhaps? Either way, this signaled our quick flyover over the island of Sicily. We left it behind as quickly as we had come upon it. Less than an hour later we first spotted the north African coast, Libya lay straight ahead.
The coast of northern African is bathed by the sea and surrounded by the desert. This was clearly visible as we approached Tripoli and flew over the city that would host us for the next two years. The desert sand was the background on which the city streets and homes and businesses lay on. Mostly flat, with small farms of green stretched to the edge of the sky, and as the plane lowered for it's landing, we could see the Libyans carry on their daily lives.
We landed.
On Thursday the 5th, we rented a white cargo van to take our luggage to the airport. Yes, I was not exaggerating about the nearly 20 pieces of luggage, which I continue to refer to as the twenty pieces of luggage, even though it was more like 17.
That same day some of Carolina's family, her mom, dad and brother Alex, made the trip from Hanford to Pittsburg to see us off at the airport. We ran some last minute errands, and had dinner at the Olive Garden, that's right, you're friendly neighborhood Olive Garden, damn their tasty breadsticks!
The rest of that day we spent in last minute packing. We bought suitcase numbers 16 and 17, adjusted some things, washed out clothes, and tried to get a couple hours of sleep before it was time to leave in the morning. Actually, instead of sleeping I went to Denny's with my best buddy Big Rob and Melissa, it was a perfect last meal of all you can eat pancakes!
We left Pittsburg at 3 am, I drove the van and Alex followed behind. We unloaded our luggage at the curb at SFO, then went around in circles until I found a parking garage with a high enough clearance for the van. We had to take the shuttle back to the airline counter.
We checked in 13 pieces of luggage, and thanks to our new employer, the $1800.00 was covered. We spent just a few minutes giving hugs and kisses, then we went through security. I think that airports are the worse places for goodbyes.
A few hours and a couple of timezones later, we landed in Atlanta. Here's an interesting fact, Atlanta is considered to be the busiest airport in the world, according to something I read on the plane. Just our luck, it was damn busy. Whether or not it's the busiest in the world, it might be one of the most inconvenient airports out there. Our gate was the last gate farthest away from the center. We had to walk down a corridor of a about a mile or so. We just followed the line of the non-functioning shuttle to find our way. The walk wouldn't have been bad if we didn't have our carry on luggage in tow.
We knew we were at our gate when we found a room full of Dutch people on their way back home. We met one girl there who had won a trip to Atlanta, it was her first time traveling away from home and she was really nervous and glad to be going home. Carolina made friends with her while a bought my last double-quarter pound at Mickey D's. I know McDonald's is everywhere, but i've eaten at McDonald's in different countries and it's just not the same.
On the plane I sat next to a Dutch man traveling with his wife and daughter. I was wearing my México jersey and he asked where I was from. He told me that there are a lot of Mexicanos in Amsterdam, that he has a lot of Mexican friends and that they all get together and party all the time. Even more reason for me to vist now!
At the airport in Amsterdam I bought a Starbucks frapaccino. It cost 8 Euros, I paid with a $20 bill, I got about 7 Euros back. We seriously need to get our act together America! We're becoming Europe's Mexico, come on!
The time came for us to go through security again before boarding our final flight for Tripoli. In the waiting room we got our first impressions of our new home. The room was almost evenly divided by white European men, or Libyan men. About 10 women total and a few kids rounded out the numbers. Y dos méxicanos, hombre y hembra.
We took off again and promised each other that we would have to return to Amsterdam as tourists sometime soon. 3 hours later we would land in Tripoli, but not before flying over Italy. Seeing the Italian countryside from the air was breathtaking. We could see the sky scrapping Alps recede to the valley's of northern Italy and the Po Valley. We watched as the aircraft brought us southward along Italy's eastern coast against the Adriatic Sea, then over it's western side, entering the Mediterranean as we passed over the eternal city, Roma.
After flying over open water we soon were able to spot a mountain far away near the horizon, Mt. Etna perhaps? Either way, this signaled our quick flyover over the island of Sicily. We left it behind as quickly as we had come upon it. Less than an hour later we first spotted the north African coast, Libya lay straight ahead.
The coast of northern African is bathed by the sea and surrounded by the desert. This was clearly visible as we approached Tripoli and flew over the city that would host us for the next two years. The desert sand was the background on which the city streets and homes and businesses lay on. Mostly flat, with small farms of green stretched to the edge of the sky, and as the plane lowered for it's landing, we could see the Libyans carry on their daily lives.
We landed.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Upon Arrival
Quick Update
Well, after nearly a whole day's journey, we've made it safely to Tripoli. Upon arriving at the airport, we immediately realized that learning the language would have to become one of our top priorities. Everything is in Arabic, except for the advertisement, funny enough, there are plenty of commercial posters in English.
Apparently, I have a Arabic face . . . according to everyone here. Libyans I've spoken to are surprised to learn that I don't speak Arabic, "not yet" I tell them. But they're even more surprised to learn that I'm not Arabic at all, that I'm actually Mexican.
We took a tour of our new school, met our fellow newbies here, and will meet the rest of the staff later this week.
There's lots else to say about our new home, but we'll catch up on that later. Thanks for becoming a follower to our blog! We'll try to keep it interesting. Stay tuned, we might soon be writing about visiting Malta in the next couple of months.
Well, after nearly a whole day's journey, we've made it safely to Tripoli. Upon arriving at the airport, we immediately realized that learning the language would have to become one of our top priorities. Everything is in Arabic, except for the advertisement, funny enough, there are plenty of commercial posters in English.
Apparently, I have a Arabic face . . . according to everyone here. Libyans I've spoken to are surprised to learn that I don't speak Arabic, "not yet" I tell them. But they're even more surprised to learn that I'm not Arabic at all, that I'm actually Mexican.
We took a tour of our new school, met our fellow newbies here, and will meet the rest of the staff later this week.
There's lots else to say about our new home, but we'll catch up on that later. Thanks for becoming a follower to our blog! We'll try to keep it interesting. Stay tuned, we might soon be writing about visiting Malta in the next couple of months.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
July TwentyTen
Wow, what a month! July truly proved to be one of emotional highs and lows. The last four weeks were full of reunions and goodbyes with friends and family. Thank you everyone for all the love, support and fun times. Looking back at this month Carolina and I have really seen just how hospitable, generous and simply great people can be. Hopefully we'll be able to capture some of that in the narrative that follows below. Feel free to skip around to the different topics, or read the whole thing if you're bored.
Marc & Shireen
Damien's Wedding
Staying in Hanford & Pittsburg
Emilio & Cecilia's Wedding
Week in Florida
Final days before take-off
Marc & Shireen
Sitting down to write this together, Carolina commented on how long ago July 1st actually was. At the beginning of the month we were staying with our good friends Shireen and Marc. Shireen has been Carolina's partner teacher for four years at H.A. Hyde Elementary in Watsonville. They were very generous to open up their home to us while I finished attending the workshop with the Central California Writing Project.
It was great to have roommates again, really! Especially when one of them is an excellent chef, thanks for all the yummy food Shireen. Also, playing video games with Marc was lots of fun; it validated my arguments with Carolina video game time is essential for a healthy relationship.
I HAVE to mention our 3rd roommate, WALTER! Walter is one of the best dogs in the whole world, and one of my bestest friends. He's a big black puppy dog, who was always ready to play. Sorry I didn't say goodbye Walter.
Shireen and Marc rent a house on Shireen's family's land just outside of Watsonville. Staying there was like staying at some spiritual retreat. The home sits on acres of land full of cows, dogs, and two donkeys. We slept and woke to clucking, chirping and mooing. We got to feed the cows and Haydee came to visit. She brought her son Josh and Francisco Borja, who came all the way from Spain to practice his English. The cows were like big slow dogs, and where surprisingly agile. Josh and Frank rode a mini tractor; first time for everything.
While I was attending the writing project, Carolina spent her days hanging out with Haydee, or Shireen, or Walter. She went surfing a couple of times, did a lot of reading, and basically relaxed for the first time since we started moving out. It was a well earned break.
While at the project, I made a new friend, lol. Antonio Vivó was the only other Mexicano male at the workshop, and we got along from the start. We kept each other up on World Cup scores, and shared strategies for teaching, and vented about what it means being Latino teachers in a White world. Plus we had a couple of beers to commemorate the end of the project. Good luck Antonio on the job search.
Damien's Wedding
As soon as the project ended Carolina and I sped to San Diego for Damien's wedding. It was great to see old friends, it was like a college reunion. Miggy, Jaq, Carlos, Dame, Rob, I can't believe we're all grown up. It was like we picked up where we left off, drinking and joking around. The wedding was on a boat, on a boat on a mutha@&*#ing boat! It was cool to see Damien happy, the ceremony was really nice, the sun setting while we cruised the bay of San Diego, the city shimmering in the background, fireworks, dancing, and of course the open bar set the stage for an awesome night. Congratulations Damien, and for the rest of the guys, lets make sure that we don't wait for the next wedding to hang out.
The next morning we dragged ourselves out of bed, got some free slurpies at 7 Eleven, on July 7th, stocked up on Advil and water, then set out for L.A. There we spent some time with some of Carolina's family; Carolina's madrina Alicia and her tío Sergio, her cousins Evelyn and Angie, her mamá Cuca, as well as her other cousin's, Ivy, Cristian, Marcos, Javi, Laura, and her other tío Heriberto, and her tía Esperanza and Evelia. We had some yummy pozole, watched the final World Cup game, frustrating as it was, and watched Alicia and Sergio's wedding video; it was entertaining seeing everyone as they were 20 something years ago.
Staying in Hanford & Pittsburg
We spent the rest of the week in Hanford. Here the days slowed down. We had nowhere to go, nothing to do, and loved it. The heat kept us in doors, or in the pool. We celebrated Caro's mom's birthday with a carne asada in the backyard. It was fun hanging out with the Medina girls, bouncing a ball around their pool. We also spent a few days at Alex's friend's awesome backyard pool, with her dad and her siblings, Alex, Efrain, Brenda and Ruth. I almost won at Eclipse the game, but Neida beat me at the end. I had everyone convinced that I was a secret Eclipse fan, which I still deny.
The weekend between the two weeks we spent in Hanford we spent at my mom's house in Pittsburg. My brother Enrique's girls played on the Slip n' Slide, and we had carne asada and hot dogs. I made my argument for them to name their soon to be born baby boy after me. We'll see how my argument held up soon enough.
Emilio & Cecilia's Wedding
The next wedding on our Tour de California took place in Oxnard! This was a reunion of Los Mejicas alumni. We got to Oxnard on friday the 23rd and had some great food at the home of some of Emilio's family. The wedding the next day was great. It was a nice day and Ceci was of course a beautiful bride. The priest was entertaining and insightful. The reception had lots of good music, fun dancing to the live band, and good food. It was a classic Mexican wedding; Emilio wore a mandil, a kid got knocked out during la vibora, and we got to watch all the padrinos dance with Emilio & Ceci. Good times. It was sad to say goodbye to more friends, but we'll see each other soon.
Week in Florida
The next morning we ate brunch with two of Caro's old roommates from college. Yogi and Jackie drove up from the LA area just to meet us. We caught up on each others' stories and we filled them in on our whole Libya thing. As soon as we finished though, Carolina and I hit the road again, this time straight to the Bay Area. We had to go to my mom's house, do laundry and repack, then catch a flight Butt-Early Monday morning.
We got to Tampa, got our rental car, then found our way to my sister's house thanks to the handy dandy GPS system. As soon as we walked in the door we were rushed by Alma's six kids; Jasmine,15, Abigail 13, Josiah, 10, Aaron, 7, Joye Alina, 2 and Aurelia, 2 months. We hadn't seen them since the wedding, 2 years ago, and it was the first time we met the youngest two. We pretty much didn't rest the whole week, but it was fun playing with my nieces and nephews. We took the boys to an aquarium in Tampa, and the two oldest girls to Busch Gardens. We got rained out at Bush Gardens, but we were able to salvage the day. Abby got on the Phoenix with me, a rotating boat that flips over itself 4 times. The next day we ALL went to Sea World. When we weren't at an amusement park, we were home playing, listening to the kids play piano, or eating lots of yummy food. One of the highlights was summing in the gulf waters, tar-ball free, it was nice and clear and warm, with white sandy beaches and clear blue skies. Summer!
Our flight home was almost an adventure in itself, almost. We got to the Tampa airport early, checked in and passed through security, when the mother of tropical storms washed past, full of wind and rage and lightening and chaos. Our plane had to be diverted to Orlando, so our flight was delayed, threatening our connecting flight in Houston. We played it cool though, and the storm passed, and we soon boarded. When we got to Houston, though, we had to run clear across the terminal to catch our flight back to SFO. It was all just enough to keep things interesting.
Last days before Take-Off
Our last days in California were spent in Pittsburg and Oakland. We packed and packed and packed, bought stuff, then packed some more. We were fortunate enough to spend some time with good friends to say goodbye, again. It's the day before we leave as I write these words, and we're almost done packing. Carolina's parents and Alex are on there way here to see us off at the airport. It's completely real now, and the emotions are too many and too mixed to really relate in words. Thanks everyone for being so kind and for expressing your friendship in all the ways that you do and did this past month.
We give everyone an open invitation to come visit us. If you can negotiate the hurdles of the Libyan Visa process, then you'll have a free place to stay in Tripoli.
Thanks again for visiting our blog, our next post will be posted from Tripoli, as soon as we can. See you all in 10 months, if not sooner, drop us a line every now and then. Besos y abrazos a todos.
Marc & Shireen
Damien's Wedding
Staying in Hanford & Pittsburg
Emilio & Cecilia's Wedding
Week in Florida
Final days before take-off
Marc & Shireen
Sitting down to write this together, Carolina commented on how long ago July 1st actually was. At the beginning of the month we were staying with our good friends Shireen and Marc. Shireen has been Carolina's partner teacher for four years at H.A. Hyde Elementary in Watsonville. They were very generous to open up their home to us while I finished attending the workshop with the Central California Writing Project.
It was great to have roommates again, really! Especially when one of them is an excellent chef, thanks for all the yummy food Shireen. Also, playing video games with Marc was lots of fun; it validated my arguments with Carolina video game time is essential for a healthy relationship.
I HAVE to mention our 3rd roommate, WALTER! Walter is one of the best dogs in the whole world, and one of my bestest friends. He's a big black puppy dog, who was always ready to play. Sorry I didn't say goodbye Walter.
Shireen and Marc rent a house on Shireen's family's land just outside of Watsonville. Staying there was like staying at some spiritual retreat. The home sits on acres of land full of cows, dogs, and two donkeys. We slept and woke to clucking, chirping and mooing. We got to feed the cows and Haydee came to visit. She brought her son Josh and Francisco Borja, who came all the way from Spain to practice his English. The cows were like big slow dogs, and where surprisingly agile. Josh and Frank rode a mini tractor; first time for everything.
While I was attending the writing project, Carolina spent her days hanging out with Haydee, or Shireen, or Walter. She went surfing a couple of times, did a lot of reading, and basically relaxed for the first time since we started moving out. It was a well earned break.
While at the project, I made a new friend, lol. Antonio Vivó was the only other Mexicano male at the workshop, and we got along from the start. We kept each other up on World Cup scores, and shared strategies for teaching, and vented about what it means being Latino teachers in a White world. Plus we had a couple of beers to commemorate the end of the project. Good luck Antonio on the job search.
Damien's Wedding
As soon as the project ended Carolina and I sped to San Diego for Damien's wedding. It was great to see old friends, it was like a college reunion. Miggy, Jaq, Carlos, Dame, Rob, I can't believe we're all grown up. It was like we picked up where we left off, drinking and joking around. The wedding was on a boat, on a boat on a mutha@&*#ing boat! It was cool to see Damien happy, the ceremony was really nice, the sun setting while we cruised the bay of San Diego, the city shimmering in the background, fireworks, dancing, and of course the open bar set the stage for an awesome night. Congratulations Damien, and for the rest of the guys, lets make sure that we don't wait for the next wedding to hang out.
The next morning we dragged ourselves out of bed, got some free slurpies at 7 Eleven, on July 7th, stocked up on Advil and water, then set out for L.A. There we spent some time with some of Carolina's family; Carolina's madrina Alicia and her tío Sergio, her cousins Evelyn and Angie, her mamá Cuca, as well as her other cousin's, Ivy, Cristian, Marcos, Javi, Laura, and her other tío Heriberto, and her tía Esperanza and Evelia. We had some yummy pozole, watched the final World Cup game, frustrating as it was, and watched Alicia and Sergio's wedding video; it was entertaining seeing everyone as they were 20 something years ago.
Staying in Hanford & Pittsburg
We spent the rest of the week in Hanford. Here the days slowed down. We had nowhere to go, nothing to do, and loved it. The heat kept us in doors, or in the pool. We celebrated Caro's mom's birthday with a carne asada in the backyard. It was fun hanging out with the Medina girls, bouncing a ball around their pool. We also spent a few days at Alex's friend's awesome backyard pool, with her dad and her siblings, Alex, Efrain, Brenda and Ruth. I almost won at Eclipse the game, but Neida beat me at the end. I had everyone convinced that I was a secret Eclipse fan, which I still deny.
The weekend between the two weeks we spent in Hanford we spent at my mom's house in Pittsburg. My brother Enrique's girls played on the Slip n' Slide, and we had carne asada and hot dogs. I made my argument for them to name their soon to be born baby boy after me. We'll see how my argument held up soon enough.
Emilio & Cecilia's Wedding
The next wedding on our Tour de California took place in Oxnard! This was a reunion of Los Mejicas alumni. We got to Oxnard on friday the 23rd and had some great food at the home of some of Emilio's family. The wedding the next day was great. It was a nice day and Ceci was of course a beautiful bride. The priest was entertaining and insightful. The reception had lots of good music, fun dancing to the live band, and good food. It was a classic Mexican wedding; Emilio wore a mandil, a kid got knocked out during la vibora, and we got to watch all the padrinos dance with Emilio & Ceci. Good times. It was sad to say goodbye to more friends, but we'll see each other soon.
Week in Florida
The next morning we ate brunch with two of Caro's old roommates from college. Yogi and Jackie drove up from the LA area just to meet us. We caught up on each others' stories and we filled them in on our whole Libya thing. As soon as we finished though, Carolina and I hit the road again, this time straight to the Bay Area. We had to go to my mom's house, do laundry and repack, then catch a flight Butt-Early Monday morning.
We got to Tampa, got our rental car, then found our way to my sister's house thanks to the handy dandy GPS system. As soon as we walked in the door we were rushed by Alma's six kids; Jasmine,15, Abigail 13, Josiah, 10, Aaron, 7, Joye Alina, 2 and Aurelia, 2 months. We hadn't seen them since the wedding, 2 years ago, and it was the first time we met the youngest two. We pretty much didn't rest the whole week, but it was fun playing with my nieces and nephews. We took the boys to an aquarium in Tampa, and the two oldest girls to Busch Gardens. We got rained out at Bush Gardens, but we were able to salvage the day. Abby got on the Phoenix with me, a rotating boat that flips over itself 4 times. The next day we ALL went to Sea World. When we weren't at an amusement park, we were home playing, listening to the kids play piano, or eating lots of yummy food. One of the highlights was summing in the gulf waters, tar-ball free, it was nice and clear and warm, with white sandy beaches and clear blue skies. Summer!
Our flight home was almost an adventure in itself, almost. We got to the Tampa airport early, checked in and passed through security, when the mother of tropical storms washed past, full of wind and rage and lightening and chaos. Our plane had to be diverted to Orlando, so our flight was delayed, threatening our connecting flight in Houston. We played it cool though, and the storm passed, and we soon boarded. When we got to Houston, though, we had to run clear across the terminal to catch our flight back to SFO. It was all just enough to keep things interesting.
Last days before Take-Off
Our last days in California were spent in Pittsburg and Oakland. We packed and packed and packed, bought stuff, then packed some more. We were fortunate enough to spend some time with good friends to say goodbye, again. It's the day before we leave as I write these words, and we're almost done packing. Carolina's parents and Alex are on there way here to see us off at the airport. It's completely real now, and the emotions are too many and too mixed to really relate in words. Thanks everyone for being so kind and for expressing your friendship in all the ways that you do and did this past month.
We give everyone an open invitation to come visit us. If you can negotiate the hurdles of the Libyan Visa process, then you'll have a free place to stay in Tripoli.
Thanks again for visiting our blog, our next post will be posted from Tripoli, as soon as we can. See you all in 10 months, if not sooner, drop us a line every now and then. Besos y abrazos a todos.
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