Bloomin' Monday: Moving Overseas, Part 2

Hi!

Just in case you're new to my Home on the Web, Welcome!  In addition to random posts about recipes, dancing on bridges, and crying in Subway, each Monday I've been writing a little series on Making the Most of Moving to a New Town.  (I've heard that a writer is supposed to write what she knows, and moving is something I know a lot about!)  All of my moves have been within the US, so my examples are pretty much American.

Last week, my mother made her first guest appearance here on the ol' blog, talking about her move (with my Dad) to Ecuador and the challenges she faced adjusting to life in a new country.  Today, she continues the story....

Once we got some recognizable food in the kitchen, the serious business of figuring out how to survive in our new environment began in earnest.

Water.  What could be more basic than safe drinking water and a hot shower?  Well, finding out where and how to purchase the huge jugs of purified water and portable gas cylinders to attach to the water heater were top priorities.  Along that same line, decontaminating fresh fruits and vegetables was necessary in order to prevent internal parasites.  Poor Steve.  Since he ate out in the countryside more than I did, he had 4 bouts of parasites while we were in Ecuador.  My one case came from the food in a little café we THOUGHT we could trust.  Rough stuff.

Driving.   All of the vehicles owned by the Mission Board had stick shifts, and I never learned to drive anything but an automatic.  Uh oh.  However, by the time we were issued a car, I had already decided that I wasn’t fearless enough to drive where there seemed to be no rules and where horns honked incessantly.  Not only was the traffic chaotic, but the roads were in horrible condition, and drivers were fighting for road space with belching buses and taxis that appeared to be held together with duct tape.  One unwritten rule we learned finally sealed the deal about my driving.  If someone is involved in an accident where any kind of injury occurs, everyone is taken to jail until all the bribes are paid.  Yikes!!!  It was bad enough that Steve drove with that “rule” hanging over his head.  Being chauffeured by Steve, walking, or taking a taxi was immensely preferable in my mind to spending the night in an Ecuadorian jail cell. 

Internet.  With all of our children and family members at least 3000 miles away, this was Numero Uno on my “list of things that must be done.”  About a week after we arrived, Steve and I went downtown to mark this off our list.   He dropped me off at the office and went on to accomplish some other things.  Since I’d had Spanish in high school and college, it stood to reason that I would be able to communicate enough to be understood.  Who knows what I really said?  And further, who knows what that dear receptionist was saying to me?    I just remember that after about an hour, I broke down in tears of frustration and despair because I was feeling overwhelmed and in desperate need of a way to hear from my children.  We were able to finally work things out, but I still recall that incident as a time when I “lost it.” 

Medical and Dental Services.  One of my biggest fears while we were on the field was that Steve or I would have a serious illness or injury and require medical care.   One day Steve was out treating some animals for our Quichua church friends, and a cow stepped on his foot.  We went to a doctor that was recommended.  The poor man had absolutely NO diagnostic equipment of any kind and just pulled some pharmacy samples out of a pile in a cabinet for Steve to try.  L  On another occasion, a huge filling fell out of one of my teeth, and in spite of my long-standing fears about dentists, I knew I was going to have to have something done.  Steve bravely volunteered to “go first” and try out one or two.  He came in from the first dentist and said, “Well, you won’t be going to THAT one.  He didn’t even wear gloves and there was no place to spit.”  Yikes!  The good news is that by the time I did have a true medical crisis and needed to have my gallbladder removed, we had discovered a good hospital with very competent doctors, and my surgery was a big success.  Thank you, God.

In spite of all these challenges, there were many pleasant, happy things going on.  We became good friends with our Spanish teachers and actually enjoyed the requirement of spending many hours each week out in stores and markets practicing the language.  That’s where we truly began to understand the culture and to do the things we had gone to Ecuador to do – build relationships and share the love of Jesus. 

Buds were sprouting.  Could the blooming be far behind?

My mother's a great story-teller, don't you think?  I hope you'll come back next week for the rest of the story.  Until then, you can visit her blog here.  Keep Bloomin'!



This post is linked up to one or more of the following blog parties.  Check them out! Monday: Menu Plan Monday on I'm an Organizing Junkie Wednesday: Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family Friday: 5 Minute Friday at The Gypsy Mama, Company Girl Coffee at Home Sanctuary Other days: A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

2012 Goals: Monthly Checkup

It's that time again - time to check up on my goals for the year.  Some good, some bad, some in between.

Have a More Welcoming Home
This continues to be a struggle.  Between being a wife, Mama, homeschool teacher, online math teacher, housekeeper, checkbook-balancer, and chief cook and bottle washer, there never seems to be enough time in the day.  I've got some ideas brewing on how to adjust this, but nothing concrete just yet.

Improve My Health and Well-Being
I sort of fell off of the WW wagon the last few weeks, but I haven't given up.  I just need to find my mojo again on that.  Trouble is, getting ice cream with the kids is just so much more fun....

Continue to Improve in Homeschooling
There's still lots of room for improvement here, but the planning is going better.  I now put two weeks worth of assignments in a notebook for Nathan, and he loves being able to see what needs to be done each day and check it off as we finish.  We also started Singapore Math a couple of weeks ago, and we both really like it so far.  I've been a bit bewildered by what Horizons didn't seem to teach him last "year," but I've no doubt he'll get caught up very soon.  Meanwhile, his reading skills seem to be growing by leaps and bounds which is thrilling to see.  I'm still searching for the right phonics/spelling/literature curriculum for next year, so suggestions are appreciated.

Kaplan
Things at Kaplan are going well.  I've been assigned two sections of my current course for next term, so I'm hoping to continue some new procedures that are helping me.  With final projects coming in, the next couple of weeks will be more challenging.

Personal Growth
My reading has slowed a little, but still progressing.  I'm also in the middle of two Bible studies that I enjoy.  New friendships are continuing to develop.  The blogging has also slowed down for a variety of reasons, but I have a list of posts I'm hoping to write in the coming weeks including Perms: A Cautionary Tale, Couch: Symbol of a Marriage, I Married Mr. Darcy, and a continuation of the Dear Younger Me saga (it's about to get good!).  Any special requests?  Anyone?  Bueller?

So that's the state of this Mama.  Still moving forward, albeit at a slow pace.  How are your goals coming along? 



This post is linked up to one or more of the following blog parties.  Check them out! Monday: Menu Plan Monday on I'm an Organizing Junkie Wednesday: Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family Friday: 5 Minute Friday at The Gypsy Mama, Company Girl Coffee at Home Sanctuary Other days: A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

Bloomin' Monday: Moving Overseas, Part 1

Hi again!

I hope you all are enjoying this series on Making the Most of Moving to a New Town and beginning to Bloom more in your current location.  As you've probably figured out by now, my husband and I have moved a lot during our marriage - 12 times in 13 years, to be exact! - but all of those moves have been within the United States.

Back in late 2002, my parents moved to Ecuador as missionaries.  I have asked my Mom to write a few guest posts for Bloomin' Monday on the lessons she learned from that experience.  She blogs at The Proverbs 32 Woman, and I know she would love it if you would stop by for a visit.

Here's what she wrote for today:

In the first 31 years that Steve and I were married, we moved 6 times.  Three of those were within the same zip code, and all were within the State of Alabama.  The process was logical and predictable.  Find a place to live, line up a moving truck, throw everything in a box, have the utilities and phone turned off at the old place and on at the new place, fill out some change-of-address cards, line up some friends and/or professionals with strong backs, and hope to arrive with a minimum of breakage and miscalculation in terms of what-would-fit-where.  All dealings were transacted in English – even SOUTHERN English – and the kids never had to change school systems.

In 2002, we were given the incredible opportunity of moving to Ecuador and serving as Southern Baptist missionaries.  All previous “knowns” became “unknowns,” and every single item that we had acquired through 31 years of marriage needed to be examined and labeled: THROW AWAY, GIVE AWAY, STORE, or PACK.  Everything.  Our crate allowance from the Mission Board consisted of two 200-cu.ft. containers.  That’s right.  We were expected to reduce our needs for a minimum of 4 years down to 400 cu. ft.  The arrival date for those containers was a huge unknown (shipping time could be predicted, but when Customs would release them was something else entirely), so we had to further reduce our must-have belongings down to 2 suitcases and 2 footlockers that would arrive in the country on the plane with us.

Our children, who were by then married adults, were the primary beneficiaries of much of our “stuff.”  Other things were sold, so we could use that money to buy replacements in Ecuador.  Cherished items were boxed and stored in my Dad’s attic.  Good Will got many loads, and dumpsters were filled repeatedly.   We got it all done, but I vaguely remember these weeks as something of a blur.  Now, almost ten years later, Steve and I still look at each other sometime and say, “Whatever happened to the ______ we used to have?” 

We arrived in the country two days after Christmas and were taken to a furnished apartment by a fellow missionary who had loaned us some basics – 2 plates, 2 cups, 2 glasses, 2 forks, 2 towels, a potholder, you get the idea, a small aluminum skillet and a saucepan.  VERY basic.  We had not been issued a car yet, so we depended on this missionary (Linda) for transportation and everything, for that matter. 

The main order of business was getting some food in the refrigerator.  The challenge of cooking it was still to come.  The first of MANY culture shocks began in the supermarket where she carried us.  The frozen food section was only a little bigger than my last refrigerator, there was an entire aisle dedicated to rice, the meat section smelled funny and caused my stomach to churn unpleasantly, I was constantly looking up words in my dictionary to determine what I was looking at, etc.  “Overwhelmed” would be the mildest word I can think of to describe what I was feeling.  Where in the world were Betty Crocker, Green Giant, Del Monte, White Lily, Gold Medal and Sister Schubert when I needed them, for heaven’s sakes???  I filled my cart with the most recognizable items I could find – mostly fresh fruits and vegetables and a whole chicken.  We made it back to the apartment, and I remember just sitting and staring for a long time.

I had not used a gas stove in over 30 years, and I quickly found out that foods and ovens “did funny things” at an altitude of 8500 ft.  We would surely have starved in those early days without the hospitality of Linda and some of her friends while I learned how to cook all over again. 

Stay tuned for the continuing story next week....

This post is linked up to one or more of the following blog parties.  Check them out! Monday: Menu Plan Monday on I'm an Organizing Junkie Wednesday: Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family5 Minute Friday at The Gypsy Mama, Company Girl Coffee at Home Sanctuary Other days: A Wise Woman Builds Her Home Friday: