Well, we did it....kind of...

For a whole month now Derek and I have been living in our new Chicago apartment! It's been a rocky start, to tell the truth. Moving back to America after so many years is harder than you'd think. Routines and events that should feel "normal" present unexpected challenges and moments of unfamiliarity. One thing that's hard is the expectation that everything will be easier at "home". But this isn't really the case. We've still run into difficulties with setting up our heating and internet, among other things. Procuring jobs has been no easier being here than it was when we were away. And why is everything so big and intense here? We've been to 5 weddings since we left Beirut and I've been astounded at how extravagant they were. Not to mention the hype and indulgence of sports and the holidays. Recession? From an outsider's point of view, this country is not struggling nearly as much as they keep telling us. (Although from an unemployed point of view, this country needs a boost!) It's not my intention to complain or whine, just to explain that moving to America can be just as much trouble as moving to a foreign country. I guess this is why we promised each other we'd stick around for at least 5 years!

For some positive notes, we love our new neighborhood. We opted for a 2 family house in the Pilsen/Little Village area which is about 5 miles Southwest of downtown Chicago. There's nobody living in the second apartment currently so we really have our own place. We're just 2 blocks from the train and have easy access to the major highways in the area. The population around us is predominantly Mexican which makes for good language and great food! Although we have lost our 10 minute walk to work, we  can still do food shopping and a number of other errands on foot. For work and farther needs we bit the bullet and bought a car. It's the first car either of us has officially owned- we're so grown up! We still are sharing one cell phone, though, which most people find hilarious. I think it's progress- we didn't even have one in Beirut. There are plans to purchase another but neither of us is really too anxious to do so. We have a brand new mattress, too. But that's it for furniture so far. Everything has just been so overwhelming that I didn't want to rush into buying or acquiring things that I don't really like/want/need.

I've had a lot of moments lately when I've realized how much the past experiences affect you. I mean, without Peace Corps and the bare-bones traveling and camping we've done, I don't think I'd have the patience to put up with how we've been living lately. But ya know? In the great big scheme of things, every phase is temporary and goes by in the blink of an eye. Even if the days feel long right now, I know a year from now these moments will barely register in my memory. Plus I think a lot will be changing for us in the next year- for the better- as we settle into our new home and the "American Life". 

Vamos la Guatemala!

The next big trip came up quite suddenly. Derek and I had tossed around the idea of making a trip to Southeast Asia to see Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. When we were back in Beirut- all settled and half way there- the trip seemed like a perfect way to kill time between the multiple wedding engagements we had scheduled. This mood seemed to change, though, once we hit the road. All of sudden Asia seemed REALLY far away, and pretty damn expensive to get to. We went back and forth for the most of the summer until we finally settled on something we both could look forward to- Guatemala! The best part was that while we were in Oregon, we met Josh's brother Aaron and his girlfriend Erica, who had been recently living in Guatemala. They worked at an organization called LONG WAY HOME. This nonprofit was started by Returned Peace Corps Volunteers a few years ago. It started with a park in a village. Instead of paying an entrance fee, children could gain admittance by collecting trash in a plastic bottle, hopefully encouraging them to take notice of the enormous illegal trash dumps polluting their beautiful countryside. Eventually they had so many bottles they needed a new project. With collaboration from the community and Engineers Without Borders, they developed a plan for a Vocational School that would be made from old tires and trash bottles, sand and clay. In the town of Comalapa, the lucky child goes as high as Grade 6. This new school would offer a practical high school education, with a strong emphasis on environmental awareness and sustainable living. Once Derek and I heard that it would be possible to go and volunteer for this group, we booked our tickets and left ten days later.

As soon as we arrived, I felt like I was home.  By the end of almost 3 weeks there, Derek literally had to tear me away. I loved everything about the project- the education piece, the environmental piece, the spanish piece, the celebration piece. It was invigorating to wake up every day and get dirty working with my hands. We learned how to make cob, which is a mixture of sand, clay, manure and hay that is used to cover the walls made from tires and stuffed bottles. The buildings are designed to resist earthquakes, and to leave a relatively tiny footprint on the environment. The staff at LWH were incredible, extremely devoted, compassionate and endearing people. They live on $200 a month down there, which is not much, despite how inexpensive almost everything is. The organization survives in large part due to the steady stream of volunteers that come down for a week or even several months. Most of them are like us- lots of enthusiasm,  but very little knowledge. Luckily, the staff are very patient and pretty well organized, too, so volunteers leave with way more than what they came with. Derek and I had the great pleasure of living up at the construction site. The volunteer house is about a 15 minute walk away (at the original park) but for a few logistical reasons, we got to stay up at the school. It was quite an adventure, a lot like camping/peace corps living. We loved it! The only downer was a bit of a run-in I had with the cow, Mariposa. Mariposa was a "gift"to the Guatemalan staff (there are 6 guys who work full time on the construction) from a second grade class in Australia. But since she is theirs to share, she lives at the site. One Sunday I was trying to pitch in with the chores and I thought I could relocate the cow so she would have more food and stop bellowing so incessantly. But I terribly underestimated the strength of a cows draw to the forbidden corn crops. Just as I was loosening her rope, she started to take off and before I realized what was happening, I was tumbling down the gravel hillside. OUCH! Luckily Derek caught her and we both used everything we had to pull her back. I couldn't really move too well for a day or so, which was OK because I ended up working in the office and helping with the newsletter! Plus I got some great battle scars...Like I said, I never wanted to leave, but the time eventually came and I had promised Derek we could tour some of Guatemala, and marriage, after all, is all about compromise, so off we went to see what the rest of the country had in store.

Here is the shower that was built using glass bottles and cans. These materials
take up space so not so much cement is needed. It also adds charm and color!

Some volunteers leaving in the truck after a night of festivities.

That's me using a machete to chop wood for the fire!

An example of a wall made of tires. It will be filled in and smoothed out with cob later.
On top of the window are a bunch of glass bottles. Here they are covered with tape to keep them
clean, but when the tape is removed, it will allow more natural light into the classroom.

Here we are adding decorations to this wall using cob. We ended up sculpting corn cobs
and Mayan glyphs for the four elements.

The view from the school. That's a volcano! And if you look closely, you can see a plume
of smoke behind it, coming from another volcano.

My wounds from the mishap with the cow.

The cow. That's Genevieve attempting to control the cow. It's just not a good idea.

Here's our room! And that's one of the 3 dogs that runs the place. 

A clear example of why they need to do something about the trash.
This pile of garbage is falling down into the river. 

We decided to head north towards Tikal, the famous Mayan ruins. On the way we were told we should see Semuc Champey, the "most beautiful place in Guate".  Day one: we took a bus to Guatemala City, then another bus to Coban for a total of about 10 hours of travel. This was just a stopover place for the night, but we ended up meeting another RPCV who had been stationed in Coban. We ate together at a local El Salvadorian place. Yummm. The next morning, we took more local transport to Semuc Champey. This is where it got interesting. First we took a minibus about 4 hours down the winding highway, and then off road for an entire hour of bumping along the downhill gravel. We arrive in a tiny town, yet still have another off-road journey ahead of us, which we take in the back of a pickup truck. A few locals jump in with us, one woman handing me her baby, which is asleep in a sling! The road (about 30 minutes, this time) is quite bumpy so it's better to stand up and hang on to the cross bar. We finally arrive at El Portal. Our room is in a grass hut on the second floor. We have to climb a ladder to get to it, and there isn't even a single light in the room! But the view of the river was beautiful. We went for a good hike and ended up in these gorgeous pools of water created by the various land levels in the river in between two waterfalls. You could see clear to the bottom and the little fish even nibbled on your feet! It was awesome. The next day we left and headed for Tikal . This was the longest day of the trip- it took us 11 hours to go roughly 200 kilometers. NOT FUN. But we finally arrived in the quaint island town of Flores where we found a simple family run hotel, a delicious meal by the water, and a good night sleep. From Flores we took a bus to Tikal and admired the Mayan ruins in the Guatemalan jungle. It reminded us of the movie "Apocalypto". That night, we took the overnight back to Guatemala city- piece of advice, this is the way to go! A comfy bus through the night, one stop, no annoying passengers, no unnecessary roadblocks and only 8 hours. We hopped onto a chicken bus (these are the public busses that we took the whole time, but many tourists are told not to take because they might be dangerous...we did it Peace Corps style) and spent the last couple days in Antigua. It's a colorful city that used to be the capital, and also where Bill Clinton once stayed, apparently. One day we had a great tour of a local coffee plantation. Another day we hiked up an active volcano. The rest of the time we ate scrumptious food and drank lots of rum and coke. After all, we were on vacation! Here's a few pictures to go along with my stories...

This is our tour guide from the volcano hike. He is actually roasting marshmellows from
the steam that is coming up from the cracks.

On the volcano. I'm standing on pure ash, yet some flowers are still growing.

The famous view in Tikal. Apparently it had a cameo in the original Star Wars movie.

Tikal. We were the first people there in the early morning. It was eery, being in the jungle like that.
But it was also incredible to see such old towers!

Our grass hut in Semuc. 

This is Semuc Champey, said to be "the most beautiful place in Guatemala."
I might have to agree.

Next on the list...Oregon

When Josh and Elizabeth announced that they would be getting married in Bend, Oregon I started to wonder whether or not I could be a West Coast girl. A lot of our teacher friends from Beirut are from the Pacific Northwest and it seems to be quite a popular place. Everyone from there seems unusually attached to their hometown, something I've never really felt but have often longed for. Josh and Elizabeth had exposed me to a lot of the outdoors life that flourishes in that part of the country- rock climbing, camping, hiking, trail running, triathlons...so I was really looking forward to the trip. Derek and I flew into Portland and rented a car. It was a beautiful drive over Mount Hood, and then into the desert-like terrain near Bend, where Josh grew up. Their wedding weekend was awesome! Josh's parents hosted us for the first night (we slept in a tent in their backyard) and for the rehearsal dinner. Then a group of us rented a house right by the river and just a short walk from downtown where the wedding was. We went on some great trail runs, took a float down the river in a raft, had a number of parties, and drank delicious beer at a variety of local breweries. The scenery everywhere was gorgeous. The people were friendly. Life seemed pretty good in Bend. Here are a few of the better shots from the weekend:

The view of Mt. Hood in the rear view mirror

Our perfect rental house- aka the red house

Josh and Elizabeth- they are such a fun and happy couple and they throw a GREAT party!

The Beirut Gang- pretty cool that so many of us made it for the wedding.
Emilee & Anil, Eamon & Susan, J & E, C & D, Chris & Audrey

We hosted the day-after party at the red house
This is Elizabeth with her friends Jay & Tom from high school

The red house gang: Tom, Jay, Derek, Casey, Emilee, Anil and a cat....
don't know where the cat came from....

We left Bend and headed for Portland.
These are the Lava lands on the mountain range between Bend and Eugene.

In Portland, we stayed with my Uncle Jim.
This ladder was in a movie with Brad Pitt from back in the day!

We visited some friends of his and she made us
snow cones with an old fashioned machine.

Overall, we loved Oregon, but neither of us were inclined to move there. I think we're both weary of living in a place where everyone seems to be of the same mentality. We're looking for more diversity, I guess. I definitely liked how fit everyone was in Bend, and how much of the local culture was about being active and adventurous. We loved the widespread campaign for supporting local business and organic living. But I think we're city people and we didn't fall in love with Portland. It's a funky city, somewhat reminiscent of Boston, actually. People are definitely creative and free-spirited, there's tons of good food (especially Mexican food! Yummm) and the bridges adds a unique flare to the city bustle. I can see why so many people love it. We had a fantastic trip, but I don't think home will be in Oregon. 

Coming home: first stop

We packed our boxes and shipped them off the coast of Lebanon. Then we set off for our extended summer. Final destination: Chicago. But the first stop was Milan, Italy. Derek bought tickets to see Roger Waters perform The Wall.

Then we set our for my much anticipated trek over the Alps from Italy into Switzerland. Four days of gorgeous scenery and utter quietude. But don't trust my opinion, see for yourself!

Italian village of Courmayeur, at the beginning of the trek.

D and I at the top! Italian/Swiss Border

And check out this lake! Switzerland is SO beautiful.

  

On the last day of our trek, we discovered that Arcade Fire was playing at the Montreaux Jazz Festival, only an hour or so away. So we rearranged our plans and headed to the venue. Lucky for us, we got there in time to snatch up some last minute tickets. The festival was really cool- loads of shops, eateries, and music being played along the boardwalk with another mirror-clear Swiss lake in the background. And the concert ROCKED! 

 

We spent the last few days of our trip visiting Herman Hesse's old house in a town called Lake Lugano, and had a leisurely day in Lake Como, Italy. Overall, we agreed that Italy is definitely more "liveable" than Switzerland. The food is more delicious, the people are more approachable, and the prices are WAY more affordable. And although it was a fabulous vacation, it wasn't the home we're looking for. Onto the next stop!

I know, I know....

Most of you readers (if there were any to begin with!) have probably long forgotten about this blog. It's true- the job has been neglected. As we enter our final month in Lebanon, it seemed about time to get up a few more posts. Primarily, I want to post some pictures from our trip to Sri Lanka since so many people have been curious about that adventure. Perhaps I'll fill in some blanks over the next few weeks, but for now....here's SRI LANKA!!!

After a seemingly endless journey of travel (after the 10+ hours in planes and airports, we had a 7 hour car ride), we arrived at the beautiful beach town of Unawatuna on the Southern Coast of the Island. It was dark when we arrived, but we woke up on the beach!

Although we had many offers to take a boat ride, we opted to play in the waves, eat fresh sea food...


and walk on the beach.
Apparently, Unawatuna's beach has been receeding ever since the 2004 Tsunami. That disaster devasted much of the Sri Lankan coast. The people were- and still are- greatly affected. We spoke with a few locals who confessed that they constantly wonder when another tsunami is going to come.

We took a tuk-tuk to our net destination, Mirissa Beach, and stopped along the way to see the famous pole fisherman. Well, that's what we thought...somehow, without my knowledge, I agreed to be dressed up like a pole fisherman, carried out onto the sea and plopped onto one of the poles! I guess you could say it was a fun (or funny) experience, though not exactly what we had in mind!

Our next abode  was tucked behind the beach in the jungle. It was one of the less glamorous places we've stayed, but at a  mere $7 a night who can complain?

  

 Traveling in the off season meant we had some rainy beach days...

 but even with the clouds and drear, this place was still heavenly.

Who can resist the smell of jungle flowers?

Moving on...deeper into the jungle. We headed to a place called Yala National Park for a jungle safari. The most exciting moments were the massive python which we saw the night before, and the leopards that we saw in the jungle. However, those cats move too quickly to be photographed, so you'll have to take our word that they're awesome! And enjoy a few shots of wildlife...