Photo Journal: Alasitas, the Aymara Festival of Abundance.

Ekeko is a diminutive fellow with a jolly disposition. His happiness may have something to do with the material wealth overflowing in his arms. Miniature versions of dollar bills, euros, fancy cars, houses, and college diplomas can all be seen in the presence of Ekeko. In Bolivia, Ekeko is a character associated with abundance and prosperity, and he is the central figure in the Festival of Alasitas. This event is based in the city of La Paz, but can also be seen in other cities of Bolivia.

During the month of January, we were introduced to the popular Alasitas! Miniatures representing a wish one is seeking pursuing. It could be a house, a job, a diploma, a car, food for the pantry, a construction building or construction supplies…even money! [they actually had miniature copies of dollar, euro and peso/boliviano bills!].

The Alasitas is a 3-week long fair that, in La Paz, takes place beginning on the 24th of January. Everything is in miniature! This festival originally started when farmers prayed for a good crop so their harvest would be bountiful. Alasitas is an Aymara festival Bolivia celebrates in reverence of the indigenous “god of bounty” or “abundance” called the Ekeko.

Therefore, Alasitas has been called the Festival of Abundance. Ekeko is a diminutive fellow with a jolly disposition. His happiness may have something to do with the material wealth overflowing in his arms. Miniature versions of dollar bills, euros, fancy cars, houses, and college diplomas can all be seen in the presence of Ekeko. This event is based in the city of La Paz, but can also be seen in other cities of Bolivia.

Old, young and children become excited to acquire bills, houses, vehicles, household items, college diplomas… The desire to buy some bills is so that one’s pockets aren’t empty during the year. In addition to shopping, there was some excitement to find those that in Aymara are called “YATIRIS,” which can be said to mean “PSYCHIC,” so that they can CHALLAR (bless) the purchased miniatures, which helps make these wishes into reality. The challa is an Andean ritual that sprinkle these items with a drink (alcohol or wine) and cover them with incense.

People would buy their ‘product of desire’ and have it blessed by a priest [at the church] or by a native yatiiri… Some people chose both options, why not? 😮

Miniatures for every taste and wish: your dream house, your car, passports, credit cards & suitcases for that long waited travel… or, maybe, that wonderful engagement ring…

For those ladies seeking marriage(!!), why not go for a blessed miniature of a Rooster?! That could guarantee not only a good mate for the seeking lady, but also, would ensure he could father many children! 😮 [for the unmarried men, there’s also a version, with Chicken, instead of the male bird…]

Having trouble finding a job? Getting your College Degree? Or… putting an end to a bad marriage? Find there miniatures of Work Contracts, College Diplomas and… a Divorce Certificate! 😮 [top left, kid’s hand, “compre aqui su sentencia de divorcio” = buy here your divorce agreement!]

What about you? What would be your ‘miniature of desire’? 😮

Thank you for reading, and lots of luck in 2013!

Bolivians stage miniature festival in tribute to god of abundance (rawstory.com)
Market of minis took off in Bolivia (bigpondnews.com)

Snapshots of Artistic Expressions in La Paz. Part II: The Fighting Cholitas!

Like many others, I need colorful experiences in my life. A few years back, I discovered a good way to cope with the intense life of the foreign service, moving every so often, and raising kids along the way – through artistic expressions. We’ve been at our new posting for exactly 6 months, and I’m always on the lookout for interesting stories, traditional customs, unique ways that represent the Bolivian Culture. The first post was about Art in La Paz through paintings. This time, a group of friends was taken to El Alto, just outside La Paz, for a Sunday afternoon experience with the ‘Fighting Cholitas’!

Like many others, I need colorful and fun experiences in my life. A good way to cope with the intense life of the foreign service [moving every so often, and raising kids along the way]: find ways to ‘dive into the local culture, learning about their traditions and what moves their hearts! 😮

We’ve already been posted in Bolivia for exactly 6 months, and I’m always on the lookout for interesting stories, traditional eventss, unique ways that represent the Bolivian Culture. The first post was about Art in La Paz through paintings. This time, a group of friends was taken to El Alto, just outside La Paz, for a Sunday afternoon experience with the ‘Fighting Cholitas‘! A unique experience for many foreigners visiting Bolivia, and a great fit for this week’s photo challenge!

In order to ‘educate myself’ a bit, I did a brief research on these famous women, and the easiest explanation comes from Wikipedia:

The Fighting Cholitas are a group of female lucha libre wrestlers who perform in El Alto, Bolivia. The Cholitas are part of a group called the Titans of the Ring, which includes both male and female wrestlers. The Titans perform each Sunday for an audience of hundreds at El Alto’s Multifunctional Center.

Like the general population of El Alto, which consists almost entirely of Aymara and Quechua residents, the Cholitas are indigenous. They wear braided hair, bowler hats and multilayered skirts in the ring.

Now, less talk and more images. Starting with our short trip leaving the city of La Paz, towards El Alto, the ‘grand stage’ for the Cholitas Performance!

The ‘way to travel’: our Cholita Wrestling Bus, personalized tickets, snacks and souvenirs!

The ‘performers’… or should I say… ‘the fearless fighters’ and their loyal fans? 😮

These women aren’t like the men in their spandex outfits and masks. They’re Cholitas, indigenous Bolivian women in their traditional Aymara Indian clothes. The outfit includes a layered skirt buoyed by petticoats, a shawl with long swinging fringe and a bowler hat adorned with gold pins. It’s what the women wear in, and out, of the wrestling ring.

Cholitas wrestling is an ever-growing business. Hundreds of tourists, and Bolivians, line up every week to watch the cholitas beat on each other. But why the fascination? “It’s something spectacular, something never seen before to have a cholita in the ring,” a common opinion shared among us, astonished and somehow, confused (?), members of the Sunday audience…. 😮

Photo Project: 52 Bolivian Sundays [week 5, ‘Unique’]: the highest mountain in the Cordillera Real.

At 6,438 m (21,122 ft), mount Illimani is the highest mountain in the Cordillera Real, the second highest in Bolivia and the 18th highest in the Andes.
It lies just south of La Paz at the eastern edge of the Altiplano.
It dominates the city of La Paz like a sentinel on guard.
It has three prominent peaks seen from La Paz (it actually has several peaks over 6000 meters) and the most commonly climbed route is on the west face.
To climb this mountain one should have some experience and be very well acclimatized. It’s recommended to spend at least 7 days above 3000 meters and work on some high altitude trekking or climbed another 5500 meter plus peak.
Here, the magnificent peak, waiting for a storm to come… Despite the frightful image, the mountain remains peaceful among the dark clouds…

At 6,438 m (21,122 ft), mount Illimani is the highest mountain in the Cordillera Real, the second highest in Bolivia and the 18th highest in the Andes.

It lies just south of La Paz at the eastern edge of the Altiplano, dominating the city of La Paz like a sentinel on guard.

It has three prominent peaks seen from La Paz (it actually has several peaks over 6000 meters) and the most commonly climbed route is on the west face. To climb this mountain one should have some experience and be very well acclimatized. It’s recommended to spend at least 7 days above 3000 meters and work on some high altitude trekking, before any attempt!

Here, this series of images display the snow capped magnificent peak, waiting for a storm to come…a very common scenario during this time of the year… Despite the frightful image, the mountain remains peaceful among the dark clouds…

…and after the storm has passed – the calming view of the mountain, once we’re safely back home, in La Paz!

♥ Thanks for reading! Curious about the previous posts on this Photo Project?

Photo Project: 52 Bolivian Sundays [week 2, ‘Illumination’]. (3rdculturechildren.com)
Photo Project: 52 Bolivian Sundays [week 3, ‘Beyond’] (3rdculturechildren.com)
Photo Project: 52 Bolivian Sundays [week 1, ‘Resolved’]. (3rdculturechildren.com)
Photo Project: 52 Bolivian Sundays [week 4, ‘Love’]. (3rdculturechildren.com)

Photography: Isla del Sol, Bolivia.

Trying a different thing here! Before you begin reading, let’s try this: I hope you’ll enjoy this post — please let me know your thoughts by dropping me a comment below – obviously, after checking all these beautiful images out! ♥ Thank you! This is the third post of a series on our visit to the main Bolivian town on the shore of Lake Titicaca. The previous posts focused on people and our perception of their lives, as well as our ‘on-foot exploration’ of the Copacabana town [missed the great images? No problem! Just hop over to the posts using these links: stop 1 & stop 2!]

From our home, La Paz, to the town of Copacabana, we drove some 172 kilometers, route including a ride on a Ferry Boat! Once in town, we took a 2-hour boat, packed with tourists, families, kids, to the mystic Isla del Sol, for an exciting and exhausting challenging (!!) 3 hour hike through the rocky mountains, towards the pre-Inca ruins, the Sacred Inca Labyrinth, and a well deserved stop at the intriguing ‘floating islands’ [islas flotantes], artificially established fish farms, restaurants & rest areas, for some delicious trout lunch! 😮

According to Wikitravel, “Isla del Sol (“Island of the Sun”) is the largest island on Lake Titicaca, and part of Bolivian territory. An ancient holy site of the Inca, it’s easily reachable from Copacabana”. Considering I love to search for meanings, reasons, traditional explanations, I really loved to learn that, “the Inca [people] legend says that Viracocha, the bearded god who created the universe, emerged from the waters of Lake Titicaca and created the sun at this location”… How can something get any cooler than this?

Trying an unusual blogging experience here!

I hope you’ll enjoy this post. Before you begin reading, let’s try this: “what do you expect to see through this post? What type of images come to your mind when you read ‘Isla del Sol’? ‘Bolivia’? — please let me know your thoughts by dropping me a comment below: did the results live up to your expectations? – obviously, share your thoughts after checking all these beautiful images out! ♥ Thank you!

This is the third post of a series on our visit to the main Bolivian town on the shore of Lake Titicaca. The previous posts focused on people and our perception of their lives, as well as our ‘on-foot exploration’ of the Copacabana town [missed the great images? No problem! Just hop over to the posts using these links: stop 1 & stop 2!]

From our home, La Paz, to the town of Copacabana, we drove some 172 kilometers, route including a ride on a Ferry Boat! Once in town, we took a 2-hour boat, packed with tourists, families, kids, to the mystic Isla del Sol, for an exciting and ~~exhausting~~ challenging (!!) 3 hour hike through the rocky mountains, towards the pre-Inca ruins, the Sacred Inca Labyrinth, and a well deserved stop at the intriguing ‘floating islands’ [islas flotantes], artificially established fish farms, restaurants & rest areas, for some delicious trout lunch! 😮

According to Wikitravel, “Isla del Sol (“Island of the Sun“) is the largest island on Lake Titicaca, and part of Bolivian territory. An ancient holy site of the Inca, it’s easily reachable from Copacabana“. Considering I love to search for meanings, reasons, traditional explanations, I really loved to learn that, “the Inca [people] legend says that Viracocha, the bearded god who created the universe, emerged from the waters of Lake Titicaca and created the sun at this location”… How can something get any cooler than this? 😮 That said, we’ve been to the place where it all began… or at least, the spot where the Sun was created! ♥

Lovely, right? And the images are a testimony of that… take a look and enjoy this journey with our traveling family!

The boat ride to the Isla del Sol…

Take weekend trips with other families with kids -it’s a life-saver!

Largest freshwater lake in South America

…and snapshots of the floating islands and the fish [trout] farms!

The floating restaurant

Detail from the trout farm

The fish farm

The floating restaurant

view from the floating restaurant

Learning a bit about the island and its features:

A full-day tour took two hours to get from Copacabana to Cha’llapampa, two and a half hours to see the museum and make a round trip hike to the Rock of the Puma, and back to the Inca Steps and two hours for the ride back to Copacabana.

It’s possible to hike from the Rock of the Puma back to Yumani (three hours) and catch the boat from there. Our family just could not do this, and we skipped the extra 3-hour hike, due to exhausted kids… But, our adventure was well-worthy:

Cha’llapampa, the town on the northern end of the island, is where the boat lets you off. The Gold Museum (Museo de Oro) displays Inca treasures which were discovered underwater off the island in the last decade.

The sights on the northern tip are ancient Inca sacred sites. The Rock of the Puma, or Titi Kharka, after which the lake is named.
A short distance from the rock is the Inca Table, a low platform fashioned of stone. which was supposedly used for human sacrifices. The Footsteps of the Sun nearby are a set of natural impressions in rock.
From Yumani on the southern part of the island, the Inca Steps descend down to the water. At the bottom is the Fountain of Youth.

Finally, once at the island, our hiking adventure through mysticism, tradition & culture!

Pre-Inca Ruins

Blessing the hikers

Pre-Inca Ruins

Sacred Labyrinth

Entering the Sacred Labyrinth

Aerial view from the villa

The youngest hiker

The Table of Sacrifices

Immerse into the local culture and traditions

The Sacred Labyrinth

Sacred Labyrinth

View from the top of the mountain

Photo Journal: Cultural trip to Copacabana, Bolivia.

This is the second post of a series on the city of Copacabana, the main Bolivian town on the shore of Lake Titicaca.

Our path towards a very restful weekend. Bags packed, kids packed, car tank full. Let’s begin! ♥
Our ‘home away from home’, Hotel Rosario do Lago Titicaca, a welcome respite in this funky beach town …. heavenly views, spacious rooms very tastefully decorated, modern and spacious bath, comfortable and beautiful beds. Food is fantastic with beautiful views overlooking lake and lovely gardens…

Typical lady from Copacabana. Photo taken in front of the Basilica of the Virgin of Copacabana, Jan 2013. — Typical lady of Copacabana, selling bread in front of the church. Photo taken at the Basilica of the Virgin of Copacabana

This is the second post of a series on the city of Copacabana, the main Bolivian town on the shore of Lake Titicaca.

The previous post focused more on people and our perception of their lives, the image on the right should give a pretty good first impression of what we found during our visit [if curious, hop over to the post using this link!]

Our path towards a very restful weekend. Bags packed, kids packed, car tank full. Let’s begin! ♥

172 kilometers to drive, route including a Ferry!

Leaving La Paz was a breeze! Not the heavy traffic we expected throughout El Alto, and as a bonus, some very interesting buildings along the way – see below!

Our kids simply loved their ‘new way of moving’ along the Lake!

Our ‘home away from home’, Hotel Rosario do Lago Titicaca, a welcome respite in this funky beach town …. heavenly views, spacious rooms very tastefully decorated, modern and spacious bath, comfortable and beautiful beds. Food is fantastic with beautiful views overlooking lake and lovely gardens… Here is what we spotted from our hotel, while enjoying a cup of coffee [me] or a chilled beer [husband] – the magnificent Lake Titicaca:

The city was completely ready for pilgrims and tourists coming from all sorts of places. People seeking blessings, people honoring promises, people of faith and tourists. The colorful city of Copacabana had a special place for each and every one of them!

The street markets were a sure hotspot for visitors! Clothing articles, leather-made products, typical food, ‘the famous tostadas’ were among the offers!

Hiking options were also available to all, and again, the reasons varied with the will: adventure, faith, curiosity, photography… you name it! The views from up top the Calvary Hill are definitely priceless, and made us forget the difficulties climbing up through the 14 Stations [of the Cross] with a bunch of little kids!

Moms & Kids, resting at mid-point.

…and more kids along the way!

Detail: hiking and adventure see no boundaries… no age is too young!

The beginning of the hike along the Calvary Hill

Entrance to the “Calvary”

The city of Copacabana, spotted from our hiking mid-point

Our youngest member of the hiking team: a 2-yr-old girl”

Detail from one of the “Stations of the Cross”

The little members of our family’s hiking team – our kids!

Detail from another one of the 14 Stations of the Cross

Once at the top of the Calvary Hill, we were introduced to the popular Alasitas! Miniatures representing a wish. It could be a house, a job, a diploma, a car…even money! [they actually had miniature copies of dollar bills!]

People would buy their ‘product of desire’ and have it blessed by a priest [at the Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana] or by a native yakiri… Some people chose both options, why not? 😮

At the top of the Calvary Hill, it was time to enjoy the magnificent natural beauty around us: the Lake seemed endless, powerful, and yet, soothing. The deep blue colors from the waters mirrored the blue ceiling the sky was offering to all the ones brave enough to accomplish the walk up… ♥

After all this, were we tired? For a bit, we were, for sure. But we found enough energy to keep moving on, and exploring… an island! The Isla del Sol [Sun Island], a 2-hour boat ride away from Copacabana, with occasional stops at the ‘floating islands‘… But this will be part of an upcoming post… For now, just get back to the images, enjoy them, and if you wish, let us know what you think! 😮 Thanks for tagging along with our ‘traveling family of 5′!’

El recorrido desde La Paz toma aproximadamente 3 horas y media por carretera asfaltada. Copacabana, casi es un paso obligatorio entre Cusco (Perú) y la ciudad de La Paz.

Photo Project: 52 Bolivian Sundays [week 4, ‘Love’]. (3rdculturechildren.com)
Photo Essay: People and Feelings of Copacabana, Bolivia. (3rdculturechildren.com)
Bolivia Vacations (orbitz.com)

Willing to travel? Check out this suggestion on cheap tickets from Flighthub!

Photo Project: 52 Bolivian Sundays [week 4, ‘Love’].

A traditional expression of love, for something bigger than oneself…

Religion, devotion, faith, Love – many names for the several different ways of approaching what’s believed to be a stronger, powerful protective force… People seeking blessings, seeking help, seeking guidance…

Cerro Calvario (Calvary Hill) is a hill in Copacabana lined with small monuments representing the 14 Stations of the Cross. Pilgrims visit the Stations for prayer and penance. Thousands of pilgrims journey to Copacabana – some on foot for the entire 158km distance from La Paz, and it’s the chosen inspiration for the fourth week of this 52-week Photo Project, and the last Sunday of January 2013.

At the summit of Cerro Calvario, pilgrims light incense and buy mini replicas of various material possessions that they hope the Virgin will grant them during the year.

The Virgen de la Candelaria in Copacabana is a statue of the Virgin Mary sculpted by an Inca craftsman in 1576. Believed to work miracles, the statue of the “Dark Virgin of the Lake” is the most important pilgrimage destination in Bolivia.

According to a local legend, in 1576, some Inca fishermen were caught in a terrible storm on Lake Titicaca. As they prayed for help, the Virgin Mary appeared and led them to safety.

A traditional expression of love, for something bigger than oneself…

For this week’s photo challenge, we’re all trying to answer the question: ‘What is love?’ Some amazing bloggers have already done it! What about you? ♥

Photo Project: 52 Bolivian Sundays [week 2, ‘Illumination’]. (3rdculturechildren.com)
Photo Project: 52 Bolivian Sundays [week 3, ‘Beyond’] (3rdculturechildren.com)
Photo Project: 52 Bolivian Sundays [week 1, ‘Resolved’]. (3rdculturechildren.com)

Photo Essay: People and Feelings of Copacabana, Bolivia.

This is the first post of a series on the city of Copacabana, the main Bolivian town on the shore of Lake Titicaca. It’s an amateur attempt to capture more than just images, landscapes and hotspots from the enormous Lake Titicaca and its surroundings – it’s an experiment to enter people’s lives and understand their feelings… That’s why it’s being called ‘People and Feelings of Copacabana’.

This is the first post of a series on the city of Copacabana, the main Bolivian town on the shore of Lake Titicaca. It’s an amateur attempt to capture more than just images, landscapes and hotspots from the enormous Lake Titicaca and its surroundings – it’s an experiment to enter people’s lives and understand their feelings… That’s why it’s being called ‘People and Feelings of Copacabana‘.

[Spanish] Copacabana, región encantadora a orillas del Lago Titikaka, está situada a una altura de 3.841 m.s.n.m, y a una distancia de 155 km la ciudad de La Paz, que es la sede de Gobierno de Bolivia y la ciudad más importante del país. El recorrido desde La Paz toma aproximadamente 3 horas y media por carretera asfaltada. Copacabana, casi es un paso obligatorio entre Cusco (Perú) y la ciudad de La Paz.

Religion, devotion, faith – many names for the several different ways of approaching what’s believed to be a stronger, powerful protective force… People seeking blessings, seeking help, seeking guidance…

The town has a large 16th-century shrine, the Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana. Our Lady of Copacabana is the patron saint of Bolivia. As part of our trip, we also visited the Isla del Sol, and appreciated the long and heartwarming hike through the rocky paths, up to the pre-Inca ruins – sensations and feelings, were everywhere…

More still to come on our recent family 4-day road trip, but for now, let’s begin with these very personal and intimate photo shots… Hope you are all able to perceive the same sensations we got… ♥ Let us know!

Snapshots of Artistic Expressions. A visit to the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo in La Paz.

Art galleries in La Paz have been springing up like cactus flowers after the rains.

Many are within an easy walk from one another. Is there a better way for getting to know the beauties (and resources) this colorful city offers?

Now, that I’m comfortable enough to walk around the city, I’ve begun a series of posts about art in the city, this one being the result of an afternoon visit to a current Art Exhibit at the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo ‘Plaza’, in La Paz. Oh, the temporary advantages of being a ‘stay-home-mom’! ♥

Got some free time to explore, what about nicely educating yourself on the country’s history, art and endless man-made beauty? I’ve got, and I’m slowly educating myself… through art and history! 😮

Art galleries in La Paz have been springing up like cactus flowers after the rains.

Many are within an easy walk from one another. Is there a better way for getting to know the beauties (and resources) this colorful city offers?

Now, that I’m comfortable enough to walk around the city, I’ve begun a series of posts about art in the city, this one being the result of an afternoon visit to a current Art Exhibit at the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo ‘Plaza’, in La Paz. Oh, the temporary advantages of being a ‘stay-home-mom’! ♥

Got some free time to explore, what about nicely educating yourself on the country’s history, art and endless man-made beauty? I’ve got, and I’m slowly educating myself... through art and history! 😮

[All images provided here were taken by me – with permission].

Still curious for more?

Find below a list of gallery websites, and/or related resources:

Bolivian Painter Claudia Soria
Online gallery of paintings by Bolivian painter Claudia Soria.

Bolivian Painter Emma Rosario Imana de Murguia
Biography of the artist and some art work samples (Italian).

El Retorno de los Angeles
Amazing online exhibition of Bolivian baroque paintings (angels, archangels, virgins and saints).

Galería de Arte y Cultura de Bolivia
Art and culture gallery. Paintings, masks, enbroideries, books, and videos for sale.

Jorge Crespo Berdecio
Artist in metal work, serigraphy, xilography, and lithography.

Jorge Hurtado’s Fine Art Gallery
Works in fine arts, illustration, and graphic design. Nice site.

Mamani Mamani
Collection paintings catalogued by theme: mothers, flowers, archangels, birds among others.

Marcelo Videa – Surrealismo Apechurrado
Surrealist art. Paintings, drawings, sculptures, and ceramic.

Orlando Arias Morales
Creative ecstasy in the works of Bolivian painter Orlando Arias Morales. Portfolio.

Paula Lopez – Art Gallery
Resume, exhibitions and pictures.

Pedro Portugal
Bolivian artist. Paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and murals.

Sanjines Art
Website for Bolivian Artist and Photographer Marcelo Sanjines.

Taipinquiri
Culture, architecture, and arts center. Paintings, sculptures and books.

Photo Project: 52 Bolivian Sundays [week 3, ‘Beyond’]

Do you have a photo which invites the viewer to look beyond? Are there hidden depths in the background? Is the focal point just a framing for the rest of the picture? If it’s not clear why we should look beyond, tell us! Lead us through the story in your photo.

With at least a post a week for 2013, which I’m calling “52 Bolivian Sundays”, I keep moving forward with the plan to share my [photo] impressions about our surroundings, the culture we’re currently calling ‘ours’, the place we’ll call home for the next year and a half…

Today, for the third Sunday of 2013, I’m sharing one of photo I snapped during a recent visit to a local Art Exhibit in town. The photo responds to the weekly photo challenge, “Beyond“, trying to answer to: “Do you have a photo which invites the viewer to look beyond?”

Leading the readers through the story in the photo. What do YOU SEE BEYOND the picture? 😮

This is s very powerful picture, an oil painting, part of this months current Art Exhibit at the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo ‘Plaza’, in La Paz [more images from my visit to the museum to come later this week, after we return from our family escape to the Lake Titicaca!].

The image has many possible meanings/interpretations, although I believe there’s not doubt about its powerful impact/reaction… The picture portraits the image of a kid, maybe in despair? And, at the same time you find yourself looking at the helpless face of this boy, you discover the image is being ‘ripped off’ from its reality, which brings us to the questions:

‘Is it all real?‘ ‘Is all the pain portrait here, simply an illusion?’ Is the image a symbol of a lost childhood?’

What about you? What are you seeing beyond the painted image? ♥

Original posts from Photo Project:

Photo Project: 52 Bolivian Sundays [week 1, ‘Resolved’]. (3rdculturechildren.com)
Photo Project: 52 Bolivian Sundays [week 2, ‘Illumination’]. (3rdculturechildren.com)

Embracing Diversity as an Expat: Raising Children in the Foreign Service.

This is a second post on my ‘random thoughts’ about bringing our children out, especially when it comes to the diverse society they [children] are about to face…. any moment from now…

The discussion on social diversity is not only part of our family’s daily life, but it also tailors the way we are raising our children, and the way we would like them to understand and perceive their surroundings. Life as an expat has shown me that we (parents) are the only ‘constant’ on our children’s lives. Childhood friends come and go, depending on their parent’s jobs. Schools change. Countries, cultures, music, social patterns and expected behaviors last as long as one’s post assignment does. For a child, especially the young ones, parents are their strongest link to the concepts of ‘reality’ and ‘normalcy’. Over time, children will learn who they are and what to do through these experiences – absorbing a sense of their routines, traditions, languages, cultures, and national or racial identities – at their own pace, creating their very particular ‘hybrid culture’, assuming their own identity, as unique social beings. We are diverse, we speak different languages in our household, we come from distinct cultural and/or religious backgrounds… and our children could not be any different from that narrative.

I feel like I began this year on a very ‘introspective mode‘, rethinking life, our lifestyle, and the way we plan on leading it forward…

This is a second post on my ‘random thoughts‘ about bringing our children out [first one discussed multilingualism and its approach as parents], especially when it comes to the diverse society they [children] are about to face…. any moment from now…

The discussion on social diversity is not only part of our family’s daily life, but it also tailors the way we are raising our children, and the way we would like them to understand and perceive their surroundings.

Being a foreign-born spouse, who has moved out of Brazil over a decade ago, constantly traveling because of work and family life, I had to learn early that, the need to readjust and reinvent oneself is a critical part of the adaptation process in a foreign country. I’m also a parent, and often find myself trying to answer a few questions, to my own children, as well as, to other parents facing similar challenges: “What can I do to help my children around the issue of diversity?” And, in fact, how ready is our society to embrace diversity?

Life as an expat has shown me that we (parents) are the only ‘constant‘ on our children’s lives. Childhood friends come and go, depending on their parent’s jobs. Schools change. Countries, cultures, music, social patterns and expected behaviors last as long as one’s post assignment does.

For a child, especially the young ones, parents are their strongest link to the concepts of ‘reality‘ and ‘normalcy‘.

Over time, children will learn who they are and what to do through these experiences – absorbing a sense of their routines, traditions, languages, cultures, and national or racial identities – at their own pace, creating their very particular ‘hybrid culture‘, assuming their own identity, as unique social beings.

We are diverse, we speak different languages in our household, we come from distinct cultural and/or religious backgrounds… and our children could not be any different from that narrative. Our children are coming up as divergent individuals, in a much richer way than we (parents) were brought up. We are all very unique, and that notion needs to be reflected not only on the job represented by our officers (and their families) overseas, but also, through our own behavior as social creatures.

Diversity brings innovation and creativity. It’s important for us, parents, to add to our home environment, so it is reflective of other (cultural, racial, ethnic, family style) groups. It’s critical to express pride in our own heritage. Building positive identities and the respect for differences, would mean inserting these concepts to the routine of children’s everyday lives.

I don’t have answers for these questions, and maybe, secretly, would hope to find a few over here… from other expat/parents out there... I’m aware that we [parents] are all seeking answers, suggestions, so, I’ll echo my voice with many more… who knows? Comments/messages are very much appreciated, and more than welcome!

That said, what is our role as parents? How could we help our children regarding diversity? One of the suggestions is that we need to be constantly involved in their lives. Listening to their stories, learning about their ventures and challenges adjusting to new/unknown realities. We need to devote a great deal of patience for establishing a healthy communication channel within our household, and between all the levels of our (expatriate) community; opportunities will present themselves at the school, at the work level, at social events where children may take part… . It’s necessary to talk to our children about differences, in a very understanding and respectful way. Let us be resourceful and take advantage of the diversity around us.

One of the advantages this life as expatriates offers to families is the possibility to enroll our children in international schools. It’s already been discussed that students who attend schools with a diverse population (student body, faculty, staff) are capable of developing an understanding of the perspectives of other children’s backgrounds, learning to function in a multicultural, multiethnic environment.All of us are born free of biases, (un)fortunately, we tend to learn them as we grow. Is it a totally negative aspect of our lives? Could we turn our ability to make social judgments into a positive impacting tool? Let the discussion begin! 😮

Comments and extra thoughts on being a multilingual parent… (3rdculturechildren.com)
Expat Families: Story Telling Can Be Key to Success in Raising Happy Children Who Grow Up Abroad, Parenting Expert Julia Simens Writes (sys-con.com)
What’s a Third Culture Kid? (iwasanexpatwife.com)
Diversity (resetparenting.wordpress.com)
Language and TCKs (raisingtcks.com)
{Updated} Raising Resilient Children. (3rdculturechildren.com)

The Big Move: shared from the HuffingtonPost

Moving homes can be one of the most stressful times in someone’s life. Does it always have to be such a nightmare, or can there be a breezy move?
Originally aired on January 14, 2013
Hosted by: Nancy Redd
GUESTS:
Rachel Greenfield Marketing Manager, Sparefoot @sparefoot
Dean Xeros (Austin, TX) Vice President of Relocation, uShip Motors @uShip
S. D. Moore (Walnut Creek, CA) Had A Bad Moving Experience
Jeremi McManus (San Francisco, CA) Dating & Relationship Coach @jeremimcmanus
Katie Brown (Orlando, FL) Creator of the Blog “Confessions of a Young Married Couple”; Had A Bad Moving Experience @marriageconfess
[ – ] Hide Segment Info
MOVING HELP: UShip
NEW: Moving Company Legislation
GUEST BLOG: Choosing The Right Moving Company
HORROR: A New Graduate’s Shipping Nightmare
SCARY: A Moving Company Held Her Stuff Hostage
TIPS: Make Moving Easier.
WOW: Moving is the 3rd Most Stressful Life Event

Moving homes can be one of the most stressful times in someone’s life. Does it always have to be such a nightmare, or can there be a breezy move?

Originally aired on January 14, 2013

Hosted by:

Nancy Red
WOW: Moving is the 3rd Most Stressful Life Event

Moving is a big source of stress for many Americans every year. And it’s listed as the 3rd most stressful life event.View Original

Create your own travel map.

Photo Project: 52 Bolivian Sundays [week 2, ‘Illumination’]

Today, for the second Sunday of 2013, the chosen photo is inspired by the weekly photo challenge, “Illumination”, and is a little remembrance of the way the city of Nuestra Señora de La Paz greeted the New Year of 2013… Illumination brings rebirth, reinvention.

“Lights are functional — everyday objects in our rooms and on our streets. Yet lights can be powerful symbols: signs of life, curiosity, and discovery…”

Today, for the second Sunday of 2013, the chosen photo is inspired by the weekly photo challenge, “Illumination“, and is a little remembrance of the way the city of Nuestra Señora de La Paz greeted the New Year of 2013… Illumination brings rebirth, reinvention, rejoice!

“Lights are functional — everyday objects in our rooms and on our streets. Yet lights can be powerful symbols: signs of life, curiosity, and discovery…”

Original post from Photo Project:

Photo Project: 52 Bolivian Sundays [week 1, ‘Resolved’]. (3rdculturechildren.com)

“You’ve been Freshly Pressed… Again!”

I’ve been blogging for exactly 22 months [the first post went live on March 11, 2011, about the Largest Street Carnaval in Brazil – and apparently, it didn’t take long to be picked up by Pop Pressed‘s radar, on March 2011. Link here for full post].

But it’s always nice to get that sweet email from the WordPress editors… Especially, for the second time.. what are the odds? 😮 Thank you all for reading! ♥

A bit of Math here [and my former Algebra students who thought they were free from this!]: The chances of being Freshly Pressed are, on any given day, about 12 per million. Well, considering that just happened for the second time, it brings the odds to… 1 in 6,400,000,000

Maybe I should move on to playing the lottery?!

Curious about the ‘map it out post’? HERE it is!

It’s [Girls Scout] Cookie time! [Sharing information from The Dinoia Family]

Image Credit: http://girlscouts.org/program/gs_cookies/meet_the_cookies.asp

This community we’re part of [Foreign Service] is all about networking and sharing… sharing information, advice, comments, experiences… In sharing, we all become stronger, and able to keep moving forward! 😮 That said, I’m now sharing some information learned from The Dinoia Family‘s Blog, about this year’s Girls Scout Cookies Initiative, involving a couple of other very active ladies [and their daughters!] from the FS community – definitely, a great one! And I’m very grateful for the opportunity to be sharing their initiative and efforts! 😮

Quoted from The Dinoia Family’s blog:

“Yep…it’s cookie time!

Girl Scout cookies are back and we are on those orders! In fact, this year, we are working together with Jill and Riley to spread the cookie goodness far and wide throughout the Foreign Service. We have made it terribly easy to enjoy those once-a-year treats that you buy en masse because they are so darn yummy (and ship well!).

To make it easy, I have copied the “how to” from Jill’s blog. Follow these simple instructions and you, too, could be enjoying those cookies very soon! And now…Spanish homework is calling again…

Want cookies? Read the excerpt from Jill’s post below and just follow the instructions!

First and foremost, we don’t want to step on anyone’s toes, so our joint efforts are focused on providing Girl Scout Cookies solely to our Foreign Service friends overseas, where we can ship to an APO/FPO/DPO or pouch address. If you are our family members or personal friends and want to buy from us rather than from the little girlies who are SURE to knock on your door sometime in the next few months, that’s great too. But we’ll take care of you outside of this joint venture.

Just like the last few years, the cookies are only $4 / box … with all your favorites returning!

Thin Mints

Samoas

Thank You Berry Munch

Trefoils

Dulce de Leche

Tagalongs

Do-Si-Dos

Savannah Smiles

Here’s how to order:

1) Attempt to narrow down how many boxes you want (versus how many boxes your eyes and stomach want.)

2) Send an email to DSforGS@yahoo.com by Friday, January 18th, with …

* Your Name

* Your Post

* Your Address

* Exactly how many of each kind you’d like

3) When the cookies come in, send us your payment via paypal, and we’ll get them out to you ASAP. We’ll send you an email invoice letting you know your totals.

It’s THAT simple.

We will be shipping the cookies in the USPS Flat Rate boxes. The current APO/FPO rate is $13.45 for a 12″ x 12″ x 5 1/2″ box … and we can fit 8 boxes of cookies in them. And as an incentive … you pay the first $10 / box, and we’ll pick up the rest!

A wee bit of additional information …

** If you are at a post overseas, pass along this information to any of your friends. We would LOVE to outfit your entire Consulate or Embassy.

** Consider combining orders with your friends to help reduce shipping costs.

** Between the two families, our girls sold over 1100 boxes of cookies to 50+ countries during the last two years to FS personnel.

** We set up the DSforGS@yahoo.com email address so that we could make it easy to get more cookies shipped out to more places. If you know either of us personally and want our daughters to send out your cookies – no worries. Just say so in your email. Otherwise, we have divided up the world behind the scenes so that all you need to do is send in your order, and let us take care of the rest!

Now what are you waiting for? Happy ordering!”

Please hop back to Jen Dinoia‘s blog for more information! Thank you!♥

{Weekly Writing Challenge} Map it out!

[Backstory, inspiration from WP] “As bloggers, we scan through photos and descriptive tales from our fellow writers who share their travels with us… Maps symbolize the places we’ve been, the places we want to go, and the places we’ll end up, even if we don’t know it yet… ”

That said, I’m taking up on the challenge, and ‘mapping out’ the places in my life. Just the important, ‘life event’ moves. A couple years back when I began blogging, I decided to name this blog, representing/expressing what my [now 3] kids are: the product of their mom’s and dad’s hybrid/joined cultures. Moving is part of our lives, and was part of mine way before met the so-called husband. Maps are a frequent guest at my posts, and this time, responding to the challenge, I’m ‘mapping out my life’, the moves I’ve endured as a nomad child back in Brazil, the ones leading me to a new path as an expat, mother and ‘trailing spouse’… ♥

moves as an expat... — Moving as an expat…

That said, I’m taking up on the challenge, and ‘mapping out’ the places in my life. Just the important, ‘life event’ moves. A couple years back when I began blogging, I decided to name this blog, representing/expressing what my [now 3] kids are: the product of their mom’s and dad’s hybrid/joined cultures. Moving is part of our lives, and was part of mine way before meeting the so-called ‘best-half’. Maps are a frequent guest at my posts, and this time, responding to the challenge, I’m ‘mapping out my life’, the moves I’ve endured as a nomad child back in Brazil, the ones leading me to a new path as an expat, mother and ‘trailing spouse‘… ♥

The beginning: ‘this child is born’, in a small Japanese colony, in Southeastern Brazil:

The original family moves to the nation’s capital, for a fantastic couple of decades of friendships, schooling, learning, growing, language, cultural and life experiences:

**Professional opportunities keep leading that grown child to keep moving up… and North!**

Life presents itself in very strange ways... and sometimes, love, personal life & work seem to agree with each other… a few fortunate moments, that one must take advantage of… and move on! Again, keep moving up… and North! The new home, now officially an expat, the “D” city indicated by the map – working as a foreign research fellow, in Davis, CA.

One day, we all come to the realization that it’s necessary to say ‘YES’ to a lifetime commitment… and so I did! **And the acceptance brought me to a new address, some 2,800 miles away, to new work opportunities, to a new life as a spouse:**

What happens when a ‘nomad child’ marries another ‘nomad spirit’?

Well, they move, together with their first ‘world citizen‘! This time, as a ‘trailing spouse’ and a mom, I’m going back South… to Southern Africa…

It came time to welcome our second child… so then we moved to a neighboring country, for a little while…

We were done with our work in Africa, and had to return to our original home. Back in Washington DC, before heading out to our next adventure… From “A” to “B”, landing in “C”, and welcoming our third child into the world [of traveling!]:

But since we’ve got ‘itchy souls‘, common to world travelers, we may not stop… We’re always moving, and as a result of work, lifestyle and adventurous minds, we find ourselves in a different place, the beautiful country of Bolivia… for now! 😮 Thanks for following us, and… what about you? What is YOUR JOURNEY? Feel free to leave a link at the comments section for others to ‘live thru your experiences’!! 😮

Photo Project: 52 Bolivian Sundays [week 1, ‘Resolved’].

Well, this is the time to come up with New Year Resolutions. I’m no different than many others, and since once of my resolutions is to get better at photoblogging, I’ve resolved to do something.

Just created a project for 2013, which I’m calling ’52 Bolivian Sundays’. And why? Well, it’s a simple way to share my visual impressions about my surroundings, throughout this year… and considering our family still has a year and half here, it’s safe to bet on the 52 weeks.Today, the first Sunday of 2013, the opening photo is inspired by the weekly photo challenged, “Resolved”.

52 images of natural landscapes, people, culture, food, tradition, daily life, social events, artistic expressions… you name it! But each and every one of them need to represent the place we’re now calling home, the beautiful country of Bolivia! ♥

My first resolution for the year: getting out and exploring the country. We haven’t done a lot of traveling in these past 5 months here, but now it’s time to explore… and find out what’s hiding behind these mountains…

Well, this is the time to come up with New Year Resolutions. I’m no different than many others, and since once of my resolutions is to get better at photoblogging, I’ve resolved to do something.

My resolution? Trying to blog better, more consistently… this year, I’ll see if I can abide by a weekly schedule… with at least a post a week for 2013, which I’m calling “52 Bolivian Sundays”, my plan to share my [photo] impressions about our surroundings, the culture we’re currently calling ‘ours’, the place we’ll call home for the next year and a half… Hopefully, I’ll stick to the plan, and have a photo post out every Sunday… 52 images of natural landscapes, people, culture, food, tradition, daily life, social events, artistic expressions… you name it! But each and every one of them need to represent the place we’re now calling home, the beautiful country of Bolivia! ♥

Today, the first Sunday of 2013, the opening photo is inspired by the weekly photo challenge, “Resolved“. My first resolution for the year: getting out [more] and exploring the country. We haven’t done a lot of traveling in these past 5 months here, but now it’s time to explore… and find out what’s hiding behind these mountains… or, what lies beyond these clouds… 😮

Weekly Photo Challenge: Resolved (hawth.me)
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Snapshots of Artistic Expressions in La Paz. Part I: Paintings.

Art galleries in La Paz have been springing up like cactus flowers after the rains. Many are within an easy walk from one another. Is there a better way for getting to know the beauties (and resources) this colorful city offers? Now, that La Paz is our home, and I’m comfortable enough to walk around the city, I’ve begun a series of posts about art in La Paz, this initial one bringing up a list of resources for other visitors/expats, life myself. Got some free time to explore, what about nicely educating yourself on the country’s history, art and endless man-made beauty? That’s what I’m doing! 😮

Quenua Tree [oil on canvas] — My most recent creation, showcasing the love affair with a unique tree – the Andean Queñoa, from my front yard!

Like many others, I need color in my life. A few years back, I discovered a good way to cope with the intense life of the foreign service, moving every so often, and raising kids along the way – through artistic expressions. We’ve been at our new posting for a little over 2 months, and I’m getting back together with my passion: painting. I’ve been learning, touring galleries, listening to stories…

Art galleries in La Paz have been springing up like cactus flowers after the rains. Many are within an easy walk from one another. Is there a better way for getting to know the beauties (and resources) this colorful city offers? Now, that La Paz is our home, and I’m comfortable enough to walk around the city, I’ve begun a series of posts about art in La Paz, this initial one is about ‘Painting’, bringing up a list of resources for other visitors/expats, like myself. Also, this month I’ll resume my painting classes – something I’d stopped while back in Brazil when my baby girl was born (2010). Here in La Paz I already got one canvas out, but still feel the enormous need to improve my skills, and learn more techniques… Oh, the temporary advantages of being a ‘stay-home-mom’! Got some free time to explore, what about nicely educating yourself on the country’s history, art and endless man-made beauty? I’ve got, and I’m slowly educating myself... through art and history! 😮

[All images provided here were taken by me – with permission – at different art galleries throughout the neighborhood of San Miguel, La Paz].

Feeling very proud of my 'creations', right now... — Here, 3 of my “creations”…

Find below a list of gallery websites, and/or related resources:

Bolivian Painter Claudia Soria
Online gallery of paintings by Bolivian painter Claudia Soria.

Bolivian Painter Emma Rosario Imana de Murguia
Biography of the artist and some art work samples (Italian).

El Retorno de los Angeles
Amazing online exhibition of Bolivian baroque paintings (angels, archangels, virgins and saints).

Galería de Arte y Cultura de Bolivia
Art and culture gallery. Paintings, masks, enbroideries, books, and videos for sale.

Jorge Crespo Berdecio
Artist in metal work, serigraphy, xilography, and lithography.

Jorge Hurtado’s Fine Art Gallery
Works in fine arts, illustration, and graphic design. Nice site.

Mamani Mamani
Collection paintings catalogued by theme: mothers, flowers, archangels, birds among others.

Marcelo Videa – Surrealismo Apechurrado
Surrealist art. Paintings, drawings, sculptures, and ceramic.

Orlando Arias Morales
Creative ecstasy in the works of Bolivian painter Orlando Arias Morales. Portfolio.

Paula Lopez – Art Gallery
Resume, exhibitions and pictures.

Pedro Portugal
Bolivian artist. Paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and murals.

Sanjines Art
Website for Bolivian Artist and Photographer Marcelo Sanjines.

Taipinquiri
Culture, architecture, and arts center. Paintings, sculptures and books.

Comments and extra thoughts on being a multilingual parent…

I often talk about the challenges of parenting, especially considering the difficulties placed by language and culture, one of the many issues associated with moving to a different country, every couple of years. That said, I took a look back at the posts published in 2012, mainly on parenting & language, and found one that gave me a very positive feedback, working as a sort of a ‘discussion forum’, that I plan on exploring/expanding some time this year. [Another one of my New Year’s Resolutions… Like everyone else, I know there’ll be a great deal of ‘procrastination’ before I’ll be able to cross tasks off my 2013 to-do list!]

Oh, well, at least, I’m taking the time to revisit thoughts/facts/articles… it’s the first step for the beginning of a good research! 😮

**UPDATE: Follow-up post discussing thoughts on Diversity & Raising Children as Expats

I often talk about the challenges of parenting, especially considering the difficulties placed by language and culture, one of the many issues associated with moving to a different country, every couple of years. That said, I took a look back at the posts published in 2012, mainly on parenting & language, and found one that generated a very instructive feedback; working as a sort of a ‘discussion forum‘, that I plan on exploring/expanding at length, some time this year… [Another one of my New Year’s Resolutions… Like everyone else, I know there’ll be a great deal of ‘procrastination’ before I’ll be able to cross tasks off my 2013 to-do list!]

Oh, well, at least, I’m taking the time to revisit thoughts/facts/articles… it’s the first step for the beginning of a good research! 😮

The post that got me thinking was one related to a simple question: “What type of multilingual parent are you?”, pointed out by the Mumsnet Bloggers Network for 2012; that had been initiated by a clever quote about the experience of raising bi/multilingual children:

“…raising multilingual children is an adventure you share together – one that is a lot of fun, but for which you will need quite a lot of patience. Sometimes, linguistic development will not progress in the way you hoped. That is fine, and everything will eventually work itself out. Sharing my language with my children has been about sharing my heritage more than anything else. It might be difficult at times, but it is a gift that will last a lifetime“.

Last year’s blogpost provoked a very positive reaction, expressed through the number of visitors, and especially, throughout the comments, coming from parents, consultants, educators, expats like ourselves, or simply, other parents who echo our opinions about how challenging, adventurous and/or never-ending this experience should be.

Learning should never stop, and teaching our kids through example is the best way to keep ourselves current! At least, that’s the hope! 😮

Here are some of the comments, and based on their [shared] experiences, it could be YOUR TURN to answer – what type of multilingual parent are you? Or, even better, what type of [multilingual] parent you hope to become?

But first, let me thank all the visitors/readers who shared a comment, or who sent me a message [with your opinion/suggestion] regarding this topic. It makes the blogging experience much richer, more productive, and way more enjoyable! My deepest appreciation to all of you! ♥

Visitor   My husband is a German TCK growing up in Taiwan, and thinks in English most of the time. He is fluent in German and can read fairly well – though he is more comfortable in English. We are living in a Chinese environment and have been since we’ve been married. We had high hopes of me speaking English and him speaking German, but that didn’t work out. I’d say mainly because he didn’t think in German when the oldest was born – he rarely spoke German to anyone. So, remembering to speak it at home was difficult. He did better speaking Chinese to them. On top of this, his family all speaks English fluently, so there was no pressure on us in that regard as well.  I do have a question, though that I’m wondering. Will you continue to educate your children in all three languages through middle school and high school or focus more on one language? I’m just really curious about this. You seem to be really doing a great job with them right now so that they master both written and spoken of the three. Great post to ponder on…  

Visitor  In our house we speak English, Spanish and Dutch and the boys seem to know all three languages equally. My five year old is a dynamo with languages. He can switch, translate and think in all three. My two year old understands all three but is not as talkative as my five year old was. We lived in Mozambique with the older one until the age of three and he was able to speak 4 languages when we lived there. It is curious to see how the different children take to the languages differently. I thought for sure my two year old would be the same since we haven’t done anything really different, but I noticed he is taking longer to use his words, although you can see he understands all three. I call Dutch the secret language in my house, because only the boys (not me) speak it. So basically this is how it works: School = English, Language we speak as a family = English, Mommy = Spanglish to the boys (more spanish), Daddy = Dutch to the boys, Empleada/Nanny = always Spanish. The boys will also take Dutch lessons once or twice a week. It is definitely challenging, but so worth it. We don’t really think about it… just the way we live our life. 

Visitor  Enjoyed your post! All the more so since /multilingual-multicultural life – as mentioned by Sakti above – is part and parcel of life in India! I think it is an advantage more than a challenge, an opportunity to broaden horizons!  

Visitor I am probably not looking at it from a parents’ perspective. My challenge is to make sure some of our less spoken languages – that includes my mother tongue, that my grandkids can not speak! – do not become extinct!   

Visitor  Very interesting. I am from India and we have a different challenge as India has more than 2 dozens of official languages. I studied a different language (Odia) than my mother tongue (Bengali) and now staying in a state, which speak another language (Gujarati). Everybody in India speaks English and Hindi. So my kids (both below 6 years) now have almost learnt to speak and understand all the above languages. Yes it is a challenge. 
   
Visitor  Thanks for the mention of our upcoming session on Emotional Resiliency in Foreign Service Kids that will be held next week (*). Even though you won’t get to see it live, AFSA will upload the video to their website for worldwide viewing.  I wish I could comment on what kind of bilingual parent I am…. but mine would be more of what I failure I was! When my daughter was 2, we left Portugal, where we had spoken Portuguese in the home when our housekeeper was around. The housekeeper only spoke to my daughter in Portuguese from infancy, so our daughter understood Portuguese as well as English. When we left Portugal, I tried to continue the Portuguese with her, only – at the age of only 2! – she wouldn’t answer me in Portuguese and finally admonished me to “stop speaking like Dolores!” I finally gave up on it.   
(*) Please refer to original post for the full text, and more details on the 2012 AFSA initiative.
 

Visitor  I’m inspired to speak spanish at home more now. My kids’ dad all speak Spanish and I beg them to speak Spanish to the kids but they haven’t. My mom was raised bilingual, I was until they couldn’t accurately diagnose my infant-aged hearing issues because they couldn’t tell if I didn’t hear them or didn’t understand them so they told my mom to stop speaking Hungarian to me and she did. But she still wishes she’d have kept up with it. Other countries are so great with this and the US doesn’t do enough!   

Visitor   This is so interesting! We also got “moderate parent”. I try to speak spanish to them most of the time but sometimes forget. I also read to them in french and english is the main language in the household. I’m taking them to a spanish speaking playgroup in hopes Evan will be motivated by seeing other little kids speak spanish! Great post!   

Free topic: the power of languages (litteramedia.wordpress.com)
Bilingual siblings and their language preferences (expatsincebirth.com)
Raising Bilingual Children (babyzone.com)
Happy New Multilingual Year! (lydgate.org)
A Shout Out for Multilingual Usability Testing | Loop11 (loop11.com)
To be American is to be multilingual (lovinglanguage.wordpress.com)
Your Brilliant Baby in Week 11: Raising a Bilingual Child (babyzone.com)
Creations by Crouch Contributes Radically to Multilingual Education (pr.com)
Language and TCKs (raisingtcks.com)

An inspiring list, for any New Year’s Resolution… I really wish I could stick to these suggestions!

Found these very inspirational quotes the other day… What better time to ‘rethink life’ than the beginning of a New Year?!

I highlighted my ‘favorite’ quotes/suggestions from the author… Oh, how I wish I could simply act like that! Life is full of blessings, but, somehow, we tend to choose not to see those blessings… Life is simple – we, the society, end up making it so much more complicated, difficult and painful than it should really be!

Photo: Written by a 90 year old... I'm going to post this on my fridg!!!! Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer Newspaper, Cleveland, Ohio. "To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more: 1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good. 2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.. 3. Life is too short - enjoy it.. 4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will. 5. Pay off your credit cards every month. 6. You don't have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself. 7... Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone. 8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it. 9.. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck. 10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile. 11... Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present. 12. It's OK to let your children see you cry. 13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it... 15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye But don't worry; God never blinks. 16... Take a deep breath. It calms the mind. 17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways. 18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger. 19. It's never too late to be happy. But it's all up to you and no one else. 20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer. 21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special. 22. Over prepare, then go with the flow. 23 Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple. 24. The most important sex organ is the brain. 25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you. 26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?' 27. Always choose life. 28. Forgive but don't forget. 29. What other people think of you is none of your business. 30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time. 31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. 32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.. 33. Believe in miracles. 34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do. 35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now. 36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young. 37. Your children get only one childhood. 38.. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved. 39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere. 40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back. 41. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have not what you need. 42. The best is yet to come... 43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. 44. Yield. 45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Written by Regina Brett, of The Plain Dealer Newspaper, Cleveland, Ohio. The journalist is often misidentified with the ’90-year-old” lady she portraits throughout this text (she’s in her 60s!) – probably because many people see her ‘lessons’ as wise advice for when we all grow older… Anyway, the teachings/learnings are presented here…
Enjoy the reading! ♥

“To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I’ve ever written. So here is the column once more:

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step..

3. Life is too short – enjoy it.

4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends andfamily will.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11… Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it…

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye But don’t worry; God never blinks.

16… Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.

18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It’s never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’tsave it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23 Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, willthis matter?’

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive but don’t forget.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does..

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’dgrab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have not what you need.

42. The best is yet to come…

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.”

Life Lessons at 90 years old (motivationalmagic.wordpress.com)

2013 arrived in style… 80s Style!

So, 2013 is here… and we got to celebrate it’s first hours surrounded by great music, yummy food, good friends, all of our kids (yeap, kids were too excited to fall asleep, or even, take a short nap! but it’s all part of the course, and we let them join us for a midnight celebration), watching the fireworks throughout the city of La Paz).♥

Image Credit: http://stuckonthe80s.com/
Earlier, I’d shared that a couple of our expat friends here had decided to put together an 80s party to welcome the New Year! It was a blast, and here are some of the images from the last day of 2012, and the very first hours of 2013.

So, 2013 is here… and we got to celebrate it’s first hours surrounded by great music, yummy food, good friends, all of our kids, who joined us for the midnight celebration (yeap, kids were too excited to fall asleep, or even, take a short nap!); while we all watched the fireworks happening throughout the city of La Paz…♥

Earlier, I’d shared that a couple of our expat friends here had decided to put together an 80s party to welcome the New Year! Everyone had a blast, and here are some of the images from the last day of 2012, and the very first hours of 2013.

That’s what the New Year’s Celebration brought out! The best? Definitely the 80s hair styles… look at what people came up with! 😮
Someone else who wrote about ‘Style’ for the New Year? Here!

Saying ‘Goodbye 2012’ in style. 80s Style!

Celebrating the arrival of 2013, and bidding farewell to a dear 2012… All with style – 80s style! Could there be a more fun way to do it?

[A confession, thank you very much, Robert Smith, for not only making my high school/early College years bearable, but also for helping me endure my recent parenting years, as a mother of 3 little ones…

Only another tired mom would understand the calming and motivational power of an 80s song…

😮 Especially if, that same mom is ready to give up on her first-grader’s homework on a Saturday morning!

Somehow, the 80s music finds a way to ‘reach out to me’, and bring me back to reality… Not in high school anymore… the sleepless nights are not due to some term paper or exam…

now, the short nights usually come from a crying kid with fever, or, another one having a nightmare; or simply, missing my well-deserved beauty rest by having a couple of extra ‘bodies’ in our bed… every single night, since 2005! ♥

But well, that’s the path we chose, and the 80s music have always helped me thru ‘tough times’… ♥ My favorite, without question, The Cure…

80s Party 06 — Wonders that only a blond wig can do! 5 years later, 3 kids, 2 more countries under the belt… the forties have arrived… let’s see what type of hairstyle this mom will bring out! 😮

Let’s see what the New Year’s Celebration brings!

Now, not only I’ll go to a party with ‘my guy’, but a handful of other ‘accessories’, which will include a 7-year-old boy, who loves 70s & 80s music; an almost 5 year old girl who loves to dress up [like her mother!] and is ‘addicted’ to dance… and a 2-year-old girl, which’s still a bit young to define her style… time will tell…

That said, getting these bad boys out of the closet [I mean, the leg warmers! mine are pink with white stripes], making sure the hair will be ‘par’ for the celebration, check the clothing colors [lots of them, and they better be bright!], accessories, make-up… and head to the party humming my favorite tunes!

NOW: on my way out to the local market, trying to find some ‘miracle hair products’ for tomorrow night’s bash! 😮

Happy New Year to all of us!

2012 in review, according to the WordPress stats helper monkeys…

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt:

19,000 people fit into the new Barclays Center to see Jay-Z perform. This blog was viewed about 68,000 times in 2012. If it were a concert at the Barclays Center, it would take about 4 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

A look back at 2012: why people came to this blog? At the end, we’re all stats junkies!

2012 will be over in a couple of days!

A very intense year, in many levels, scenarios… Our family moved several times throughout the year… we got to live in 3 different countries [Brazil, USA, Bolivia}, lived out of suitcases for a long time; kids had to say goodbye to their dear friends, and say ‘hello’ to the ones becoming their new friends and teachers, adjusting to a new school, new cultures, and now, we’re happily settled in Nuestra Señora de La Paz, capital of Bolivia…

2012 will be over in a couple of days!

A very intense year, in many levels, scenarios… Our family moved several times throughout the year… we got to live in 3 different countries [Brazil, USA, Bolivia}, lived out of suitcases for a long time; kids had to say goodbye to their dear friends, and say ‘hello‘ to the ones becoming their new friends and teachers, adjusting to a new school, new cultures, and now, we’re happily settled in Nuestra Señora de La Paz, capital of Bolivia…

At this moment, looking back at 2012, and preparing the ‘retrospective’: popular posts, interaction with other bloggers, popular searches/forums… good discussions… Good therapy, some may say – and I’m glad to agree 😮 – when it came to blogging, got a lot done this year, sharing our experiences, challenges regarding parenting, multilingual living, cultural adjustments… work… expatriate and family daily life…. So, why visitors, readers, commenters, came to this blog? Most of them are expatriates, like our own ‘nomad family’, some belong to the Foreign Service community, and are well familiar with the challenges faced by the 5 of us. Others, are parents, travelers, adventurers, looking for images, photos, tips about travel options, or simply… curious eyes in search of a good reading, or a funny/intriguing/amazing image from our travels and/or not-so-fantastic daily life!

Now, I find myself with some time after the Christmas holidays, and with a chance to pull together the ‘highs and lows’ of 2012, displaying my gratitude to the readers, commenter, frequent visitors, who always enrich this blogging journey! A big thank you to all!

For a ‘visual summary‘ of 2012, please hop over to this other post, especially crafted for WordPress‘s weekly photo challenge, the last one of 2012: A year through images!

For all the ‘fellow stats junkies’ out there [don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about! :o] here it is, this past year, through numbers… Who came in, looking for what, and the most popular posts…

Top visitors {countries}:

United States

Brazil

United Kingdom

Canada

India

Australia

Weekly Photo Challenge: My 2012 in 12 Pictures.

How was the year of 2012? Apparently, we all did okay through the Mayan quasi-apocalipse, so, that’s a pretty positive point!

It’s often said that images speak more than words, so…. Here’s our 2012 through photos!

June 2012: After 2 years at post, our family says goodbye to Brazil in style, surrounded by friends, family and co-workers! — June 2012: After 2 years at post, our family says goodbye to Brazil in style, surrounded by friends & family!!

2012 will mark the 12th New Year’s Eve with my guy… yeah, the one riding the Peace & Love 70s van with me, just pictured above… ♥ And this December we celebrate 110 months of married life… it sure goes by pretty fast!

How was the year of 2012?

Apparently, we all did okay through the Mayan quasi-apocalipse, so, that’s a pretty positive point!

It’s often said that images speak more than words, so…. Considering that during 2012, we had homes in three countries, it was a bit of challenge to pick an image to represent each month, but, why not give it a shot? :

Here is our 2012, through photos!

August 2012: New life, new school, new friends. School kids receive their ‘welcome’ with a traditional ‘Salteñada’.

July 2012: Spending Home Leave in the USA. During a family Reunion, kids get to ‘show their colors!

September 2012: Learning about our new home, the beautiful country of Bolivia. First stop: the traditional architecture of the San Francisco Church

October 2012: Halloween at the USAID/Bol Compound

“November 2012: Celebrating the Anniversary of the Marine Corps. “Who doesn’t like a Ball?”

January 2012: Beginning the year cooking: a typical Portuguese/Brazilian dish: Shrimp casserole, here, with an added hint of…. beer!

June 2012: After 2 years at post, our family says goodbye to Brazil in style, surrounded by friends, family and co-workers!

March 2012: A trip full of adventure to the Archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, Northeast of Brazil.

May 2012: A visit to the Rainbow Warrior, ship from Greenpeace on Brazilian Waters.

February 2012: Enjoying the largest street carnival in the world – Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.

December 2012: Scenes from old homes and present home. The warmest wishes for a fantastic New Year!

April 2012: Visiting the mystic city of Brasilia, capital of Brazil, for a USA/Brazil summit. Here, the architecture, lighting and unique beauty of the Metropolitan Cathedral.

This week’s photo inspiration is to portrait 2012 in pictures… one per month… Let’s see how good of a job I did over here!

Happy Holidays to all!

Weekly Photo Challenge: My 2012 in Pictures (littlemuddyboots.co.uk)
Weekly Photo Challenge: My 2012 in Pictures (travel-monkey.me)
Weekly Photo Challenge – My 2012 in pictures (hereismy365.wordpress.com)
Weekly Photo Challenge: My 2012 (joyandwoe.wordpress.com)
Weekly Photo Challenge – My 2012 in Pictures (largeself.com)

Getting ready to look back at 2012, remembering the most popular post in 2011!

2012 is almost over! A very intense year, in many levels, scenarios… Our family moved several times throughout the year… we got to live in 3 different countries, and now, we’re happily settled in Nuestra Señora de La Paz, capital of Bolivia. Right now, looking back at 2012, and preparing the ‘retrospective’: popular posts, popular searches/forums… good discussions… got a lot done this year, when it came to blogging, sharing our experiences, challenges regarding parenting, multilingual living, cultural adjustments… work… expatriate and family daily life….

Before I get a chance to pull together the ‘highs and lows’ of 2012, I remembered last year, Wordpress came up with a great initiative for all bloggers and readers: the year in blogging… That said, I thought it could be a great way to get ready for this year’s review. Post write-up is both in English and Portuguese, since we were living in Brazil, at that time… Maybe, if I’m gutsy enough, I could try to prepare this year’s review post in English and Spanish (Bolivia’s official language)?? 😮

2012 is almost over! A very intense year, in many levels, scenarios… Our family moved several times throughout the year… we got to live in 3 different countries [Brazil, USA, Bolivia}, lived out of suitcases for a long time; kids had to say goodbye to their dear friends, and say ‘hello‘ to the ones becoming their new friends and teachers, adjusting to a new school, new cultures, and now, we’re happily settled in Nuestra Señora de La Paz, capital of Bolivia…

Before I get a chance to pull together the ‘highs and lows’ of 2012, displaying my gratitude to the readers, commenter, frequent visitors, who always enrich this blogging journey, I remembered last year, WordPress came up with a great initiative for all bloggers and readers: the year in blogging… That said, I thought it could be a great way to get ready for this year’s review. Post write-up is both in English and Portuguese, since we were living in Brazil, at that time… Maybe, if I’m gutsy enough, I could try to prepare this year’s review post in English and Spanish (Bolivia’s official language)?? 😮

************************

Here’s this blog’s ‘first year’s review’ [2011], according to WP: [Anxious to know what’s in store regarding 2012’s review, as well as the plans for 2013!]

For some reason, according to the WP blogging annual report (shown/posted yesterday), today I’m sharing the post that got the highest number of unique views (over 2,500 views in one day, September 2011), surpassing the one that’d been Freshly Pressed (about children and folklore in Brazil).

I had no idea that “directing” the photo shoot of my husband jumping into the paradisiac Blue Lagoon in Jericoacoara (Ceara, Brazil, one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in the world, according to the NY Times), could be so intriguing! 😮

Anyway, thanks for checking it out, and here it is: The Blue Lagoon: Executing his best jumping, flying and diving moves!.

[Portugues] Depois que o jornal Washington Post, em 1994, incluiu Jericoacoara entre as dez praias mais bonitas do planeta, a pequena aldeia de pescadores, 300 km ao norte da capital do Ceará, mudou bastante. Jericoacoara não é simplesmente encantadora pelas suas dunas, praias e lagoas, mas também pelo seu vilarejo tranqüilo. O lugar era uma antiga vila de pescadores e até hoje conserva as ruas de terra, a arquitetura antiga e principalmente a paz de uma cidade que se esconde atrás de enormes dunas. O nome Jericoacoara deriva do tupi-guarany: yuruco (buraco) e cuara (tartaruga). Buraco das tartarugas, que seria uma referência a uma praia onde acontece a desova das tartarugas marinhas. Além de tudo isso, Jeri, como é chamada pelos moradores, oferece diversas opções para prática de esportes como windsurf, vela, trekking, cavalgada e outros.

A bit of healthy humor, post-Christmas…

Originally posted on Logos con carne:
Having previously established that Santa has to be magical (because the laws of physics prohibit a real Santa accomplishing successful toy delivery), we can turn to the question of Santa’s gender. One might question this on the grounds of Santa’s apparent historic maleness, but in counter I offer George…

Why not a bit of humor, right after Christmas Day? The ‘post-holiday blues’ kicked in, now, it’s all about cleaning the house, washing whatever leftover dishes are pilling up on my sink… make sure the kids don’t kill each other over their new toys… 😮 That said, during one of my blog-hopping ventures, found this funny piece on Santa Claus, discussing the pros and cons of ‘it’ being a man or a woman! As a mother, the one in charge of pretty much everything related to Christmas for our family, ranging from grocery shopping, gift-wrapping, meal-planning, cooking, and the aftermath cleaning – I’m a little bias… maybe, the original author [Wyrd Smithe, from Logs con Carne] has a good point with the ‘pros’ on Santa being a woman… who knows? If you’ve got more to add to this intriguing discussion, hop over to his site, and share it! I’m sure it’d be appreciated! Below is an excerpt from the original text, where I [freely] highlighted my FAVORITE parts, for both genders, so, I may not be ‘accused’ of being… errrr… a bit…bias! Enjoy!

“Santa is a man!

…It is precisely because Christmas is an“organized, warm, fuzzy, nurturing social deal”that Santa has to be a man. Delegation… that’s the key. Just imagine if a woman was trying to delegate all of those tasks and obligations to her underlings. Christmas would be as ambiguous as the spring equinox. Nobody would know what day of the year we were going to celebrate it on.

It takes a man to organize a commercial event as huge as Christmas… We’d have to plan football schedules around lunch instead of the other way around. Or worse yet… there might not be any football at all. [shudder] That’s a scary thought.

If Santa was a female, the toys might never be delivered. It would take a she Santa until New Year’s Eve to get dressed (for the third time) and out of the bathroom. And just try harnessing those reindeer with freshly painted nails. Never happen. Once she got underway, she’d be too busy talking on the cell phone to her girl friends to get all the way around the world to every girl and boy’s house in a single year, let alone a single night.

Santa is a Woman!

For starters, the vast majority of men don’t even think about selecting gifts until Christmas Eve. Once at the mall, they always seem surprised to find only Ronco products, socket wrench sets, and mood rings left on the shelves. On this count alone, I’m convinced Santa is a woman…

…Even if the male Santa did have reindeer, he’d still have transportation problems because he would inevitably get lost up there in the snow and clouds and then refuse to stop and ask for directions.

Other reasons why Santa can’t possibly be a man:

Men can’t pack a bag.

Men would rather be dead than caught wearing red

Men would feel their masculinity is threatened having to be seen with all those elves.

Men don’t answer their mail.

Men would refuse to allow their physique to be described even in jest as anything remotely resembling a “bowlful of jelly.”

Men aren’t interested in stockings unless somebody’s wearing them.

Having to do the Ho Ho Ho thing would seriously inhibit their ability to pick up women.

Finally, being responsible for Christmas would require a commitment.

Thank you for letting me share this piece… funny, and a great way to jump back into reality… nothing wrong with a bit of healthy humor, post-Christmas, right?! 😮

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Santa: Man or Woman? (logosconcarne.com)

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Logos con carne

Santas both Having previously established that Santa has to be magical (because the laws of physics prohibit a real Santa accomplishing successful toy delivery), we can turn to the question of Santa’s gender. One might question this on the grounds of Santa’s apparent historic maleness, but in counter I offer George Sand, Mulan and any number of Shakespeare plays.

One might also question this on the grounds of gender perhaps not applying to magical creatures, to which I reply that Hobbits, Elves and Dwarves seem pretty clear on the matter (although one can never really tell with Dwarves—all that hair and battle armor are quite concealing, and it’s poor form to actually ask).

In any event, like all “news” programs these days, I give you now, two opposing views on the matter of Santa’s gender. You decide.

View original post 786 more words

Ending the 20 days of a Joyful Christmas… our wishes for a very happy holiday season!

#holidays @postaday #Christmas #imagesofjoy

Front & BackOur Family's 'Happy Holidays' Card — Front & Back
Our Family’s ‘Happy Holidays’ Card

Image #20: 20 Days of a Joyful Christmas: Our Happy Holidays Card!

Last Day before Christmas! Our second to last ‘Image of Joy’!

Celebrating our “Paceña Season of Joy” [yeah, we’re loving La Paz!], we’re getting ready to wrap up the series of “20 images of joy, waiting for our White Christmas, here in La Paz, Bolivia. We haven’t gotten snow, so far, but it does not diminish the beauty and joy from these days preceding December 25th. It’s wonderful to look at the kids faces, witnessing their anticipation and excitement. As parents, we have lots to be grateful for, and we’d like to extend our wishes of a Peaceful End of the Year to many other traveling and expat families out there. Life is very intriguing on itself: sometimes very hard, other times, surprisingly easy to manage… Like so many others, we all had our highs and lows, and this holiday season is the moment to reflect upon them… Wishing you all a peaceful, joyful, holiday season!

Image #19: 20 Days of a Cold Christmas: Peace on Earth

20 days to a ‘possible White Christmas’… in 20 joyful images. Only a couple of days to go!

Image #18: 20 Days of a Cold Christmas: Christmas Stories at School

Unlike last year, when we spent Christmas surrounded by the tropical Brazilian weather; this year, we may have something ‘closer to a White Christmas’, considering we’re in La Paz, and at least, we may experience some cold weather… The season’s wardrobe isn’t packed with colorful light pieces, ‘havaianas‘, and sneakers, like last December… Bring out the boots and coats! Let’s get some warm wine out and sit down by the fireplace, where the kids will get their nighttime Christmas stories…

This year, the lights have been out for a while, tree is up and twinkling, we’ve got a yard instead of an apartment veranda, but it’s a bit too cold to be out at night, which is actually, great! 😮

In order to celebrate our “non-tropical season of joy”, we’ve been sharing images that showcase how we’re seeing and enjoying this time of the year. Are we gonna get any snow?! Who knows… maybe! 😮

3 days away! This year, they made it to his ‘Good List’!

Image #17: 20 Days of a Joyful Christmas: Anxiously waiting to see if they made it to Santa’s “Good List”… I guess they did! 😮

Song of the Day: Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (bloggingtonybennett.com)
The Year the Grinch Lost, and Santa Claus Won (reflectionsoramirroroflife.wordpress.com)
Christmas Countdown: Top 5 Reasons We Can’t Wait for December 25th (abullseyeview.com)

Weekly Photo Challenge: Surprise.

Caught by Surprise!

Surprised when we were asked by the Cooking Chef to come up and show our ‘cooking skills’, while he was preparing our Japanese dinner… Not a very positive result, as the pictures may tell! Couldn’t even break an egg, correctly! 😮 But works well for this week’s photo inspiration. Happy Holidays!

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4 days away! And according to our 3 Mayan Calendars… it’ll be a Happy Solstice!

Image #16: 20 Days of a Joyful Christmas: Mayan Calendar

Backstory: Our family’s got Portuguese, Spanish, English, French, Mexican, Native American [and who knows what else!] heritage. All into the very same pot… and due to work, we’re bound to the foreign service life(style). That said, we like to ‘collect things along the way’, as we travel, as we move from country to country. And funny enough, we do not not have ONE Mayan Calendar. We have THREE… We like the pieces, and I don’t think they’re any indication of the ‘end of an Era‘- let alone, the end of this world we call home…

And right now, since we were able to get our stuff/household effects from our last post, the calendars are mounted to the wall…. Next to an Elf Stocking (!) and a ‘twinkling plant’, surrounded by tiny colorful Xmas lights. As you may see, we’re a pretty eclectic family… We believe in Christmas Morning Magic, Santa, Elves… and everyone gets along just fine, around the Mayan predictions!

Now, go over for the quick explanation from NASA… Happy Solstice! 😮

Mayan Apocalypse: Panic as Fears Grow the World Will End December 21 When Mayan Calendar Stops (themoderatevoice.com)
December 21: Mayan apocalypse believer camps out at French doomsday mountain (telegraph.co.uk)
2012 – The end of the Mayan Calendar. Not the end of the World! (travelwithsandra.wordpress.com)
NASA: World Will Not End Friday (fox8.com)

5 days away! Santa Claus and his wonderful stories…

Image #15: 20 Days of a Joyful Christmas: Silently listening to Santa, while he reads a Christmas story…

Silent kids during “Breakfast with Santa? Surprising!

What wouldn’t one do to be on ‘his good list’? 😮

Song of the Day: Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (bloggingtonybennett.com)
The Year the Grinch Lost, and Santa Claus Won (reflectionsoramirroroflife.wordpress.com)
St. Nicholas, Santa Claus and German Christkindl (lindermangenealogy.wordpress.com)

Early Christmas gift: …and the winner of the 2012 Expats Blog Awards Bolivia is…

… this blog! 😮 Gold it is!

I’d like to thank you all for reading, suggesting, commenting, checking the blogposts out… Thanks for the positive feedback!

Thank you for showing support through the great comments you’ve written.

One fan says: 3rd Culture Children has a wonderfully diverse mix of cultural posts, photography, food, local and daily life, and just general musings on life. It is a blog that gives you a glimpse of life as an expat, not life as a tourist living temporarily somewhere other than “home.”

If there are any suggestions or questions, please feel free to give me a shout… or Tweet along, or check the Facebook page [see right sidebar]… but I do believe the easiest way will continue to be this one over here: leaving your usual thoughtful comments at this blog… 😮 Thanks!

Now, as the ~~tired~~ involved mom I’m, back from the last day at the kids school, enjoying their end-of-the-year stage performance, the best way to celebrate this achievement is hiding from the kids and taking a nap, ~~enjoying a glass of wine,~~ ~~bragging about it~~ sharing the good news with my fellow bloggers!

Thank you very much for the ‘serial expats’ and friends in the Expat & Foreign Service community for taking the time to read the blog and leave comments… Much appreciated! ♥

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6 days away! Holiday greeting cards already sent!

Image #14: 20 Days of a Joyful Christmas: Holiday Cards are on their way… What about you? 😮

7 days away! He can barely wait for another week…

Image #13: 20 Days of a Joyful Christmas: And this boy here sent only FOUR LETTERS TO SANTA! 😮 Hopefully, one of the 4 will make it to the North Pole with his long, long, wish list…

Twenty days until Christmas – through twenty images of joy… We’ll get a bit closer each day that goes by… Previous image here.

8 days to a ‘possible White Christmas’… Crazy head day!

Image #12: 20 Days of a Joyful Christmas: Up with the holiday spirit! Crazy head day for school!

Twenty days until Christmas – through twenty images of joy… We’ll get a bit closer each day that goes by… Previous image here.

9 days to a ‘possible White Christmas’… Very, very sweet greetings!

Image #11: 20 Days of a Joyful Christmas: Sweet Season!

Twenty days until Christmas – through twenty images of joy… We’ll get a bit closer each day that goes by… Previous image here.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Delicate.

Somebody once told me: “your first child is made of glass… the second one, made of plastic, and the third child, will come made out of rubber… unbreakable…” Really? She still looks and seems very fragile… very delicate… Here, dressed as a flower, for her second birthday.

Somebody once told me: “your first child is made of glass… the second one, made of plastic, and the third child, will come made out of rubber… unbreakable…” Really? She still looks and seems very fragile… very delicate… a perfect fit for week’s photo inspiration. She’s my most true interpretation of the theme…

Here, dressed as a flower, for her second birthday.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Delicate (hereandthere5.wordpress.com)
Weekly Photo Challenge: Delicate (beijingcityphoto.wordpress.com)
)Weekly Photo Challenge: Delicate (jinancitydailyphoto.wordpress.com)
Weekly Photo Challenge: Delicate (scottseyephotos.wordpress.com)
Weekly Photo Challenge: Delicate (joebeans2002.wordpress.com)

10 days to a ‘possible White Christmas’. Colors from The Bolivian Folkloric Ballet of Potosi.

Image #10: 20 Days of a Joyful Christmas: The Ballet Folklorico de Potosi, Bolivia.

Twenty days until Christmas – through twenty images of joy… We’ll get a bit closer each day that goes by… Previous image here.

Identity, Traditions & Folklore in Bolivia: Saya Ceremony honoring Pachamama and blessing a new home. (3rdculturechildren.com)

11 days to Christmas: It’s Friday! The Hormone Guide…

It’s friday, gotta share this: the hormone guide!

Friday is here… holidays are just around the corner… Husband’s gone on a work trip. This mom is left home with 3 little ones and a pet hamster [come on, what you mean ‘you won’t be able to clean his house today? how is it any different from all the other days?’] Oh, well, gotta find something to cheer me up, and sure enough, rescued an old post, especially prepared for Fridays like today.

Read and learn – great tip for this holiday season, where, we, women, tend to eat shop talk indulge a little bit too much! 😮

It’s coming from another woman, to all other women, and probably, all men with a good sense of humor…

Source: another fellow blogger, with great sense of humor! 😮

12 days to a ‘possible White Christmas’… not quite your regular ‘Elf on the shelf’!

Image #9: 20 Days of a Joyful Christmas: Not quite your regular ‘Elf on the shelf’… more like ‘a non-stop climbing pre-toddler’! Climbing on the half-desk… going up the stairs… just got caught, while, quietly, trying to move on… Oh, the perks of being a mother of 3 little ones! Who needs adult supervision, anyway? 😮

Twenty days until Christmas – through twenty images of joy… We’ll get a bit closer each day that goes by… Previous image here.

What is ‘Elf on the Shelf’? (newsnet5.com)

13 days to a ‘possible White Christmas’…making my wish for 12.12.12: to witness their shared passion!

Image #8: 20 Days of a Joyful Christmas: My two boys on a regular Saturday morning…

While many are still sleeping in, my boys head to the soccer field at the kids’ school… The ‘older one’ is the player, but my ‘youngest boy’ has to be there to support his dad… I couldn’t be any happier when looking at their faces… That’s a good wish for this 12.12.12: I’ve got 2 girls and 2 boys, and being able to witness their happiness is priceless… Today, I’m sharing the joy these boys bring to my life, through their shared passion: sports! 😮

Twenty days until Christmas – through twenty images of joy… We’ll get a bit closer each day that goes by… Previous image here.

14 days to a ‘possible White Christmas’. An evergreen centerpiece as a keepsake…

There’s a bit of backstory to this branch of evergreen. It used to belong to a much larger tree, in front of the Radiation Treatment Facility here in La Paz. The tree has been trimmed to offer space for a canopy, where patients and patients-to-be would benefit from some much deserved shade, while waiting to be called into the facility. Several branches were cut down, and a few of the volunteers decided to take them home, using them as part of a unique Christmas decoration…

Image #7: 20 Days of a Joyful Christmas: Evergreen centerpiece.

There’s a bit of backstory to this branch of evergreen. It used to belong to a much larger tree, in front of the Radiation Treatment Facility here in La Paz. The tree has been trimmed to offer space for a canopy, where patients and patients-to-be would benefit from some much deserved shade, while waiting to be called into the facility. Several branches were cut down, and a few of the volunteers decided to take them home, using them as part of a unique Christmas decoration…

Two weeks later, one of the branches still exists as my dining table centerpiece… beautiful… a keepsake of a day of work, but most importantly, reminding us about how blessed we’ve been… There’ll be no holidays at a hospital facility for our family… we’ll spend these holidays together, as a family.. we’re all healthy and grateful…

Twenty days until Christmas – through twenty images of joy… We’ll get a bit closer each day that goes by… Previous image here.

15 days to a ‘possible White Christmas’… Driving among the clouds…

Image #6: 20 Days of a Joyful Christmas: Literally driving among the clouds, outside the city of Nuestra Señora de La Paz… And we DID GO through this ride [or at least, the fab hubby did… all the driving!]. Here is the link for the complete Photo Essay!

Twenty days until Christmas – through twenty images of joy… We’ll get a bit closer each day that goes by… Previous image here.

Photo of the Day: Thanks to Gravity Bolivia(c)!

The “Ripping shot of a gravity group doing the bolivian death road” in Bolivia! One of the many touristic/adventurous things to do while visiting this beautiful and unique country! Unfortunately, I can’t take credit for the amazing shot: it belongs to Gravity Bolivia (c) http://www.gravitybolivia.com, 2012, and I was lucky enough to get authorization to share it over here… Totally worthy, right?

Seriously… look at this! Isn’t it a fantastic photo?

So, what’s it, exactly?

The “Ripping shot of a gravity group doing the bolivian death road” in Bolivia! One of the many touristic/adventurous things to do while visiting this beautiful and unique country! Unfortunately, I can’t take credit for the amazing shot: it belongs to Gravity Bolivia (c) www.gravitybolivia.com, 2012, and I was lucky enough to get authorization to share it over here… Totally worthy, right?

The photo was taken with a cell phone (!) [HTC ONE X, using the HDR function]… a great stimulus to all of us, amateur photographers out there! 😮 Liked what you saw? I sure did… I’m still finding my adventurous side [I’m a mom of 3 little kiddos, remember?], but the hubby is totally sold by the idea of venturing through the death road, biking and bringing back wonderful photos for his beloved wife… I appreciate that. Will keep you all posted… Again, a BIG THANK YOU for letting me share this unique image… That’s why it’s so easy to fall in love with this country… 😮 And, for the curious ones out there, when in Bolivia, go check them out:

www.gravitybolivia.com

Company Mission

Each year we have managed to grow in size while at the same time improve our quality — better bikes each year, more training for our guides and mechanics, new rides, and more information and resources available for visitors to our office. We look forward to seeing you and taking you on “the ride of your life”…

Death Road: Bolivia (hollywoodpopcandy.wordpress.com)
Photo Essay: Road trip to Coroico, Bolivia. (3rdculturechildren.com)

16 days to a ‘possible White Christmas’… Joy after the hail showers!

Image #5: 20 Days of a Joyful Christmas: Joy after the Hail Showers…

Twenty days until Christmas – through twenty images of joy… We’ll get a bit closer each day that goes by… Are we gonna get any snow?! Who knows… maybe! Previous image here.

17 days to a ‘possible White Christmas’… Making fun Science with… Snow!!!

Image #4: 20 Days of a Joyful Christmas: Let it snow in school… if [natural] snow doesn’t fall down from the sky, the solution is… let’s make it! [nothing wrong with having fun with school-made artificial snow!]

Makes Fluffy Artificial Snow in Seconds!

Twenty days until Christmas – through twenty images of joy… We’ll get a bit closer each day that goes by… Are we gonna get any snow?! Who knows… maybe! Previous image here.

18 days to a ‘possible White Christmas’… each day, an image of joy! You know you’re in Bolivia when…

20 Days of a Joyful Christmas: Getting ready to enjoy the holiday season dinners, nights-out, get-togethers… That’s when you know you’re IN BOLIVIA… it’s possible to find PEPTO BISMOL [or any similar!] in a LADY’S PURSE… hummm, wonder why! 😮

Let’s enjoy the holidays!

Image #3: 20 Days of a Joyful Christmas: Getting ready to enjoy the holiday season dinners, nights-out, get-togethers… That’s when you know you’re IN BOLIVIA… it’s possible to find PEPTO BISMOL [or any similar!] in a LADY’S PURSE… hummm, wonder why! 😮

Let’s enjoy the holidays!

Twenty days until Christmas – through twenty images of joy… We’ll get a bit closer each day that goes by… Are we gonna get any snow?! Who knows… maybe! Previous image here.

19 days to a ‘possible White Christmas’… each day, an image of joy!

Image #2: 20 Days of a Joyful Christmas: Hang on… we’re almost there… The family is ready!

In order to celebrate our “non-tropical season of joy”, we’ll continue to share images that showcase how we’re seeing and enjoying this time of the year. Today, a ‘snapshot of our family’… aren’t we the best looking family in town?! 😮
Twenty days until Christmas – through twenty images of joy… We’ll get a bit closer each day that goes by… Are we gonna get any snow?! Who knows… maybe! Previous image here.

Image #2: 20 Days of a Joyful Christmas: Hang on… we’re almost there… The family is ready!

Twenty days until Christmas – through twenty images of joy… We’ll get a bit closer each day that goes by… Are we gonna get any snow?! Who knows… maybe! Previous image here.

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Miniatures for every taste and wish: your dream house, your car, passports, credit cards & suitcases for that long waited travel… or, maybe, that wonderful engagement ring…

Having trouble finding a job? Getting your College Degree? Or… putting an end to a bad marriage? Find there miniatures of Work Contracts, College Diplomas and… a Divorce Certificate! 😮 [top left, kid’s hand, “compre aqui su sentencia de divorcio” = buy here your divorce agreement!]

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Now, less talk and more images. Starting with our short trip leaving the city of La Paz, towards El Alto, the ‘grand stage’ for the Cholitas Performance!

The ‘way to travel’: our Cholita Wrestling Bus, personalized tickets, snacks and souvenirs!

The ‘performers’… or should I say… ‘the fearless fighters’ and their loyal fans? 😮

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At 6,438 m (21,122 ft), mount Illimani is the highest mountain in the Cordillera Real, the second highest in Bolivia and the 18th highest in the Andes.

It lies just south of La Paz at the eastern edge of the Altiplano, dominating the city of La Paz like a sentinel on guard.

Here, this series of images display the snow capped magnificent peak, waiting for a storm to come…a very common scenario during this time of the year… Despite the frightful image, the mountain remains peaceful among the dark clouds…

…and after the storm has passed – the calming view of the mountain, once we’re safely back home, in La Paz!

For this week’s photo challenge, and as part of the ongoing Photo Project, ’52 Bolivian Sundays’, I’m wrapping this post up, leaving the question: ‘What is unique?’ Some amazing bloggers have already done it!

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The boat ride to the Isla del Sol…

…and snapshots of the floating islands and the fish [trout] farms!

Finally, once at the island, our hiking adventure through mysticism, tradition & culture!

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‘Is it all real?‘ ‘Is all the pain portrait here, simply an illusion?’ Is the image a symbol of a lost childhood?’

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I’ve been blogging for exactly 22 months [the first post went live on March 11, 2011, about the Largest Street Carnaval in Brazil – and apparently, it didn’t take long to be picked up by Pop Pressed‘s radar, on March 2011. Link here for full post].

But it’s always nice to get that sweet email from the WordPress editors… Especially, for the second time.. what are the odds? 😮 Thank you all for reading! ♥

A bit of Math here [and my former Algebra students who thought they were free from this!]: The chances of being Freshly Pressed are, on any given day, about 12 per million. Well, considering that just happened for the second time, it brings the odds to… 1 in 6,400,000,000

Maybe I should move on to playing the lottery?!

Curious about the ‘map it out post’? HERE it is!

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The beginning: ‘this child is born’, in a small Japanese colony, in Southeastern Brazil:

The original family moves to the nation’s capital, for a fantastic couple of decades of friendships, schooling, learning, growing, language, cultural and life experiences:

Professional opportunities keep leading that grown child to keep moving up… and North!

One day, we all come to the realization that it’s necessary to say ‘YES’ to a lifetime commitment… and so I did! And the acceptance brought me to a new address, some 2,800 miles away, to new work opportunities, to a new life as a spouse:

What happens when a ‘nomad child’ marries another ‘nomad spirit’?

Well, they move, together with their first ‘world citizen‘! This time, as a ‘trailing spouse’ and a mom, I’m going back South… to Southern Africa…

It came time to welcome our second child… so then we moved to a neighboring country, for a little while…

We were done with our work in Africa, and had to return to our original home. Back in Washington DC, before heading out to our next adventure… From “A” to “B”, landing in “C”, and welcoming our third child into the world [of traveling!]:

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[Backstory] I initially began this blog to share my impressions, observations and along-the-road experiences with our families and friends, and later, with other expats experiencing similar challenges/adventures…

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This week’s photo inspiration is to portrait 2012 in pictures… one per month… Let’s see how good of a job I did over here!

Happy Holidays to all!

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“Santa is a man!

Santa is a Woman!

**Professional opportunities keep leading that grown child to keep moving up… and North!**

One day, we all come to the realization that it’s necessary to say ‘YES’ to a lifetime commitment… and so I did! **And the acceptance brought me to a new address, some 2,800 miles away, to new work opportunities, to a new life as a spouse:**