Friday, Apr 14, 2017
Time Together
What can I say? Another fantastic week living on the beach in Ecuador. As my son Chase commented, it feels like a family vacation, and I would have to agree with him. Our family has been blessed being able to spend so much time together in Ecuador. These past several months we have been learning a new language, experiencing different customs, and sharing a life so different from the one we had in the States.
What’s Ahead
Change is in the air however. Easton is heading to Alaska next Wednesday for the summer. He is looking for a job on a fishing boat. He doesn’t have one secured yet, but is hopeful with the contacts he has it won’t be too long before he gets one.
It sounds like long, hard days of work on the boat which will definitely be a different kind of pace than his year in Ecuador. I’m glad he isn’t afraid to work. More than that though, it will be another really great experience for him to have in his young adult life.
Chase is heading back to the States in May. It appears he may be off to Seoul, South Korea at the end of May to teach English, until (and hopefully) his US Aid job comes through. Although the US government recently announced it removed the hiring freeze, it did not remove it for US Aid. We are all wanting good news from US Aid before he actually has to be in South Korea. After reading more about the tensions between the US and North Korea today….who knows if Seoul is the place anyone should be right now.
Soon Heidi and I will experience our Ecuadorian adventure as “empty nesters”. We certainly have experienced our life together this way over the seven years prior to moving to Ecuador, so I know we will do well together. And just like memories of being a family back home, we have great memories as a family here in South America. For me, that is pretty special.
My Really Awful, Very Bad Haircut Day
I finally got a haircut this week and what a disaster. I have only seen one haircut place around here and it is in Montanita. The front part is a barber shop and the back part is a tattoo shop. The barber and tattoo guy are one and the same. So, I would think a tattoo artist would have the “artistic” eye to do a good haircut.
Maybe my haircut was too artistic, or maybe the barber was having an off day. The problem for me when he was done was two-fold. First, he sprayed down my hair with water so everything was pretty flat against my head. Second, I didn’t have my glasses on and I couldn’t tell that anything was out of proportion.
Well guess what? When I got home I looked in the mirror with my glasses on and I thought, “What the hell happened?” One side of my head was cut short and close, faded into slightly longer hair at the top. The other side of my head however had a one inch shelf of longer hair above the buzzed side, and looked completely ridiculous.
I came out of the bathroom and had my family look at what the guy did. It was hard for them to not bust a gut laughing. Chase said I made it worse because I had exaggerated the “shelf” on one side of my head. I said I didn’t exaggerate anything. It’s just what happens when it isn’t slicked down with water.
Bad Haircut Day
You know if I was 18 years old this would probably be fine. A bit funky and a little edgy maybe for that age bracket. But I don’t see those adjectives as an appropriate descriptor for a haircut on a 54 year old, white-haired dude.
Maybe I should have known better going to this guy. He probably just doesn’t have many old guys come in and sit in his chair for a cut. At any rate, Chase and Heidi were able to “fix it” so I stopped shocking myself when I looked in the bathroom mirror…and it was worth the $6 bucks for the laugh it gave all of us.
One Year Anniversary of Very Scary Stuff
One year after the earthquake, the tear down continues in Bahia de Caraquez. It is amazing not only how much damage occurred but how long it takes to deal with the clean up. Donna sent out this pic on Facebook.
The Ultimate Jenga
Personally, with the way that building is leaning at the top, there is no way I would want to be the driver of that backhoe. Maybe he is a Jenga master?
The Pause
This Sunday, April 16th, marks the one year anniversary of the earthquake in Bahia and surrounding areas of the coast. We are going to be in Bahia then for a get together with our friends at Don and Donna’s farmhouse porch. It seems appropriate since we spent 10 days living there while dealing with the aftermath of the quake.
Thinking back on what has happened since then, it makes me realize the importance of “the pause”. It is that place that may last only a few seconds, or maybe it lasts several months, but it is the place you go to slow down when things are moving too fast.
Heidi and I, and Easton, we paused. We found a safe place, paused, and were able to examine our options, consider our choices, and then act in a manner that served us, and not work against us.
The earthquake is an extreme example, but it was the thing that could have driven us out of Ecuador shortly after we arrived. Not choosing that option, we took our pause in Cuenca. It allowed for new experiences, friends, and memories. And with a new plan, we were able to act and get re-established back at the coast.
How many times can we fall into reacting, when intentional action would be a better choice? I react to what you just said, and then what comes out of me is hurtful. If I went to the pause first, I could get my bearings and then chose to act. Maybe I would have something different to say, maybe I would have a better choice to make, and maybe I would experience different and better outcomes.
Honestly, I am challenged by “the pause”. I can still be highly reactive….just have a taxi driver overcharge me. 😉 What I know is that when I am able to enter the pause, I get better results in my own life.
The pause can look like a lot of different things. Maybe it is deep breaths, or it’s meditation, or a nap, or a walk on the beach at sunset. The important thing is that it resets and refocuses you toward your best results.
It doesn’t matter if you try a new adventure in Ecuador, or continue the adventure where you are currently; everyone wins when we choose options that brings forward our own best results.
https://youtu.be/1eXaeYpBb2c%20
Chau.
I really tried to pause my laughter over the haircut story and nope…sorry it did not work… I am still laughing….
Lol…see, the best $6 bucks ever spent. 🙂
Thanks for reading Dodie.
Todd
Perfectly ‘Ecuadorian-man-about-town’ look, señor Todd! Estupendo!
Lol…yeah, he just needed to add the designs on the shaved side of my head and it would be perfect!
Miss you and Scott. Hope all is good!
I’m with Dodie, couldn’t pause my laughter loved it! Laughter doeth good like medicine, too, too funny! Ken want’s to know did you leave a tip? Lol
Hahaha…I did leave a tip. I had no idea it was so bad! At least it will grow back.
Love you guys!
Hey Todd! Thanks for the laughs! Glad you could get it fixed up a bit! On a serious note, we’ll be thinking about everyone that was affected by the earthquake a year ago Sunday. So many lives were changed.
Always fun to read your blog !!
Happy Easter
🙂
Thanks Laree. I’m all for more laughter in the world, and if a haircut can do it, then by all means. 😉
We had a great time getting together with our friends. I take a lot for granted in life, and need to be more conscious of that. Thanks for reading!
Todd
Todd,
I hope you don’t get upset by me calling you Todd, first name. You see, in Korea and mostly in Asian countries, you seldom call someone by the first name at first meeting.
I cannot but start making a comment about your hair cut.
It is so funny… (sorry…)
Is your Barber from North Korea? Ha Ha.. Your hair cut resembles that of Kim Jeong Un, the guy in North Korea…
Speaking of Korea, by the way, let me introduce myself.
I am a Korean American living in Seattle area for the last several decades. English is my second language and never went to school in the States. So, if I make a mistake, please understand and correct me.
I have been very religiously following your blog for the last one year, and enjoyed every bit of it.
Today, I learned your son, Chase may be heading for Korea.
Is he going there with confirmed job offer? Recently Korean government had reduced, or almost stopped funding native English teachers in public schools. Only handful of private schools or institutions still hire native speakers.
Seoul is very expensive to live. Hope Chase got a good offer of salary. My second son was born and raised in the States, and now in Seoul for more than five years teaching English. If you think it would help for Chase, I could arrange their meeting or communication channel. Hopefully, my son, Jason can give Chase some heads up.
If you want to ask some private questions, here is my email address: dkanew@yahoo.com I will give you cell number in the email, if you wish.
Dongho Daniel Kim. Dongho is my Korean first name, and Daniel is my middle name added and Kim is last (family) name.
You can call me Dongho or Daniel, which ever convenient for you.
Hope your hair will grow faster !
An-Nyong ! (goodbye!)
Hey Dongho! Very nice to meet you. Thank you for commenting and reaching out. It is very kind of you.
Hahaha…yes, my haircut does look like Kim Jeong Un…yikes! I believe Chase has a legitimate situation set up to teach English, and I know he would be happy for contacts, like your son Jason, in Seoul. I am going to give Chase your email and he can work out the details with you.
Thanks a lot for following my blog Dongho!
Todd
Your hair cut resembled Mark Harmon on NCIS (Long running TV show) – he has grey hair also and is the leading male on the show. I appreciate all your encouraging “talks” however I have moved often in my life (career demands) and always found the first year to be stressful as I assimilated into a new culture. Do you have any thoughts on easing that assimilation process? How did you find and form new friendships for instance in a country where you did not speak the native tongue?
Hey Catherine, I prefer my haircut looking more like Mark Harmon than Kim Jeong Un.;-) Ultimately it’s only hair…and falling out fast.
You point out a valid experience…”found the first year to be stressful as I assimilated into a new culture.” I like your questions, great questions actually! A couple things come to mind on easing the assimilation process. First, give yourself a wide berth to make mistakes; meaning be kind to yourself in how you handle your new situations. You are in a learning process. Second, choose to be present with, and curious about, what shows up new for you. Decide not to judge it as good or bad from your previous experiences, just different.
As far as making new friendships, I see two opportunities and they look different. One is with people like yourself who are foreigners and you speak the same language. Facebook groups are a great way to reach out and connect to others in your area. Ask what are the local online “expat” lists and websites and connect into them.
Developing friendships with locals who speak the native language gets more difficult. Basically because, if they don’t speak your language you have to speak theirs. Language schools or classes taught by locals are a good way to be able to ask questions where you can find other locals who may already speak your language, or places you can go where you can “exchange” practice sessions with locals wanting to learn your language, or just opportunities to attend local festivals and gatherings you may not otherwise know about.
That’s just off the top of my head, and I am going to think about your questions and observations more Catherine. I feel it would make for a good blog post.
Thanks for reading and your comments!
Todd