Transitions Part 3

Arriving in Peru
After all of the trials and tribulations we experienced in August, September was a welcome change and started out very smoothly. Jeff, Emma and Hannah were reunited with Aileen at the Houston airport and happy to be together again after more than three weeks apart. The flight from Houston to Lima was long but uneventful and we landed on-time at around 11pm. Aileen was able to sweet-talk the immigration official into giving us a 6 month visa (90 days in the norm) which will make things so much easier for us! Our mountain of luggage arrived in-tact and we cleared customs without incident. We were even more relieved that the taxi driver sent by our hotel was standing where he was supposed to be amidst all the chaos of the Lima airport. He whisked us away and by midnight we were at the Hotel Aleman in the same room we had stayed at during our vacation four months ago.  Our room had two bedrooms which gave us all some much needed privacy as well as lots of space to organize our 8 pieces of hastily packed luggage. We spent the next day doing just that and had everything re-packed and ready for our flight to Arequipa. Since Aileen packed up in NJ and Jeff in CA we brought some extra stuff which we left at the hotel, lightening our load and making a hotel staff person very happy. We returned to the Lima airport that afternoon and before we knew it, we were back at Nelson and Theresa’s house in Arequipa.  We did a homestay with this family back in May and they welcomed us like we were long-lost relatives. 

We spent our first weekend in Peru walking around Arequipa, which is even more beautiful than we remembered.  Arequipa is in the Andean high desert and sits in the shadow of three snow-capped mountains which are each very pretty, especially at sunset. The weather is picture perfect -- sunny and dry like the high desert in California. However, at 7,800 feet, Arequipa is much higher than any city in California.  Arequipa is a colonial city with many of the older buildings constructed from a white volcanic rock called sillar and some streets still paved with cobblestones.  One interesting thing we noticed was some very well developed urban agriculture on a scale not usually seen in the USA.   We also saw cafes and restaurants everywhere and like San Francisco, bad food is not tolerated in Arequipa so each eatery looked better than the last. As we wandered around the city we stumbled onto a street filled with music shops and studios which thrilled Emma who wants to continue with guitar lessons and Hannah who wants to study violin. Each alley off the music street was lined with old buildings that each had pots filled with flowers which really appealed to Aileen. While the ladies enjoyed the city Jeff kept staring at the 18k+ peaks trying to decide which one to climb first. During our explorations we also made the acquaintance of some Arequipeños.  People here speak a beautiful, sing-song Spanish that is easier to understand than the staccato Spanish spoken in Lima or the mumbled slang of Managua. Arequipeños are very proud of their city which some refer to as the “Republic of Arequipa.”

On Monday September 4th we started looking for an apartment, a school for the kids and an internet café where Jeff can work on his consulting contracts.  We were pleasantly surprised by the many options available on all fronts and a bit overwhelmed by all the choices.  However, after just a few nervous days it seemed clear that everything was going to work out just fine.  We were able to relax some and enjoyed being around our homestay family.  Nelson and Theresa were wonderful hosts and their children and grandchildren were also very welcoming.  It was crowded and chaotic at their home but also lively and warm.  There were nine of us sharing a flat with one bathroom and to make things more exciting, their daughter lives upstairs with her four children so it was more like thirteen people sharing a small space.  Theresa, or Mama Techi as she is called, cooks 3 meals a day for at least a dozen people and somehow produces excellent food in a kitchen that is smaller than our bathroom in the USA.  They really made us feel like part of the family and had a hard time accepting payment from us when it was time to leave.

Getting Settled
After less than two weeks in Arequipa we signed a lease on an apartment. Our new home is in a historic section of the city in a district called Yanahuara.  Our neighborhood is full of colonial buildings and old, narrow streets. However, our apartment is practically brand new and fully furnished -- equipped with more stuff than we have in the USA.  It is a 3br/2.5 bath affair in a small building with a total of five apartments. We are on the second of 4 floors but have our own outdoor space on the roof with great views.   We moved in on September 15 and the place already feels like home.  Here is some information on our neighborhood http://www.muniyanahuara.gob.pe/ and photos of our apartment.

Finding the right school was a bit more challenging.  Most folks in Peru who have any resources at all do not use the public school system.  We also opted for the private school route as Emma and Hannah did not get much of a formal education in Nicaragua and have some catching up to do. We visited quite a few schools and had a pretty interesting time of it.  Just like in the USA, there are multiple levels of private schools and the “elite” schools are impossible to get into mid-year but were not really our style anyway. 

There are an abundance of excellent Catholic schools in Peru but they did not really welcome non-Catholics.  Some were very open about this fact and others beat around the (burning) bush.  We were invited to apply to a very good Catholic school and had to buy new clothing for the testing/interview process.  We also had to buy special folders for our application and all the related paperwork. When we showed up all scrubbed and ready to go, the admissions director gave us a long speech about how this might not be the right school for us for religious and other reasons.  Half way through her monologue, Jeff diplomatically asked for refund of our application fee and we left.  Ironically, this school told us they would never deny a child education due to their religion which was clearly not true.  We honestly had no hard feelings but it would have been nice if they called us before we got all gussied up to meet with the Madre Directora.

Fortunately Arequipa has “secular” schools of many different shapes and sizes.  We put secular in quotes because they all have some form of religious education which makes sense given the country is 95% Catholic.  We were accepted to some smaller, solid schools but it was hard to get into the larger schools we were most interested in without a contact. Fortunately, Nelson and Theresa’s daughter Erika is a teacher at a very good (but not elitist) secular school called Colegio Juan de La Cruz Calienes (named for a 19th century bishop).  Through her connections (and our girls’ exemplary performance in the testing process) we got accept and chose to enroll. 

Calienes goes from pre-school thru high school and has about 800 students.  It is 15 minutes from our house by taxi and we will work out transportation via mini-bus with the school once the girls get settled in.  The teachers provided us a very detailed list including things like toilet paper, soap, and binders we had to contribute to the school.  We had to spend two entire days getting all of the uniforms, books, supplies and other materials we were required to purchase and another day getting it all organized. After much preparation we were finally ready for the girls to start school on Monday September 19.  Mom and Dad were very nervous the first day and the children were a bit apprehensive too.  Calienes is a far cry from the friendly little school in rural Nicaragua and we expected some tears after the first day.  However, the girls came home very happy – never ceasing to amaze their parents. They really enjoyed their first day and were excited about all of the different classes they will be attending, including all of the basics along with religion, English, music, art and PE.  They also have electives during the last period:  Emma chose volleyball, chorus and cooking and Hannah signed up for chorus, cooking and sports. Here is some information about the school: http://www.colegiocalienes.edu.pe and a few photos:

Some First Impressions
It is impossible to avoid comparing life in Peru to our most recent experiences.  Things in Arequipa are very different from life in San Ramon, Nicaragua.  Arequipa is a city of nearly 1 million people (versus about 3,000 in San Ramon) and the poverty rate in Peru is less than 50% (versus over 80% in Nicaragua).  Living in a large and relatively affluent city means that we have access to some of the creature comforts and entertainment options available in the USA.  On the other hand, Peruvian culture is not as influenced by the USA compared to what we saw in Nicaragua.  Years of US military occupation and the close proximity to Miami mean that Nicaragua was permeated by American culture.  This is not the case in Peru where architecture, clothing, design-sense, food, politics, music and interpersonal relationships seem very different from what we are accustomed to.  On first impression it seems this year will bring us the benefits of living in a very different culture without some of the physical hardships we experienced in Nicaragua. 

We do not want to give the impression that we stumbled upon some sort of ex-pat nirvana.  It is not as if America hasn’t reached out and touched Peru; for example, the other day I heard the Ramones being played in the mall while looking at a poster for a Pearl Jam concert posted next to a McDonalds.  Despite having malls, Peru lacks some of the efficiency we Americans are so fond of.  For example, phones, texting and email is not the preferred way of doing business so you need to show up if you actually want to get stuff done -- this can be a serious hassle at times.  Also, some of the infrastructure (roads and phone service) are even less developed than we found in Nicaragua.  Simple things like crossing the street and getting a telephone are crazy complicated for some reason.  You’d figure a country savvy enough to play the Ramones in a mall would have discovered traffic lights and crosswalks.

Despite these minor and silly inconveniences we are all very happy with our decision to move here.  We love Arequipa and are excited about all it has to offer.  We have an extra room with a sofa bed if you care to join us!

Transitions - Part 2

Our trip back to the United States in mid-August and preparations for Peru were much more hectic than we had planned given Aileen’s mother’s surgery.  Aileen was very busy caring for her mother in New Jersey while Jeff was in San Francisco preparing for our move to Peru.  Emma and Hannah were very busy enjoying everything San Francisco has to offer, especially all of their friends and family.  Everyone had a very different experience during our brief visit to the USA so we will each tell our own story.

Jeff

It was beyond weird coming back to our house, especially without Aileen.  However, it was blissful being in a comfortable room with a nice bed, no mosquito net and no blaring music, barking dogs nor cackling chickens to disturb my sleep; hot showers, good coffee and delicious breakfasts every morning were even better.  We were of course very worried about Aileen and her mom and missed them terribly.  To make matters worse, we were not even sure if we would go to Peru but had to move forward as if we were.  During our first week in the United States I needed to focus on getting some consulting contracts to help pay for our living expenses in Peru, so I met with numerous nonprofit organizations and foundations to try and find work.  Thank goodness my sister lives nearby and was able to watch Emma and Hannah for a few days while I was running all over the city.  My folks then came to visit and we spent some quality time with them and all of the west coast Kositsky family.  The next week was a frenzy of packing, shopping, preparing our house for the new tenants, taking care of paperwork and more.  It finally seemed as if Peru was a go and I was scrambling like a madman to get ready before we left for NJ.  The night before we were going to leave was to be a sleepless one.  I had the house all ready but did not start packing until after dinner and had much to do.  This changed abruptly when I received a notification that our flight to NJ was cancelled due to Hurricane Irene.  We were all devastated not being able to see Aileen and her family.  I tried mightily to get us on a flight but it was not to be.  After two very stressful days trying to get through to the airline I finally got us tickets from SF to Houston where we would rendezvous with Aileen and head to Peru.  Once our travel arrangements were set we had time to do some last minute shopping and visit some friends we thought we would miss during this trip.  Seeing my dear friend Tyrell was a special silver lining to the change in our travel plans.  After all of the hassles we had this past month I never expected to actually see Aileen in Houston so we had all sorts of contingency plans in place.  I cannot describe how thrilled I was to see her running down the gangway toward our plane and even more thrilled that airport security was not chasing her for this clear violation of TSA regulations.

Hannah

My time in the United States was super good – I loved it.  I visited lots and lots and lots of my friends.  I saw Nora, Zoe, Rowan, Elias, Toby, Jasmine, Milo, Justin, Helena, Sam, PJ, Maya, Margret, Liv and Liesl.  I am very sad we did not see my friend Willa.  I am really sad I could not see my Mommy or my Grandma.  I did get to see my Grammy and Pop Pop and my Aunt Lauren, Uncle Josh, Uncle Andy (and his girlfriend Cindy), Uncle Andrew, Aunt Christy and my cousins Ann, David, Maya, Diane, Matthew, Sarah, Nadia, Jordan and Arielle.   We bought ice cream and chips and ate lots of good food like carrots and potatoes.  My Daddy got an Ipad and other stuff.  The airplane trip to Houston was okay.  We were just talking about Mommy and she came running to us.  I was very excited.  The flight to Peru was bad because my ears were so plugged I could not hear.  They gave us food on the airplane and it was pretty good.  I was scared to be going to Peru because the teachers might pull my hair if I am bad.

Emma

I really had a SUPER good time in America, especially with my friends and family.  I thought it was very nice when my school friends made a party for me at Zoe’s house.  I also had a really good time at the Academy of Science with Liesl and hiking with Sam.  I also had a really good time at my Aunt Lauren’s house when everybody came over.  I liked when Grammy and Pop Pop came over to my house.  But the most exciting part was seeing Mommy in Houston before we went to Peru.

Aileen

When I think about my last minute trip to New Jersey because of my mom’s heart attack and her subsequent need for a quadruple bypass operation, mostly I think about all the love and support surrounding me and my family.  First and foremost, Jeff really stepped up to the plate and was super-supportive in encouraging me to be there with my mom.  I’m not sure if I know any other dads who would have volunteered to take care of two kids on their own for three weeks, much less getting them and all our stuff from a remote beach in Nicaragua, to Managua, to San Francisco and then to Houston, getting the house in San Francisco ready for our new renters, and taking care of all the shopping and logistics necessary so we could still embark on our adventure in Peru.  Also, the many friends who helped out with childcare and of course Jeff’s sister, Lauren, who was so incredibly helpful in so many ways, all made it possible for me to be in New Jersey with my family.  In New Jersey, my brothers and sisters-in-laws, nieces and nephew, our cousins, Nick, Rich, and especially Ed, made the response to the situation really feel like a team effort where everyone was trying to do whatever they could to help out.  This feeling, and the kind home health aides we were able to find for my mom made it possible for me to leave for Peru, secure in the knowledge that my mom is in great hands.  (The ease of international communication via skype and cell phones, and the existence of direct flights between Peru and Newark didn’t hurt, either.)  It was really special for me to spend so much time with my mom and despite the difficult circumstances we both enjoyed being together.  (I was also glad that Hurricane Irene chose this period to strike the northeast, so that I was there to help my parents remove the water from their basement!)  I am looking forward to going back to New Jersey in January, this time with Jeff and the girls, to spend some more time helping out and being with my family.

Transitions - Part 1

On July 14, 2011 we left San Ramon, Nicaragua for the Redwood Beach Resort (aka RBR) in Mechapa, Nicaragua.  Aileen and Jeff got a “job” caretaking this beach hotel while the owners returned to the United States for a few weeks.  We were planning to rent a house by the beach or something like that because we had to move out of our house in San Ramon in mid-July but did not have tickets back to the USA until mid-August.  We lucked into this awesome opportunity to spend our last month in Nicaragua in such a beautiful location.

The trip to RBR was a bit complicated.  We got up bright and early on our last day in San Ramon to finish packing our things and clean out our house.  We already said our goodbyes and planned to sneak out of town without any more drama or hoopla.  That of course did not work.  People started coming over around 7:00am including our maid, the daughter of our landlady and our neighbors.  We finally got our truck packed and out of dodge around 8:00am.  We arrived at Aileen’s office an hour later to return her work truck and say our goodbyes to the staff of SOL (for the second or third time).  Our friend Douglas arrived around 9:15 and we transferred all of our possessions into his truck.  Coincidentally, his truck was the first vehicle Aileen and I used when we worked here in Nicaragua ten years ago.  The nonprofit we used to work for sold the truck to Douglas years ago and he has managed to keep it going.

Douglas drove us about 3 hours to the town of Chinandega where we stopped to buy supplies and have lunch.  The plan was to call the owners of the hotel when we were ready to leave Chinandega and they would meet us at a fork in the road about an hour away.  From there, we were to transfer to yet another truck that would take us on a very rough dirt road to the hotel as Douglas’ vehicle would never have made the final hour of our journey.  It seemed like a good plan but when we called the owners they were nowhere to be found.  To make a long story shorter, they had decided to come meet us in Chinandega to meet us but were not able to find us there. After just a little fuss we finally met their driver at the designated spot and he took us to the hotel.

We spent a day getting trained by Mike and Stacy (the owners of the hotel) and found out their large staff did most everything so there would be very little work for us.  In the mornings Juan, Jesus and Ramon arrive at 6am to do repairs and work the grounds.  Sarah arrives at 8am to cook breakfast and lunch for guests, wash dishes, do the laundry and clean the rooms.  They all leave at 1:30pm.  Martha arrives at 5pm to cook dinner (if there are guests).  Michael also arrives at 5pm to wash the dishes, mix drinks and close the place down.  Everyone is off on Sundays unless there are guests in which case some will work.  Like I said, there was not much for us to do other than cook for ourselves – we don’t even have to do our own dishes!  Moreover, there are no reservations in the near future because this is the off-season so we have the place to ourselves. 

RBR is a small hotel on an isolated beach just outside a small fishing village called Mechapa in far northwestern Nicaragua close to the Gulf of Fonseca.  Mechapa is a hard scrabble town that is very poor and can be pretty rough when the fishermen get to drinking (which is often).  However, the hotel is outside of town and right on a beautiful stretch of beach.  We stayed in the owner’s two-room house while they were away and a cabana when they returned.  The hotel has five cabanas for guests, a small restaurant and a bar/movie theatre (both open air affairs with thatched roofs).  The hotel used to be bigger but the ocean recently took 3 of the cabanas due to beach erosion.  Despite the threat of being washed away by the sea the place is pretty darn comfortable and relaxing -- with air conditioning, TV/DVD and the coldest beer fridge in Nicaragua.  Frankly, it is way cozier than our set-up in San Ramon.  However, Mechapa is very remote and we were pretty much stuck there during our stay.  The owners have a telephone that only works sometimes, satellite TV that goes off when there is a breeze and internet access that was down for most of our stay.  Furthermore, they took their car with them to the airport and the closest supplies (beyond the most basic) are two hours away by private vehicle.  In a pinch, we could take the bus to town (3.5 hours) and during low tide you can walk into the ocean and use a mobile phone if it is not too cloudy. 

So, there was little work, no reservations and limited access to the outside world.  You might be wondering what we were doing all day?  Well, we got up around 5:30am to the sound of the ocean and dogs waiting to be feed.  Jeff goes down to feed t dogs (Coqueta and King), a lazy cat (Lluvia) and the cranky parrot (Don Guido).  Ramon (the lead staff member) usually had a few questions/concerns that he has to share before we even got the coffee going.  Jeff usually made breakfast while Aileen was dragging the girls out of bed.  After breakfast we walked down the beach with the girls to the two-room schoolhouse.  They attended classes for a month and really enjoyed it.  On the way back we usually bought some fish and or tortillas for the day’s meals.  This involved fighting through the crowds that line up at the fishermen’s coop when the boats come in or sitting around while the tortilla lady cooks ‘em up fresh.  This whole process can take anywhere from ten minutes to an hour depending on the lines.  By the time we returned to the hotel the dishes were done and staff members were half way done cleaning the grounds.  Jeff then went surfing and Aileen usually read or swams.  There were usually a few things to do or issues that come up (calling the electric company when the power went out, fixing the satellite dish that wild horses knocked out of alignment, inquiring about some repairs, etc).   Not what you would call a stressful morning.
When the girls return from school we had lunch and while Sarah is cleaning up our dishes we did some homework, guitar practice, tutoring, writing, etc.  The rest of the afternoon was spent swimming, hiking and/or playing games with friends.  If dinner is early enough, we retire to the bar and lay in the hammocks watching a movie while staff was cleaning up and the sun was busy setting.

We had some amazing adventures during our trip as well.  Aileen and Jeff went ocean kayaking and tried to get out past the waves which led to an amazing wipe out that the whole town was talking (laughing) about.  Jeff and the girls took a more serene but sublime kayaking trip through a mangrove. We also explored both ends of the peninsula we were on and visited a river on one side and some amazing tide pools on the other.  Not all of our adventures were fun.  Jeff had to take an excursion to town by bus to buy supplies.  It was stressful running around town shopping and then packing everything for bus for the trip home (not to mention hauling everything to the roof of the bus).  During the 3.5 hour bus ride (standing room only) Jeff saw people start cursing and closing their windows.  He noticed some white rain coming into the windows and quickly realized it was the milk he bought.  Jeff tried to hide behind his Kindle as he stood silently between a drunk guy an very large woman; however, his cover was blown when the conductor yelled out “gringo, is that your milk.”  “Not anymore,” he answered amidst the grumbling and laughter (which was not good natured). 

Other than the bus trip, we had a wonderful time in Mechapa.  Unfortunately the trip was cut short for Aileen when she found out that her Mom needed open-heart surgery.  She left immediately and powered her way to Managua and then New Jersey which was no easy feat.  Jeff, Emma and Hannah stayed for a few more days which were filled with some tearful goodbyes.  It was very touching to know that the hotel staff and the girls’ classmates were genuinely sad to see us leave.  Some of Emma and Hannah’s new friends even brought them gifts which I wanted to (but could not) return given how poor the town is.  It was amazing how fast the girls could develop friendships without having to navigate the busy schedules, play dates and competition so prevalent in the United States.

Daddy and daughters had their own trying trip back to the United States.  Being apart from Aileen was hard enough and the trip was pretty challenging too.  Jeff, Emma, Hannah and all their stuff took a truck andthen a taxi to the closest city and our friend Douglas picked them up the next day.  On the way to Managua, Douglas’ truck broke down and three hours later we finally found a taxi to take us to Managua.  We spent a few days at the Holiday Inn, visiting with friends and doing some last minute shopping. Before we knew it we had dragged ourselves and all our bags back to the USA and were in San Francisco again.  Our time in Nicaragua was over.

Our month at the beach was a wonderful way to end our year in Nicaragua but the departure was a bit overwhelming given the circumstances.  However, one thing we learned in Nicaragua is that things do not always work out as planned and you have to roll with the punches.  Mom and Dad managed to make it through the experience thanks to our awesome daughters who have learned many things this year, especially how to be flexible.  It was an emotional and challenging time for everyone and Emma and Hannah really rose to the occasion.  They missed their Mom and were a bit dazed by all the commotion but were good natured and helpful throughout.  The poise, self-reliance and maturity they developed during the past year are simply phenomenal.