My Best Souvenir

Well, of course, you don’t get everything done that you want to when you are on a trip.  And no this was not a vacation despite the fun places we did get to see.   I didn’t buy all the Colombian souvenirs that I wanted.  I have read about all of these other adoptive moms that have planned ahead and bought iconic classic pieces of their new child’s culture to give them at significant milestones in their lives.  Not me.  I had my hands full with 2 boys for 4 and a half weeks.  I had brought so many books and toys and games and activities and scooters and food that I could barely get my own stuff back home.  We bought a few things, but what I realized about half way through our trip freed me from the pressure to get all of the perfect souvenirs.

This Boy is Colombia.  It is in him and will be for his entire life, I’m sure.  He is a speeding car driving down the busy road, where stop signs are optional and lane lines are mostly decorative, when present.  He bends the rules and pushes the limits.  He is passionate and expressive to the extreme.  He is always moving like a bustling city.  He is creative and persistent.  He is hopeful and eager, looking to the future. We will have to teach him to follow the rules of the road, but we will definitely let him keep "the model" designed for and given to him.

Cristo Rey--Christ the King

This is the big statue here of Christ looking out over the city.  E went there on a field trip this summer.  He said he prayed to Cristo Rey for a family and then he learned about us, shortly after.


http://www.dronestagr.am/cristo-rey-monument-cali-colombia/

We went to see it last week. We don't believe in worshipping statues, but in the Christ of the bible.  I know some friends who don't even want to look at or talk about idols.  But, I am telling you when we were up on that mountain top, what kept coming to my mind was the part of the Bible about Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. Luke 19:41  I kept thinking of this large city, especially of the poverty, the sadness, the sin, the sorrows, the situation and I weep.  

We are able to enjoy many things, too.  The plants, the birds, the animals, the varied beautiful faces of the people.  The plants are so huge, I feel like I am in "Honey, I  Shrunk the Kids".  Think of tropical houseplants and then imagine them 10 times bigger, growing along the sidewalks and gardens.  I will try to add some pics, but we are taking them on a digital camera and can't upload them because we don't have our laptop.  This is not the least of our technical challenges.  Phone communication is sketchier than we hoped and many movies and internet selections we thought we would have are not fully available here. We can get netflix, but the selection is very limited.  Youtube has come through with some good choices, even available in Spanish.

School is going well and there are many happy moments. E is interested in the bible stories we brought, so that is good.  We have to watch the boys closely, though because the rivalry can flare quickly, especially with the language barrier.  We haven't had any major fits in four days, though, so that makes me happy.  Our case is "going well" which is better than any other myriad of complications that can occur, but it is still difficult waiting for the process.

So far

Well, how do I describe all the excitement?  The sound of two boys playing and laughing is like music to my ears.  The sound of their squabbling or a (rare) fit is like nails on a chalkboard.  It will take some time for E to trust M to share his toys and even his parents.  There is enough for everyone and we will take good care of all with which we are entrusted.  Google translate is a miracle, that's for sure, but I don't think we can get that concept from there.

We are all coming along with the respective new languages.  Waiting to come home is hard, but the people who run this hotel are angels, ministering to adoptive families in any way they can.  From driving us places to ordering supplements and Kleenex from the pharmacy for us, they have done everything;  and they make it clear that they will do anything we want.  The owner is a man after my sales and marketing experienced heart--the answer is always "Yes!"  Even to the request to serve us smaller portions at meal time, which may have been insulting.  The food is too good!

Jeff's back is doing better with exercises, but now mine is acting up!  And Matthew has a fever today. Satan is busy trying to make us miserable, of course.  There is a woman here adopting that has been through far worse, and yet she is such an encouragement to us. The girls have been such a blessing as well, reaching out to her new daughter and helping with the boys.

Everyone remarks how well we and E are doing, so that's good.  I made up a reward system where the boys get points for following the 4 rules we have established.  Each point equals a minute on the IPad, redeemable in increments of 10.  They have both figured out how to manipulate the system, though, so we will probably be phasing that out!  Matthew was calling Esneider's name, just so he would look and get a point and E was getting out of bed last night so he could get one by getting back in when I told him to.

We enjoyed our trip to the world class zoo here, as well as taking in some other places while we are in our son's homeland.  I hope he doesn't think that we always get souvenirs and get to swim every day.