I am trying to be positive about this adventure of ours. I ran into a parent of one of Maya's friends from the past, and we caught up with our lives, and as usual, there was much enthusiasm about our plans. I get the feeling that we are a little off the norm, and people are used to us doing unusual things, that our most recent jaunt is part of who we are. Most people just stay where they are, or at least the ones that I know. If they move, it is to Chicago or Minneapolis or San Francisco, not Ecuador and New York. Packing everything up and leaving our lives behind (again) gives us an opportunity to start over, to explore, to get out of our comfort zone, to challenge us, to make us better, more interesting, more experienced.
I try to sound enthusiastic, even when in truth I am scared and unsettled. I wonder how we will manage, and if we will be safe, and successful, and happy, and glad that we chose to make such a huge change. I watched Maya's ballet performance yesterday, and found myself in tears when I realized that she had been at Peabody from the age of three, and even though I never really liked the artistic director or her ballet teacher (he kicked me out of my ballet class because I refused to wear the appropriate attire) I hugged them and cried when I said goodbye. We have been at Peabody daily for years and years, either for violin or ballet, Maya has performed many many times; it has been her home away from home. She was gushing tears as she said goodbye.
She spent some time with her friend Sarah this afternoon, and there were more tears and more sadness. In fact, Maya has been crying almost daily, and I want to cry with her. Baltimore is home, it is where our friends are, and although I did not like it much when we arrived, and it took a long time to warm up to it, and there were as many trials and tribulations as positives, I will miss our lives here.
Yet, I look forward to our time in Ecuador. I am telling our friends to expect us. Maya's school is delighted to take her back, as is her violin instructor, and yesterday we bought point shoes at the dance store in preparation for her return to Fundacion Danza. Ecuador is always an adventure, and there are so many places to explore. I want to return to Mindo, and to the beach, and visit Loja and the south, and go the Zuleta for a weekend, and ride horses in the paramo, and try another jungle lodge, and see more animals and birds and take photos and more. I hope our friends come to visit, and that we can share our experience with family too. I am not yet thinking about New York, although tomorrow I will look at apartments in the city, and try to figure out if we can survive there. More to look forward to.
I try to sound enthusiastic, even when in truth I am scared and unsettled. I wonder how we will manage, and if we will be safe, and successful, and happy, and glad that we chose to make such a huge change. I watched Maya's ballet performance yesterday, and found myself in tears when I realized that she had been at Peabody from the age of three, and even though I never really liked the artistic director or her ballet teacher (he kicked me out of my ballet class because I refused to wear the appropriate attire) I hugged them and cried when I said goodbye. We have been at Peabody daily for years and years, either for violin or ballet, Maya has performed many many times; it has been her home away from home. She was gushing tears as she said goodbye.
She spent some time with her friend Sarah this afternoon, and there were more tears and more sadness. In fact, Maya has been crying almost daily, and I want to cry with her. Baltimore is home, it is where our friends are, and although I did not like it much when we arrived, and it took a long time to warm up to it, and there were as many trials and tribulations as positives, I will miss our lives here.
Yet, I look forward to our time in Ecuador. I am telling our friends to expect us. Maya's school is delighted to take her back, as is her violin instructor, and yesterday we bought point shoes at the dance store in preparation for her return to Fundacion Danza. Ecuador is always an adventure, and there are so many places to explore. I want to return to Mindo, and to the beach, and visit Loja and the south, and go the Zuleta for a weekend, and ride horses in the paramo, and try another jungle lodge, and see more animals and birds and take photos and more. I hope our friends come to visit, and that we can share our experience with family too. I am not yet thinking about New York, although tomorrow I will look at apartments in the city, and try to figure out if we can survive there. More to look forward to.
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