Scribbles in the Sun

I found this little guy staring at me today.  Isn't he adorable???  Click the photo to enlarge it if you need convincing. Actually, he wasn't so small, I'd say he was a bit bigger than my palm. But seriously, I think he was giving me puppy dogs eyes or something.  We can be friends, but I prefer he doesn't come in my house, so I've been keeping a sharp eye on him.  He reminds me of some of the crazy huge bugs I saw in Costa Rica (Google images of the rhinocerous beetle and thank me later). And last week I had the pleasure of being underneath a tree as 6 or 7 brightly coloured wild parrots sat and squawked and flapped and gorged themselves on fruit, throwing whatever was not edible down onto the cars parked below and making a general mess.  But it really is a lovely sight to see  a group of parrots soaring around together.  Although I miss my bug-free days in Canada, I really love discovering all these sights....yes, even the ones that creep me out! ...

It's a few years old, but I might have had this song on repeat today :)

Some of you may know that I went to my first Venezuelan dentist last week. It was not too traumatizing an experience, actually it was fairly enjoyable. I'm thankful that my parents were so diligent with getting me to the dentist and orthodontist when I was young, because it makes me feel so guilty that I haven't been since I left Canada (did I just admit that?), and I do want to do better!! So of course, it took a toothache to get the wheels in motion. Last Thursday I went to my spanish lesson and had my tutor help me think of all the vocabulary I might need at the dentist. Then I went to a dental office in my neighbourhood to make an appointment. It was 2pm, and they weren't taking appointments til 3....sigh....so I decided to keep walking and found another dental office that looked so much more welcoming. I got my appointment for the next day, Friday, and had a pretty good appointment with the dentist (other than the fact that she had to inflict pain in order to fin...

About a week and a half ago, I got to go on a road trip and as with any adventure in Venezuela, it was quite the ordeal!  We started by heading out to the C&MA National Pastor's retreat...no wait, first we started with a prayer that our vehicles (ie: my car) would make the journey without incident.  After picking up some pastors and lay leaders in Cartanal, we managed to fit 10 adults, 2 kids, an infant, a stroller, and all our luggage into our two vehicles (my car held 6 adults and the baby so I'll let you use your imaginations).  We traveled through pouring rain and arrived in the town near the camp we were going to.  Our only instructions to arrive at the camp were to stop at the town square and ask for directions from there (!).  After asking 6 or 7 people, and a few wrong turns, we found our way to the country road and made it to the camp safe and sound.  I am convinced that if we didn't have any Venezuelans with us, we would have never found our...

Sometimes, living in South America makes me a little disoriented (to say the least!).   What I mean is that Canadians learn to live life through the seasons, and you look forward to each of the four seasons for different reasons.   I loved winter because it meant breaking out my cozy sweaters and my ice skates.   Spring brought fresh breezes, the joy of the snow melting and adventures awaiting as the days get longer.   Summer meant making the best use of warm days to hang out at the lake, go on road trips, and BBQs in the back yard; and fall meant a return to routine, and the smell of the falling leaves.   These are things that I admit I miss from Canada, and one reason is because they marked the passing of time and my movement through the year.   Now here I am in South America.   I am close enough to the equator that the sun basically rises and sets at the same time.   Every day.   There is a dry season and a rainy season, but they both...

I must have blocked it from my memory, but I just remembered that I had another traumatizing moment yesterday trying to buy broccoli.   This would be my third trauma, and so I think that means I am now giving up broccoli for good (while I’m here, anyway).   My first trauma came maybe 2.5 years ago when I was still living in Costa Rica.   I was having lunch in a restaurant and my soup, that contained broccoli, also contained a small worm.   I had already eaten half the soup, but all of a sudden, it didn’t taste that good to me…..Second trauma, about a year ago.   “Let’s buy some broccoli!” I thought when I went to the grocery story.   I had been avoiding it because it requires soaking and thorough cleaning before cooking, and let’s face it…when it comes to food prep, I’m just lazy.   As I was looking through all the beautiful green and fresh heads of broccoli, guess what popped up and gave me the stink eye (I presume)?   Yes, another little wo...

Over the past year, it is true that we have experienced shortages of various things....meat, milk, flour, sugar.  But imagine my surprise when yesterday at the local grocery store, I couldn't find toilet paper!  I also went to a drug store, but there was none there either.  Nobody seemed to be panicking over it, so I know that it must be available in other stores at the moment, so today I will continue my search for the elusive cottony goodness.  I don't want to blow out of proportion the things that we have given up to be here in Venezuela, because really, the things that I can't get here are truly things that I can live without.  Nor am I starving or desperate for a little pampering.  I have just had to learn to get creative and/or find things made here in Venezuela to fill the gaps of things I miss from home.  And I must admit, I have found some really great stuff!  My favourite treats as of late have been gelato, and Kindy (a lime drink concen...