Mountain & River Excursion

Last Sunday, our language school sponsored a trip to the mountains. It was promoted as thermal baths, which along with the natural setting encouraged me to sign up the family as well as to encourage some students in my class to do the same. Nature is something that fuels our whole family. After a week in the City, it seemed a perfect way to reconnect to the earth while having some peaceful downtime.

It turned out there were no thermal baths but the river was just as healing with it's cooler waters. It turned out to be a scorching day. It felt great to cool off from the high temperatures, to be baptized by mother nature and to swim in the turquoise waters. 

It was supposed to be a family outing but Amara took off with her friends as soon as we arrived (with the exception of one photo op)  and we did not see her for hours. Havana hung with me until I took off for a swim to a cave with my classmates, while Don and Paula hung back and got their feet wet but stayed closed to base camp. Havana eventually got hungry while I was down the river, so the three of them walked into town for lunch.

We had expected to visit another town on the way home. But the A/C on the bus broke down. It was not safe to transport us on a 90 degree day, in a tour bus with no air conditioning. We drove about ten minutes before people got felt sick, causing us to turn around and head back to the small town to await a new bus. It was hot as hell (almost literally!) but travel has it's ups and downs and this pause in plans allowed us the opportunity to go with the flow. Our kids have had other experiences of delays. I am happy to know that they have learned that these type of travel hiccups builds patience, adaptability and forces creative ways to spend your time.

Havana, who met up with a friend just prior to getting up on the bus, took off with said friend to hang out in cool spot.  Amara was still with her friends, so we still barely saw her. Don and his sister did their thing, allowing time for them to be together, while I sat in the cool bar of a small hotel with my classmates until it was time to head to where our new bus would meet us. The time passed quickly and soon we were off again, descending the beautiful mountains, passing through some lovely small towns and looking out on spectacular mountains. 

The day did not go totally as planned and the heat was intense but it was a wonderful day and I am was very thankful to connect with the Earth in this part of the world and the rest of the family had a great day as well.

Havana is 14!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Havana Ruby is turning 14! Unbelievable! Soon, I won't have two small gems but two grown gems. It's a hard pill to swallow. For Havana, this past year brought many changes both inwardly and in her external world.

Havana switched schools, back to a Montessori style academic environment. She made new friends, got caught up in subjects and was able to be surrounded by the quiet, peaceful redwoods. While Havana can be a force of nature (i.e., she has a tempter, she is strong and forceful!), she is mostly a quiet, introverted person. Havana remains reserved until she gets to know you and then she is all jokes and a bit bossy too. We saw more that part of her personality show up in this past year.

Havana has become a bit more independent. She will often go with her friends into Berkley and Walnut Creek, hanging out for hours with her pals. She would have frequent afterschool hangouts, getting her favorite drink, matcha boba tea, with her school friends. There have been times she has taken the bus or BART with her sister, expanding her independence. It's been wonderful to see her spread her wings a bit more. 

While Havana is growing up, being a teen has not been that easy for baby girl. Like most young adults, there are things that one struggles with. Things like how you look, finding your own style, who your friends are, feeling like people don't like you or are judging you, wanting distance from your family but then seeking reassurance and comfort; we have been seeing all of those things, sometime multiple times a day.  I am not allowed to take many photos, which is a bummer and not always easy to honor. I want to capture her life while also trying to respect her current space. It is not always easy to see my small gem struggle but I know it is part of her development. She is a strong person and I trust she will come through the other side like the phoenix.

Havana and her sister have grown closer this past year. They were never not close but it is more evident that their bond is deepening.  They fight, like most siblings but they depend on each other ("does this look okay?"), hang out with each other (sometimes!), and share some similar interests, while also being very different. Yet, they mostly respect their differences and enjoy sharing secrets, music tastes and boba tea!

This Fall, Havana will start high school at Bentley. She is excited about this next chapter and a bit nervous too. I am looking forward to her being challenged and to seeing her thrive in her new school. Havana is currently taking Spanish immersion in Valencia, Spain. She has made a few friends here at her school but still keeps in touch with her pals at home, using whatsapp at night to stay in touch. Havana is a thoughtful and generous friend. She remembers birthdays and gets her friends gifts that are meaningful and often funny and creative. Havana is a lovely young person, who is extremely bright, quick witted, loving and kind. And, of course, she remains the resident cat whisperer. 

Happy Birthday Havana 

One of Havana's many funny expressions. She keeps us in stitches. She really needs to do theatre!

The phone; the love affair with the phone.....oy vey!

The girls love to do each other's make up.

I had a tarot reading back in May and the lady had Havana pull a few cards. She gave her quite a few things to think about. It was powerful experience for us both.

More Scenes from Valencia!

Even though excursions here in Valencia are rare, there are still so many things to see and do in this city during our daily routine of going to and from school.  In the past few days, we've seen the old city, visited some historic sites then we just come upon while walking around, gone to the beach which is just around the block, done some fun shopping (we got the girls handmade Spanish fairies to go with their collection; they were tickled by them!) and had some good food.  We even got to see (supposedly) the holy chalice that Yeshua drank from during the last supper. I have deep feelings about religious institutions but the churches and their history are quite special. I love walking insight the centuries old places of worship, the quietness offering a respite from the heat of the day, before we continue on our way. As a family, we have been walking around 50,000 steps a day. It's been great to walk or take buses and it's been welcome change of pace to be surrounded by such history. 

Here are some more glimpses of our site seeing.

This is supposedly the holy chalice from the last supper.

Some Scenes from Valencia

We have been in school, every morning this past week for four hours a day. When school is over, the girls are go on excursions with their peers as part of their summer camp. While they are seeing some things and having adventures, Don and I have not been exploring too much. Still, we have had the change to walk around the old city and the downtown area, as well as the neighborhood around the school. Part of me feels the pull to go and see the sites but that is not the reason for our extended stay in Valencia. We are here for school and site seeing has to be number two on the list. But this being a centuries old city, there are still some breath taking sites we have seen along our few travels. Historic churches and palaces, cobblestone streets and funny sightings have satisfied me for now.