Reaffirming our Move

View from the bedroom this week - organized mess all destined to be piled somewhere!












Moving isn't fun! We observed a mother squirrel moving her family a few days ago. She carried each baby squirrel in her mouth from a tree down the block into a larger nest she had created in one of the maples in our back yard. The young squirrls were about half her weight and curled their little paws and scrawny tails around their mother's neck as she brought them from down their tree, carried them across numerous yards and driveways, up and along our fence and finally dropped them in their new perch at the top of the spacious maple. As we watched her bring each member across she seemed to need increasingly more rests. She would stop scurrying and lie flat against the grass with all four paws sprawled out, panting for awhile. I feel alot like that squirrel!
These past few days we have emptied closets and unpacked boxes that were still full from our last move 9.5 years ago! We needed to tackle the long avoided job of downsizing so that winter clothes, sports equipment and bedroom items could be stored in the existing storage space underneath the stairs. This is to accommodate the young couple who will be moving into our house and bedroom when we are gone.
"Why are we doing this again??" is a good question to ask because it reinforces for us the reasons that prompted us to say yes to this assignment, now less than 2 weeks away. Two incidents this week caused me to reaffirm our desire to go.

The first was a conversation I overhead in coffee shop on monday. The propieter and server was talking to an elderly couple as he served them their bagal and coffee breakfast. "I work all day, go home & grab a bite, shower and go to bed only to come back and do this all over again."
"That's no life!" sympathized the elderly woman.
I thought back to the farmers we saw in Haiti subsisting on meagre incomes, especially one particlular co-operative that was just beginning. If they could ensure that their children would not go hungary during the spring months of each year, they would consider the co-operative a success - seeds during planting time and learning to read and write in creole will prove to be a great start towards this goal. In fact the community was willing to maintain an incredibly stony and difficult mountainous road by hand to ensure that FIDA would continue sending their support workers. Any of those farmers would think he had just been handed his dream job if he was to have a coffee shop with an ongoing income to feed his family.

The second conversation occured while I was cycling along the canal to Lake Ontario this morning. I met a man who was staying in a large RV enjoying the view where the canal widens into the lake. When he heard I was going to Haiti for a year, he told me I would be disappointed because I wouldn't be able to change anything. I assured him that I wasn't trying to change the Haitians, that I simply wanted to walk along side of them for awhile. He had difficulty with the unclean living conditions and lack of initiative he had seen in his travels and jumped to what I feel are fairly typical stereotypes of the underpriledged.
The conversation ended with my new acquaintance challenging me to write to him after 3 months and see if I didn't agree with what he had said. I think I will take up that challenge - wait for my letter Jim! In fact, I shall count it a priviledge to learn to know my new country's history and present day pulse.



View from the patio last night - feathery wisps of cloud painted onto the backdrop canvas of fading sky.

Last Call for Loons

You might think that we are about to embark on a whole year of vacation but we actually think we are in for some hard work as well. Thus it was important for me especially to have one last look around this province as we prepare to leave the country for a year. So we loaded up the bikes and set off on a 10 day tour of Ontario.

We met a lot of motorcycles on the road but none that were loaded up as much as we were - which leads me to begin worrying in the middle of the night - how will I ever get what I need for a year packed in a few suitcases?? I believe there is a 70 pound limit per bag - I can probably get 70 pounds just in cosmetics and assorted over-the-counter products. So packing will be a challenge!

We travelled east and north to Ottawa stopping at our favorite location in Smith Falls - the Hershey Factory. We bought 2 huge bags of broken chocolate pieces, reasoning that one would be for Waldo's sister and brother-in-law whom we planned to visit that evening. However, we hadn't planned on the weather being so hot and even though we were just 2 hours from their house, the chocolate was a melted blob of soft goo when we arrived there. Putting it in the fridge simply produced a hard outer shell of chocolate with intact pieces inside - sort of a football sized chocolate house which we then chipped through to get at the little chocolate morsels inside. Waldo's sister Sharon and husband Gerry, who always bring much classier hostess gifts, pretended to like it but we knew they were just being kind. Here is a picture of them tasting some.

We also had the opportunity to meet with one of our former student friends, a young man from China whom we got to know while he attended Brock University. We visited him at his place of work - C E Composites - and were treated to delicious french cuisine later that evening at the newly opened Metropolitan Brasserie on Sussex Drive. Buyu Liu continues to excel at whatever he does, and is now making very positive contacts in the business world both here and in China - all this by the age of 23!

Waldo and I then decided to drive further up the Ottawa River and experienced some white water rafting which the rapids have made famous. We chose a company called Owl Rafting Tours and were not disappointed. This was an opportune time to try this type of rafting since the water in the Ottawa river felt "bathtub warm" in the 30 degree heat. Riding rapids proved to be a great way to spice up a 4 hr trip down the river. We were allowed to jump in the water and let the current carry us down the tamer sections since we were all wearing only our bathing suits and PFD's. At the end of the rafting section they loaded us all on to a large floating dining room where we dined on BBQ'd steak and all the trimmings as we were motored gently along the last 10 km to the base camp.

We then headed further north along the river to the De Champlain Provincial Park where we set up camp right beside the river. It was delightful to have the soothing sound of water tumbling over rocks lull us to sleep that night.

Another 2 nights were spent at Grundy Lake Provincal Park where our campsite bordered the lake. We sat for hours and simply watched the wildlife on and in the lake. Especially interesting was a large snapping turtle (at least 2 ft in length) that seemed to enjoy watching us as much as we enjoyed watching it. Here the loons provided us with nocturnal music.

Manitoulin Island was the next stop, pouring rain finally breaking the heat wave and us getting to prove beyond a doubt whether our gear was actually waterproof. Yes on the rain suits, negative on the boots and gloves. We drove our motorcyles onto the ferry on the Island for the 2.5 hr. ride to Tobermory. Ferry protocol calls for all the bikes to load first and consequently leave first. As the ferry docks, the bikes all started their engines and together roared down the gangplank. The passengers waiting to load turned their heads to watch this loud display. Some people even took pictures of us while we drove off - picture 2 bikes abreast with lots of revving and roaring swooning down off the ship and round the curve past the waiting crowd. It's likely the closest I will ever get to feeling like royalty. Of course we had to act very cool and pretend that this was normal because most of the bikes were Harleys and we didn't want to taint their image.

We treated ourselves to a night at a motel for the last night and spent a pleasant evening walking amongst the shops and listening to live jazz in one of the cafes. Then yesterday we made our way home, stopping at every Tim Hortons and favorite fast food restaurant we liked. I wanted to drink in not only my favorite coffee but the scenery which we have enjoyed so much over the years. In 3 weeks' time we will be in Haiti and both the coffee and scenery will have drastically changed.

Meeting the Walls

We had the pleasure of meeting with Jack and Anne Wall this week. They are the couple, now in their 80's who started the whole FIDA organization over 20 years ago. It was an inspiring evening as we listened to stories of adventure and challenge that they had experienced in their time there. We felt a definite kinship with this pair who decided in their early 60's, to move to Haiti and begin to make a difference in that setting. Service has been their goal throughout their lives. We were deeply impressed by Jack's visionary goals as he worked to make a difference in the standard of living in his new country. We were equally impressed by Anne's practical wisdom in setting up Wall's Guest House and managing the staff. They chuckle about tough times and seem to dismiss the dangerous incidents as mere adventures along their journey. Both of them speak with deep respect and genuine love for the Haitian people. It was a valuable gift for us to meet them and will serve as a touchstone for us as we deal with the arduous preprations of moving to another country.
Speaking of preparations, we hope to be able to leave for Haiti on or close to August 5th. We were told this week that the political situation in Port-au-Prince continues to be volatile and that the possibility of last-minute delays exists. We are OK with this as we "enjoy" the challenge of the unexpected, though in measured doses. The mini tornado in our back yard 10 days ago and a puzzling electrical problem in our house this week have given us all the "unexpected" that we care to add to our present litany of preparations. The fallen trees have been cleared away, the shed has been repaired and the electrician is coming today. Perhaps this too is a preparation!

getting ready

I never knew it would be so much trouble to pack for one year.
More later

Where we are going

Here is a picture of the veranda where we will be living.