Viewing my daughter and son’s cycling pictures as the troops meander their way through the vineyards of Chile relieves the chill in my bones somewhat, albeit a vicarious relief.   Strangely enough, I am actually enjoying this cold blast of winter.   It provides a winter white, quiet kind of hibernating attitude to surface that I am very comfortable exploring … inner travel.  

The imminent move to Kelowna and the myriad of work and organization that it entails, looms not far from my thoughts.  Waunderlust freak that I am,  a big part of me just wants to lock the door to the storage bin, head for the hills of Mexico or Vietnam, or India or parts unknown anywhere and remain a nomad the rest of my days.  Aaah, then that teeny tiny sensible part that never quite wants for anything but the comforts of a stable life, dares to  whisper … ‘time to have a nest of sorts again Seija’.   Hmmmf!   My plan of course is yes, organize but take off shortly after.  I hope I never loose that sense of wonder … that part of me that just wants to fly free and see what is around the bend on an unknown road or path.  Travel is something I never got over, never once have I said, ‘well, I have walked and explored so many countries, time to settle down’!   Nope … not me!!   As the world grows ever more connected in this cyber era … it is much easier to research travel options …. one is limited only by ones own imagination.   So on this cold winter day,  I ponder possibilities ….

The fall has been one of quiet and simple pleasures … savouring moments with my rapidly growing grandchildren … Oliver’s first birthday … a warm loving celebration at Sarah and Rob’s home.  Aliana’s “Grandma, let’s snuggle” remain favourite words that I know I will never tire of … Oliver also communicates this in his own way, snuggling his head into my chest!

    
  
  
A month in the desert was peaceful and relaxing as always, with visits from family and friends alike.  It was great to finally host my sister Maija and Otto, who literally kept Linda and I in stitches their whole visit … I cannot remember laughing so heartily in ages …. in another life, those two were surely a comedy duo!!  Linda and I continue to make, what is quickly becoming an annual meditative pilgrimage to prehistorically surreal serene Joshua Tree Park, a mere hour drive from La Quinta.   Sarah, Rob with my precious little ones joined us for a surprise visit and of course my good friends, Mickey and Gordon, for our annual fall catch up!   The pictures tell the story 🙂

As Christmas, the season of goodwill towards all approaches, my wish truly is a quote by author John Robbins … “may all be fed, may all be healed, may all be loved” … as compelling now as when I first read it so very long ago.

The wildness of the ocean on our stunning west coast in Tofino is as great a place as any, to sit quietly with my thoughts.  I love the contrast of the rough waves and the silent rainforest.  My soul and skin have started to breathe in the moisture, dry and crackly from an unseasonably warm and dry prairies this year.   The famed winter storms that bring many Canadians and tourists alike here in December and January are starting to slowly build up as October comes to an end.  The Canadian 2015 election is now history, with a young Justin Trudeau getting his kick at the can.  Back to socialistic deficits I suppose,  as he has certainly promised to do … have seen this go round and round a few times in my lifetime.  Let’s see how it works this time … hopeful, always hopeful for positive change. Will miss the strong stoic steady leadership of Stephen Harper and the Conservatives.  Style and flair wins the day with the majority of Canadians.  Not exactly my cup of tea …. 

  
Pandering politicians have never appealed.   But, I am an eternal optimist and welcome change into the political landscape.  Ever adaptable.  Perhaps the new paradigm in politics that I have been yearning for, is indeed emerging.  Need to shift gears and tally ho onwards :). 

  To be totally honest, I was not exactly ready yet to be a member of the ‘property owners club’ … sounds too serious for my mindset these days … but I did tire somewhat of having to dig through everything in storage these past fifteen months … well, not entirely 🙂 … I am very adaptable that way and am almost sad to bid adieu to that segment of my life.   I am somewhat of a schleppy nomad who eschews normalcy, whatever that is … I most certainly have forgotten!  What gives me endless joy however, is that the two little folk in my life, could not care less that I have washed and worn the same five or six set of clothes for a very long time although, bless her little heart, my little granddaughter Aliana, did ask me recently … ‘grandma, do you have any other jammies’??  :).  The summer and fall held many precious family moments .. from the Rocky mountains to the far reaches of our beautiful west coast … I live in a beautiful country! 

So … back to point … I bought a little condo in Kelowna, British Columbia recently, a short hour flight commute to Calgary, where both my children live … I honestly cannot imagine not hugging them or my grandchildren every few months … but living in Calgary holds little appeal otherwise anymore, if it ever did … thank God for Westjet!!   Possession, January 2016 …  

But here are some pictures of my life and the people in it this past month,  as it evolves ….  coastal and lake side Canadian life. 

  Kelowna at sunset  
    Serene Spirit Bay, Vancouver Island
  Kitsilano Beach 
    
    
    
    
    
 

Tim and Sarah arranged a beautiful birthday for me in the mountains …. a little family hike to (Aliana walked a good portion but was happy to jump into Uncle Timmy’s backback when little legs grew weary) … Grassi Lakes followed up with a delicious dinner in a funky little restaurant in Canmore.  We missed Rob who was away working in Europe …. 

   
    
    
   Sarah, Rob, Brian and I hosted a surprise party for Tim’s 28th and actually managed to keep it a surprise until he walked in the door 🙂     
    
    
    
    
    
 June bloomed with our Kellie’s bridal shower at Margaret’s home, complete with a surprise platter of her homemade Finnish piirakat for all to enjoy!  A lively ladies night out at a local vineyard followed with Johanna, our Finnish cousin now a Los Angeles resident, surprising us with a visit for the wedding!  A fun meet greet barbecue at the senior Exner home set the stage for the wedding the following day.  What a warm unpretentious family … Kellie and Jeff’s stamp of low key old fashioned fun prevailed at both the wedding and reception party … everyone danced the night away ….  young and old alike

 
    
    
    
    
    
    
R   
    
    
    
  

     
    
    
    
    
    
    
 No summer is complete without a visit to Linda and Court’s Kootenay Lake restorative retreat as I have come to call it :), where we lingered long, breathing deeply, savouring summer’s sweet moments, not to mention Linda’s gourmet feasts!  

Currently sipping a smooth Chilean Merlot and savouring a puttanesca pizza with double anchovies, a welcome relief from the black beans and rice, a mainstay, the ‘bread’ if you will, of the Cuban diet … ‘comida creole’ … loved it the first week … not so much by the third week 🙂  

It is yet another rainy day in Havana and I am relishing the cooler temperatures that come along with it … cool moody Cuban kind of day.  I always like this quiet week to myself after a volunteer posting … a great day for getting lost in thought and reflecting on my time in Cuba. 

Cuba is a deeply rooted complex culture … so young and vital yet old and cultured at the same time.  Despite decades of severe economic difficulties, Cuba has held on to a most unique identity within its ethnic mosaic of whites, blacks, native Indians, people of mixed race and Asians who came here in the 19th century to work on the sugar cane plantations virtually as slaves alongside the black Africans.  This same ethnic mosaic also characterisizes the culture of Cuba today ….. a place of music and colour, brought together from vastly differing traditions!   Over hundreds of years, it has produced a unique blend of people and somehow it all appears to work.  Cubans are very sociable, chatty sorts.  Their doors remain open for anyone to stop in for a visit, always accompanied by an offer of a coffee or a glass of rum, even here in big city Havana!  As a group, this was our experience many times, as we walked in Ciego de Avila … some of us taking up the offer 🙂  Not a day goes by that we didn’t run into someone playing what should be the national game, dominoes, be it in restaurants, balconies, benches, or tables set up in quiet town streets and parks … many just sit in rocking chairs outside front doors, always ready with a polite smile.  Music is everywhere and remains the soul of this island.  Melodic thanks to the Spanish heritage, dynamic thanks to the African heritage.  It is both religious and passionate at the same time and like dance, music is a vital part of Cuban life.  Casa de la Trova is a Cuban institution in every town on the island, where local bands play and young and old alike go to dance in these clubs.  We were invited in Ciego de Avila to a La Trova Club …. too much fun!!   Our young students enthusiastically guided and glided us in the Latin style of dancing … I cannot fathom a young teenager wanting to dance with an older person in Canada but it is common place in Cuba!!   I want to learn to move like these kids!!! 

In Ciego de Avila, we were driven back from our evening classes every night by horse drawn carriages.  There are few taxis available day or night in a small town and certainly never enough for our large group of 14.  It became so commonplace for us to utilize the bicitaxis (bicycle with a seated cart attached behind ala Thai style) during the heat of the day in particular, but walking was our main mode of getting to our work morning and evening.  The horse carriages at night!    Here in Havana, the horse and carriage is a touristic thing to do 🙂 and hence way costlier than in a small town where it is considered a most common method of transportation, even in today’s modern world!  How quickly we all became used to it.  I think I will hire a horse carriage today just because I am missing it so much.  Perhaps a trot around the parks is in order!

Enjoyed our group stop last Thursday at ‘Hemingway Museum’ … Ernest Hemingway lived on the outskirts of Havana at Finca La Vigia on a beautiful acreage for over two decades … his two known loves here were journalist Martha Gellhorn and Mary Welsh … he married both during his time in Cuba ….  (although I believe he also had an ex-wife or two in America, romantica womanizer that he was).  During this time in Cuba, Hemingway wrote his more famous books.  Will have to revisit these again at some point although I do not remember enjoying them much in my youth.   He was at Finca La Vigia when he found out he had received the Nobel Prize in 1954 … news to which he promptly replied, “This prize belongs to Cuba since my works were created and conceived in Cuba” … he lived here from 1939 to 1960 when he moved back to the U.S. where he committed suicide a year later … personally, I think he left so much of himself back in Cuba that he could not quite reconcile a less colourful life back in America … or maybe he was just a sad melancholic alcoholic. 

His home here remains a museum but is falling apart like so many of Cuba’s buildings and homes and could sure do with a cash infusion for restoration purposes!   The guest house alone is currently infested with termites and not open to view.  Looked ok from the outside.   All rooms are roped off.  We were however, allowed to photograph … everything was left as he kept it and apparently he was a meticulous tidy guy.  Ernest Hemingway was also a big game trophy hunter, hence all the animal heads strewn about … big marlin fisherman as well … his boat, the Pilar is housed on his old tennis court as are the graves of his four dogs … strange, that fact!  Apparently as many as fifty cats made their home on the property as well over the years, although no tombstones for them :)!!  The swimming pool remains open but devoid of water, ready for an unsuspecting tourist to fall into I suppose …. hmmm

Ernest Hemingway’s typewriter, the age old manual Corona, sits in his loft writing room, waiting for creative fingers to tap out another award winning book.    Judging from the numbers written on his bathroom wall, Ernest suffered from the typical North American obsession with body image  (who knew??) …  he kept records of his weight losses and gains, jotting the fluctuations on his bathroom wall, beside his scale …. probably an abundance of his own signature daiquiri drinks contributed greatly to his growing girth …. funny little Ernie tidbit.

As I walk around Havana, I am reminded frequently, what a lucky long straw we of the Western world pulled.  We enjoy a wealth of riches on so many fronts.  At the drop of a hat, we can travel anywhere in the world if our finances allow, with no special permission, questions or visas required!  We have an embarrassing array of food, clothing, books, gadgets available to everyone, on every shelf, in every store, cars for most people!!! … we have choices!!!!  So many in our world just do not enjoy even a fraction of what is available to us.  I literally cringe inwardly at times when I listen to the average Canadian complain about their lot in life.   I have been fortunate to travel extensively and have seen first hand the hardships that 80% of our world lives under every single day … mere survival is the main component to their days, every day!!  …. I am personally going to work on my own silly senseless complaints … so easy to get caught up in when living in the comforts of a Canadian life.

Got caught in a major tropical downpour along the Malecon on my afternoon walk the other day … I was heading to the little fort restaurant at water’s edge in nearby Vedado area.  It had looked so charming last week when we all arrived in Havana and I well remember saying I must stop there for a spell at some point for a coffee and the common delicious coconut flan that seems to be served countrywide!! … well with nowhere on the long stretch of Malecon to take cover from the rain I was thrilled to see the Fort cafe not too far away …. I made a dash for it, thoroughly soaked by now and relishing a coffee to warm me up!    Well ….. as is commonplace in Cuba … their coffee machine was broken, no flan to be had, or indeed anything for a snack other than the ubiquitous ham and cheese sandwich which I politely declined!!  Just for the record, I hate ham and cheese sandwiches :)!!!  …..  the bar portion however was open and they did have water, beer, daiquiris, Cuba libres … the downpour ensured a near empty restaurant/bar …. literally deserted except for a few Cubans drinking and smoking cigars inside the dark bar in the tower portion of the Fort remnants.  I opted to sit outside under the umbrella despite the rain, sip my Cuba libre … a rum and coke with a twist of lime 🙂 washed down with water …. I am just not one to consume hard liquor but to be polite, I had to order something.  My waiter called a taxi for me.  TWO  hours later, it finally arrived!!!  Needless to say, I got to know the kitchen staff and waiters very well … they totally enjoyed practicing their English with me.  I am sure I eased their rainy day boredom somewhat …  In all fairness, I rarely mind getting stuck in these kinds of situations … always a reminder to slow down and savour the moment, whatever the moment … reinforced yet again why I love Cubans …. they were so kind, gracious and downright funny, while we waited together for my taxi in the pouring rain … a cheer squad broke out when the taxi finally arrived.  Hugs and kisses were of course exchanged before I ran to the waiting taxi … it is the Cuban way!!

I am missing what I have come to think of as my very own little city, Ciego de Avila, so very much today, here in bustling rainy Havana!  I had bid adieu on Saturday to the intrepid Americans who became my family for two weeks  … well, actually my taxi arrived early so missed a goodbye hug but left a goodbye note instead for Pam to read to everyone 🙂 … The energy shifted dramatically with their departure … more than a little sad so opted for my cure all solution … a long walk!!!  Works wonders every time!   I have now walked the somewhat dusty streets of Havana for almost two days on my own and with rose tints fully removed, realize it is like so many cities all around our world with three million plus, taking up space, trying to make a meaningful and rewarding life but failing on many fronts … was almost cheated by a very drunk bici taxi dude who demanded five times what the going rate is … the truth is, if he had been respectful and kind, I would have probably given it to him … rude behaviour turns me right off …. ahhh big cities … they do not always bring out the best in us.  There is so much economic poverty visible in Havana resulting in a lot of unhappiness as people struggle to survive.  There is no easy solution to this problem …. the wheels of progress work slowly.  The lofty ideals and goals of Fidel Castro’s Revolution of 1959 remain admirable …. free health care for all, an educated population (Cuba has totally eradicated illiteracy during Fidel’s time in power!) jobs for everyone … many of the social reforms since the revolution have indeed been recognized but like any country in the throes of modern day change, much is left to do.  Wondering how the introduction of Western affluence will affect the country in the long run, given it is hardly all it is cracked up to be.  Tourism has been a main contributor to Cuba’s economy since 1980 … Canada certainly contributes with at least a million tourists utilizing the beach resorts of Varadero, Cayo Coco  and resorts along the various other smaller islands that hug the coastline of Cuba.   I feel a deep shame however, knowing that the best food available in Cuba is fed to tourists at all the five star all inclusive resorts, while the small towns and indeed Cubans in Havana do without and have so little of everything … except mangoes!!! ….  it remains the plague that is tourism …. brings in foreign currency but at what cost?

Disappointment hit hard as I taxied to Vedado to the Che Guevara Museum this morning, only to find it closed for the next two months!  Che remains an enigma for me and I devour whatever history I can find about his life …. I adore a heroic rebel and he certainly is that for me and most Cubans!  Despite being Argentinian by birth, he is buried in Santa Clara, central Cuba.   Che is only one of two foreigners to ever be awarded the distinction of being declared a citizen of Cuba “by birth”.  He was Fidel’s first mate in the war against Batista and freeing Cuba from his grasp … Viva la Revolucion!!  …. the young doctor rebel was reportedly later assassinated in Bolivia by order of the CIA … my American mates understandably dispute this claim, declaring it an unsubstantiated rumour.  I think not.  Che was a mixed bag …. an educated man, a medical doctor, loved books, sports, had a great spirit for understanding the necessity of sacrifice, possessed an iron strong will, a perfectionist with apparently a great sense of humour, loved beauty, a man of action who found time to think, meditate and write!!  Surely a complex rebel the likes of which we rarely encounter in life.  I would have enjoyed interviewing him or heck, shared a Cuba libre in a ‘son’ music bar and tangoed with him …. oh right …. forgot I don’t know how …. on my list of things to learn …. dance Latin style :)!!!! 

Economically, Cuba has had it rough for decades.  The U.S. embargo from early 1961 has not been easy on the country and Russia abandoning Cuba in the 1990’s made it worse.  Economically they have suffered greatly and are working at restoring and rebuilding their country …. the process remains slow and tedious …. communism certainly did this country no favours but then again, neither did capitalism!  Both countries, in my humble opinion, used a small country like Cuba as a pawn, given its strategic location, all the while flexing their Cold War super power muscles with nuclear threats!    Apparently Cuba is currently experimenting with a cooperative style of doing business, but it is still in its early days.  Cuban government is well aware that capitalism is not the answer anymore than is a communistic approach.  They are working through alternatives and I wish them well on this quest.  They are a strong people who over hundreds of years of history, have survived and even thrived at times, despite attacks by Pirates and Buccaneers, Spanish and British invasions,  American isolationism and embargoes, an economic alliance with Russian that turned somewhat sour ….. I sincerely hope that the highly moral stature of the heroes of the revolution, Che and Fidel to oust Batista were not just a blip on the dial of Cuba’s evolution, but an indicator of the strength possible when people unite in a just cause.  I believe the Cubans will prevail.    We in the West are also needing some major tweeks to our democracy.  Our world will remain an interesting evolving place as all our countries search for better answers to the economic disparity that plagues us all.  

 Yes, I am certainly enjoying the museums, forts, cafes, Ernest Hemmingway daiquiri haunts …. I raised a glass to the fine writer at La Floridita with his signature daiquiri …. rumour has it that old Ernie helped craft the drink while undoubtedly drinking his fair share of them!!  ….  I stroll through the old town Havana parks that are actually quite lovely, clean and pleasant to walk through or sit a spell on a bench or concrete slab of wall, savouring the sites, the people watching, the overall ambiance, certainly unlike any other big city I have explored … uniquely Cubanesque!!  But I find myself yearning for the simplicity of life in Ciego … the warmth of its people …. who we came to know so well in a short period of time.  As a group, we were so warmly welcomed and accepted, even if at times they appeared puzzled by our very presence in their wee town.  This was after all, the first U.S. Volunteer posting in Cuba … I am sure the gardeners must have been wondering at one point, if we were taking over their jobs 🙂 …. No danger of that as Holly and I had our knuckles almost tapped more than once by sweet Lewis, while we pulled plants rather than weeds …. I had no excuse, having tended gardens my whole life 🙂 but Holly was a novice!   They all came to know in quick order, that all we want is to promote peace and goodwill between our countries.  Learned Havana airport was built with the help of Canadians … something Eduardo our country host shared.  Also very cool to learn …….    

while we were all here together, Cuba was finally taken off the USA ‘terrorist list’ ….. bless Obama … about darn time!

I am currently holed up at the historical grand old lady of Havana’s hotels …. The Plaza, with a history of hosting many greats during its illustrious distant past ….. Isadora Duncan flinging her whimsical scarves once breezed through, Caruso serenaded his way through Havana while hanging his hat at the Plaza, Pavlova danced to adoring audiences …… wonder if she slept in my dilapidated room 🙂 …. A hotel now reduced to a glorified hostel style of accommodation.  Rumour has it that a Canadian company will be restoring the Plaza in the near future!  Hope so as the location in the centre of old town is fabulous!!  Havana is hosting an international art festival for the next few weeks hence the inability to score a hotel room anywhere it would appear ….. I have personally walked into every hotel within walking distance and beyond into Vedado area with a taxi, only to be politely told …. “so sorry but we are full”!!).  The Plaza is literally crumbling around me … the price is unbeatable at $40 a night, what one would pay for a hostel in most parts of the world and hence is full of young backpackers or sorts like me, caught in a lurch with no place to stay but here.   

 I had to switch rooms four times after checking in … will post a picture of my room card with each change documented … shortages of everything are commonplace in Cuba and nothing is wasted, including the key card holder :)!!   The first room had an air conditioner but lacked a plug-in attachment or indeed an outlet to even plug one in …. God forbid I request an extension cord in a country with such a lack of everything imaginable …. I have coined every market in Cuba an “everything store” …. when I request a drug store or a grocery store, I am invariably guided to a store that has a handful of hodgepodge drug store items, coffee pots, a bicycle, children’s clothing, shoes, laundry soap, washing machines, bolts of cloth, a handful of plumbing supplies, bars of soap, toys for children, rum, cigars, a handful of fresh produce but ironically, rarely what I am looking for :)!!! …. the shelves hold so little of what a North American is accustomed to seeing.  

The second room I was assigned had a collapsed mattress and head board that slipped and fell on my finger as I tried adjusting the matresss … finger okay now but may lose the fingernail!  The next room had a plumbing problem and water flooded the bathroom floor from the toilet tank that was continuously running and overflowing … almost slipped walking in to check out the bathroom but no one seemed in the slightest concerned about leakage to the floors below 🙂 …. once I checked into 312, I discovered the lights only worked in the bathroom! …. at that point I gave up and said to myself … “Seija, you did not really want to read at night anyway … and you can surely find your way to the bathroom in the dark, right???”  In all fairness, they did send maintenance in the next day and voila, I had light to read by after maintenance worked on the problem all morning :)!!!  But all complaints aside, I am secretly thrilled and welcome a room challenge :). It is why I travel … to experience life in all its complexity … and if I continue to repeat that mantra, surely I will start to believe it :)!!

Back to Ciego …. teaching rudimentary English to eager young people in the evenings was a blast!  I love Cubans!!  Their young eager faces flood my memories as I sit here in Havana. The English was the conduit but the goal was creating connections with Cubans, spreading goodwill and peace.  I know we succeeded.  Cubans are a warm passionate people and hug and kiss when greeting or saying goodbyes.  I will miss that in Canada and may add it to my own salutations from now on!! …. Who in the whole wide world does not benefit from hugs and kisses?? 

 Gardening in the mornings with my teammate Holly and Lewis our Cuban garden partner was beyond fun …. Holly has simply been a delight from the moment I met her at Santa Clara airport where she greeted me with her signature “I Love Cuba” and Lewis, who spoke not a whit of English but it made no “nevermind” at all!! ….. we had a rather original form of communicating, I totally relying on Holly’s limited vocabulary …. the ‘limited’ part was something I only discovered much later, being the naive gullible sort I tend to be at times  ….  (Holly chatters along amiably in Spanish using all the words she knows whether they make sense or not and had me totally fooled 🙂 and Lewis was so smitten by Holly that he just smiled a lot and probably didn’t care as long as Holly kept talking to him :)… so with Holly’s charming Español rambles, mixed with my combination of sign language and limited vocabulary and Ramon’s translations (our Cuban host Eduardo’s assistant) … when he was available), we made it work!  ….. all in all, it just doubled the fun!  I loved every moment and miss it all enormously.   

    Unfortunately, I accidentally deleted my pictures from the first week and currently cannot share these moments via photos and am trusting that I receive downloads from my teammates at some point.  I will post what few pictures I have … we kept a team journal that I also hope to share on my blog …. I had very articulate team members that describe our days so well that I dare not even attempt to repeat, given that documenting details is not my forte …. I leave that to the experts on my team and will willingly share them at some point.   

Seven years ago, I flew to the far eastern Holquin resort area of Cuba to attend a wedding for friends of my daughter and son in law … a lovely wedding it was, with good friends and family around, flanked by a stunningly beautiful turquoise sea, a calming breeze, warmth and an abundance of sunshine  …. however, after a week of swimming, sunning and endless parties, I was left feeling cut off from experiencing much of Cuba or its people,  yearning to return and learn about this country, the largest island in the Greater Antilles at 1,250 km in length!! ….  not a single island actually, but a varied archipelago, all washed by the Atlantic Ocean, Carbibbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.   I wanted to experience firsthand the culture, the people, the history, projections for the future …. from  the best source … the Cubans themselves!

In 2007, I had not yet developed a working relationship with Global Volunteers, in fact, had not even heard of them!  In 2010 I worked on my first posting with Global in the peaceful, serene South Pacific island of Rarotonga.  Flashing forward a number of years, with a five year relationship volunteering around the world with Global now under my belt, it took no time at all (well a bit of time, in all honesty …. while I wavered for a few months … working in humid heat is not a personal favourite 🙂 ) …. to make up my mind to come here for their first volunteer posting in Cuba!  

During the course of working with Global in five different countries, I have discovered, much to my surprise and delight …. what fun it is!! … to travel, learn, grow and discover different cultures, learn different layers about myself as well, all while lending a helping hand!  Seems an almost perfect fit for someone suffering from incurable wanderlust.  So …. here I be …. in the wee city of Ciego de Avila in central Cuba, ready to work with a team of fourteen Americans, led by Global’s team leader Pam Cromer and our Cuban hosts, Eduardo and his assistant, Ramon!  Bring it on Cuba 🙂

Walking the streets of Ciego de Avila certainly gives a brief glimpse into the life and culture in small town central Cuba but it has been in the volunteering work our group has been involved with, that we have really come to know and to some degree, understand the Cuban soul.  I remain so very humbled by the kindness and goodness of these beautiful people that I am almost rendered speechless most days.  Thankfully, I am with the most amazing group of Americans I have ever had the good fortune to encounter and they are ALL beyond articulate at expressing, in great detail I might add, our daily experiences in Ciego de Avila!!    How on earth did I luck out to have on a volunteer mission ….. not one or two, but ALL fourteen members of our team ….. such bright, highly observant, aware, articulate, humble, goofy, funny Americans??  It is as though someone shone a light my way and said …. ‘here Seija, sending goodness your way’!!! ….. what on earth did I do to deserve this?  I think I will post their Global journal entries in my blog …. their descriptives are just that good …. superior in every way to anything I could ever conceive of writing!  To a tee they are all potential writers, especially Andrew, our youngest at 19,  who has already published his first book!,!   To quote the sweetest and funniest of our group, dear Holly Doll, my Cuba gardening partner …. (yes, that IS her real name!!) …. “I LOVE CUBA!!!”   Posting some precious faces … Cubans and team members alike ….  

 …. Glenda contemplating a next fun activity for our students!!  Her “tooty toot” dance was a total goofy hit with us all!! 

  Loved working on the garden project with this troop!!

 Students waiting for their loyal teachers 🙂  

1.      They are quite simply ALL my favourites but young Alejandro … hmmm, would totally adopt him if he didn’t already have the sweetest mother in the world who just happened to teach him how to dance like a pro!! 

What a wonderful way to finish off winter 2015 …. meeting up with Sarah, Rob, Aliana and Oliver on this beautiful island on the outskirts of the Caribbean Sea!  

I had hoped this would be my year to leave Calgary’s winter behind …. and I just about made it!  … The handful of months has been superb, despite missing family!  Such a joy to have Aliana jump in my arms when I arrived in Providenciales on this far flung Turks and Caicos island … she whispered as we hugged … “grandma, I have missed you so much”!  Warms the heart!  Little Oliver has grown so much in the two months since I last held him … smiles and chuckles now every time I “chat” with him …. wonderful to be around these two munchkins again!  

What continues to overwhelm, even after a few weeks here, are the stunning turquoise waters that are the defining feature of this windswept island.  We never cease to marvel at the view outside our condo window every morning when we wake.  Simply takes ones breath away.   I immerse myself and savour its beauty daily on a leisurely swim.  Sarah takes Aliana out for kayak and paddle board time on the water while I care for Oliver, who at four months, still naps several times a day …. good peaceful family time overall, interrupted only occasionally by Aliana’s temperamental moments, which were a rather surprising, new, ummm, not so very pleasant development for me to experience 🙂 …. I left a charming toddler in early February to find a willful little tyrant had replaced the charmer 🙂 …… always easy for a grandma to laugh her way through the ages and stages of a child …. watching grandchildren develop and grow surely must be one of life’s underrated joys …. trying to capture some of that via these pictures …. which of course, never quite does the experience justice … 

 but is my valiant attempt at any rate …

Rob even gets into the spirit of the water 🙂     Not so sure about this beading business …..  Island Fish Fry night ….          Aliana gets into grandma’s bead patch!    zzzzzzzzzzz …..      

 They fit grandma!                 

San Miguel de Allende has long been characterized by its sense of religious tradition.  During the Holy Week of Easter, the streets of this old town are turned into real rivers of mastranzo, an aromatic herb, chamomile and flowers, representing Christ’s path on the way to the cross and later to his tomb.  The many processions are silent somber affairs and are a way of reviving the justice, love, honesty and sanctity of Jesus, who gave his life to save humankind.  I respect their adherence to these old traditions and on a personal note, I do like the heavy emphasis Mexicans place on Mother Mary’s role in the life of her son.  Refreshing in a religion dominated by male adulation, pomp and circumstance.

On the week leading up to Good Friday, there were elaborate altars set up everywhere in the city to honour the  ‘tears of Mary’  including in our villa entrance, where housekeepers Alisa and Alejandro decorated an altar for Bev and I …. both are quite religious sorts, and blissfully unaware of our heathen tendencies ☺️ ….. The long processions were many and varied throughout the weekend … the most bizarre spectacle however, on Easter Sunday,  were the lines of puppet ‘Judas’ figures hanging piñata style in the town square and subsequently blown up via internal firecrackers … after watching this weirdly strange ritualistic custom for awhile …  I opted to go into the Parroquia for Easter service instead.  Very peaceful and moving …  I have always enjoyed sitting in churches, despite my pagan ways …. As my waunderlust most often surfaces in the spring, I usually end up in a church in some country or another on Easter Sunday!  Go figure 😗 ….. the duality that lives within! …. so often I embrace polar opposites, take the good and rock and roll along. 

Alisa and Alejandro proudly standing beside the altar they created for us … fresh camomile flowers, oranges, figurine of Mary, candles and purple and white paper decor

  Altar at Parroquia 

  Yet another altar for Mary 

  Another … 

  Another …. 

  Weird lines of Judas figures ….

  Fun night out at Jazz club … 

  Enjoying the sunset with friends …. 

  Palm frond flowers on Palm Sunday …

  Bev and I host another little dinner party in our villa ….

  More weird Judas piñatas … 

  Will miss this beautiful Parroquia … adios San Miguel de Allende … til we meet again next year!

Back in Central Mexico, meandering the relentlessly uneven surfaces of both the centro historico and nuevo avenidas of San Miguel de Allende.  This necessitates admiring our feet more often that not, stopping regularly, causing human traffic jams on the very narrow sidewalks, to gawk at the exquisitely colourful street scenes … the many and varied festivals, processionals, parades of all description (children dressed in fabulous costumes, the Mexican indigenous in tribal wear, funeral processions, sportfests, Palm Sunday altars set up everywhere including our villa where Alisa and Alejandro our home owners house staff set up a lovely altar by the front door) … and oh the ubiquitous San Miguel doors … worth a walk around the city just to view them all …. 

San Miguel was founded and most certainly converted to Catholicism in 1542 by Franciscan monk Fray Juan San Miguel, as evidenced by the church steeples dominating the skyline.   There was most likely a little town or village here long before the Spanish invasion, given its ideal location near a source of water, fertile land, hot springs and mountains. Historically, conquerors destroy and plunder … this was certainly the case in Mexico, where thousands of years of Indigeneous culture, history, artifacts were lost, stolen or destroyed by the conquering Spanish.  This remains a sad fact of life for the indigenous, be that in Australia, Canada, United States, Mexico or South America.   History is rampant with territorial wars.  Divide, destroy, conquer!  Seems archaic that in 2015 this thinking still prevails, creating chaos, terror and destruction in its wake, much as it always has.  Imagine a world where respect, kindness and compassion for each other’s differences were the cornerstones of a society … 

After the Mexican War of Independence in 1826, the city was renamed San Miguel de Allende after famed son and much loved national hero, Ignacio Allende, born to Spanish wealth but chose a different route than his compatriots.   Does anyone not know I personally adore rebels??!! 🙂   Allende joined forces with Father Hidalgo, both well known for their rebellious bravery and enjoy hero status everywhere in Mexico!   Sadly, both were captured and executed by the Spanish for treason …. still, their legacy remains and Mexico is certainly no longer a Spanish colony :)!  

The Mexican population of SMA remains steady at about 120,000 with anywhere from 12,000 to 20,000 gringo expats and tourists from far and near, calling this little city home.  Some come from Mexico City (a mere three hour drive away) on weekends for the substantially cleaner air quality, others for the many festivals, the eclectic ambiance, the temperate climate, the art scene, family visits, escape from wintry climes, the always awesome margarita popcorn movie nights 🙂 or all of the above … some stay a weekend, a week, a month, a year …. some never leave!   There is a magic to San Miguele de Allende that defies definition.  I love it here and cannot for the life of me say why, but I shall try.  

This city is a very seductive place for the senses.  There is an unusual mix to the energy …. mysterious, intellectual, artistic, peaceful, spiritual, meditative … all beautifully woven together in layers, waiting patiently for the curious to explore, discover, unveil …. much like the thousands of decorative or simple front doors that line every street, giving little indication of what kind of house or even if a house sits behind it!  …. one never quite knows what delightful surprises await when one walks through a San Miguel door.  

One afternoon, Bev and I took in a talk at the local library hub, the Biblioteca, on the mystical aspects of the shamanistic ayahausca ritual, followed by a lively discussion and sharing of experiences …. yes, many willingly shared fascinating experiences using this, ummmm, tea.   There were a handful of those well versed in the use of hallucinogenic substances in general.  However, it was made abundantly clear by the presenter that ayahausca is not a hallucinogen at all!  Apparently all who have taken part in an ayahausca ritual, had experienced profound degrees of personal healing and clarity in their lives …. some less, some more so.   Ayahuasca literally means “vine of the soul” and is a concoction of caapi, a Peruvian jungle vine bark mixed with various leaves and plants that grow alongside and around the vine.   Amazonian indigenous have long used the ayahausca for religious and healing ceremonies.  The brew is boiled and simmered for hours to form a sludge like tea.  In addition to its hypnotic effect, the caapi vine is also a purgative, cleansing the body of parasites, aiding digestion.  Shamans are required during the ritual for both administering the brew and guiding the participant through what can oftentimes be a full eight hour long journey into “the eyes of the soul”  ….  was momentarily tempted and remain intrigued.   So yes, another interesting afternoon in San Miguel de Allende.  

Another afternoon found us at a lively discussion about the recent  developments between Cuba and United States.  It was hosted by a rather socialistically inclined retired philosophy professor from the U.S., who together with a troop from a Global think tank, has made dozens of trips to Cuba over the last decades and was a wealth of information on recent developments.  I remembered attending one of his talks on Cuba last year and found him a very knowledgable sort, not just on Cuba, but global affairs in general.   Cuba has developed and is currently experimenting with a new concept of doing business …. via cooperatives.   It is enjoying some success, albeit still in its early days!  One thing remains certain, Cuba is not keen at all to adopt the U.S. and Canadian model of capitalism that is more than showing its cracks today.   In the meantime, Cuba is exploring a middle ground, fully aware that neither communism nor capitalism are ideal forms of government.   Time will tell if their new cooperative style initiatives will succeed.  

Our first Sunday, we attended a Pro Musica violin concert inside the beautiful stone St. Paul’s church.  American Elizabeth Pitcairn performed with the original 270 year old Stradivarius, known as the red violin.  There is a movie aptly called “The Red Violin” that is loosely based on the story of this instrument.  Eliazabeth’s grandfather had annoymously purchased this famed violin at an auction decades ago for her 16th birthday for the princely sum of $1.7 million, the highest price paid for a musical instrument at that time.  Elizabeth is a highly gifted musician  

 who brought this instrument to life for a small audience of a few hundred appreciative fans!  Carried it with her everywhere in an aluminum case during the après concert cocktail party.  Guess we would not let such a valuable instrument out of our sight either 🙂 …..  magical musical moments in SMA!

Another evening found us listening to indigenous percussion music at the botanical gardens!  There is literally something here  for everyone!  I personally love just wandering these cobbly streets, soaking in the atmosphere, heavy on all manner of seemingly weekly festivities, poking my head into the many interesting galleries, shops and cafes scattered throughout the city.  Of course my all time favourite remains sitting in quiet contemplation in the many churches here.   The Parroquia and the Jardin forming the town square, remains a great spot to meet up with friends, or just hang out, sit quietly or in the case of one tired tourist I walked past one  

 afternoon, falling asleep.   A peaceful vibe permeates.  

Some of Bev’s Calgary travel friends popped into town for a week … A lively  surprise 60th birthday for Bev’s oldest friend Jill was held at one of their homes.   Jill and her new partner Peter, stayed with us for a week … a busy week prevailed for everyone, exploring SMA surrounding sites, organic markets, galleries, shops and of course, indulging in many tasty meals together.  This city is known as a bit of a culinary hub  … it is said there are over two hundred restaurants here … we are slowly making our way through them 🙂 

My wandering ways continue … met up with Mickey and Gordon in Nuevo Vallarta at a beautiful condo Gordon had arranged.   I cannot believe I barely took a photo there!!  It was a lovely place to share good times with my oldest friends.  Gone are the days of lugging a camera around everywhere I guess …

For my first week in Mexico, after leaving Calgary’s unusually balmy winter behind, I crashed at a small hotel some kms from PV on a peaceful little bay, enjoying some welcome quiet time, away from the congestion of PV ….. I basically slept, meditated, beach walked, swam, attempted yoga postures, read a few books, sipped countless margaritas, savoured fresh grilled fish, quacamole, salsa, mangoes!!  I love Mexico, with its myriad of flavours and layers! ….. as Mexico is one of the most family oriented cultures anywhere …… Mexicans are always curious about my times in solo travel mode … but bless their hearts, they are generally kind and very willing to include me in their worlds, despite my limited Spanish, although I do continue to improve in that departmento.   Perhaps they simply embrace my overall enthusiasm and attempts at Spanish!   A sense of humour and honest intentions go a long way in any culture.

Mickey and Gordon introduced friends Doug and Ken, snowbirds who live in action packed old town Puerto Vallarta, escaping the rainy Vancouver winter months … two great guys … so authentic, so unpretentious, so much fun!  Enjoyed many laughs and meals together, in lively PV.  Met up one day with old Springbank neighbours, Myrnalynn and Russ for a beautiful sunset on their patio in Nuevo, followed by another delicious grilled fresh fish dinner at the marina in nearby Santa Cruz …. always a welcome joy to meet up with friends old and new, during my travels.  

Ventured into San Pancho on another day, to meet up with Diana and Rob, friends of my younger sister Margaret.   I met them decades ago in Kelowna and still remember how we instantly clicked … despite far too many years since we had tied up for a visit, it was as though no time had passed at all!  They have a charming casa in San Pancho, their home for five or six months every year … loved walking the streets of a small Mexican town, pretty much devoid of the rampant tourism that Mexico is so well known for.  It appeared from the constant stream of greetings and street side hugs, that Diana and Rob know everyone in town!!  







San Pancho is a small town of friendly Mexicans and a handful of Canadian. and American snowbirds. Diana showed us the work she was and still is involved in, helping build a community centre for San Pancho from an abandoned mango bodega … comprised primarily of recycled products!!   Enjoyed a sunset margarita, ceviche and various other delicioso treats on the beach before taxiing back to Nuevo Vallarta, an hour away … was loathe to leave … SP, it would appear, is my speed 🙂













Life is full of ironies … Little did I know that in the space of one summer, while reconnecting with my rural Finnish roots, I would soon be scrubbing off rusty wings as well. My husband and I had been trying to sell our house for a few years … having decided there is simply no need for two people to rumble around in such a big house … well, our home sold shortly after my arrival from Finland …. leaving us a month to pack up a household …. hmmm …. hardly a fun month given that I have become quite methodical, preferring a puttering meditative pace to my days. As we are both in the process of deciding where to hang our hats at the moment and given this may take us awhile, we opted to put all those mountains of boxes into storage!

Removal of the myriad of comforts a home provides, leaves a somewhat discomforting unfamiliar feeling of disconnection …. in it’s wake, an equally unfamiliar feeling of lightness is slowly emerging …. Strangely, I have eased into the uncertainty, with no burning desire to establish a new nest in the immediate future … the nesting instinct appears to have been temporarily replaced by a strong urge to continue the semi nomadic existence I have toyed with in recent years. This is rather surprising, given it is in direct conflict with my love of family and desire to enjoy time around my children and grandchild … hmmm ‘grandchildren’ in another month 😊 …. Aaah, the duality of life … yin and yang … roots and wings …. uncharted territory certainly but meandering and winging my way, confident that a fine balance will prevail.

I am well aware my actions and choices or lack thereof, are somewhat confusing for both friends and family, but I have always known I dance to a different drummer than most. I am taking time to breathe ….

<img src="https://seijasgypsyspirit.blog/wp-content/uploads/

With a touch of sadness, I watched
the skyline of Helsinki fade into the distance. From the air, the city is even more beautiful … dotted with so much green space, surrounded by forests and water, a lovely city center with its newish cobbly streets, charming cafés and the outdoor ‘Kauppatori” where Sarah, Aliana, Margaret, Jennifer and I savoured so many baskets of delicious sweet sun ripened strawberries, raspberries, garden peas, cherries, not to mention Finnish crepes!

We had walked past the iconic green and white Helsinki Lutheran church many times. It sits perched on a hillside looking down at the cobbly streets of city center below. On the last few days on my own, I opted to climb the steps one afternoon hoping to catch some quiet meditative time. Given its decorative attractive outer appearance, I was surprised to see how unadorned the interior was. A simple, calm, restful church inside ….. white washed walls, a very basic altar, few statues. A quiet place of refuge, prayer or worship. I wonder if being of Finnish heritage has anything to do with my own growing need and appreciation for a peaceful life based on more simplistic principles? …. did I learn it somewhere, was it passed down from my parents, or just a natural personality based evolution?

Finland, once shrouded in the mystery of my long forgotten roots, reemerges as a living breathing reality. I will undoubtedly spend months absorbing what I learned ….. about both Finland, the extended family within and my inner connections to all of it. I fell in love with this beautiful country of a zillion lakes, home to the land of the midnight summer sun! I love that I finally walked the land my parents once called home, sat in the kitchen where mother cooked piirakaat, fish soup, her delicious sour dough rye bread, pulla, Christmas cookies! …. explored the sauna where I was born! … I love that I finally was able to connect with real live cousins, an aunt, an uncle and know that I do indeed have a heritage to be savoured, valued and cherished …. What a thrill to enjoy that Finnish national institution, the sauna …. It is a way of life in Finland and for a population of five and a half million, there are over two million saunas in the country, most of them at summer cottages … the treasured kesamokki!! There is no finer feeling than sweating it out in a wood-fired lakeside sauna, followed by a skinny dip in pristine cool lake water!! …. sharing this with my sister, our cousins, and having my daughter, granddaughter, and niece also embrace these experiences, filled the cup that just seemed to keep overflowing. The Saturday night sauna ritual was a big part of our childhood growing up in Canada and to a large extent I kept that going in its own little way within my immediate family during Sarah and Tim’s early childhood! I love also, that I feel comfortable around people I have just barely met, because of the family ties that bind us, not to mention our similar noses 🙂 ….. yes …. love is the cornerstone of it all!

Oh sure, a few regrets linger …. hind sight and retrospect being the wise old owls they are …. mostly I wish that I had taken more pictures and oh, more than anything, made time to chat and visit with every single one of our relatives!!! We were treated with such gracious generosity of spirit wherever we visited. Mikko, our host …. such a good soul, reminded me so much of my father …. has that same understated quiet, gentle, highly respectful nature. We so enjoyed our time in his beautiful kesamokki ….. Mikko heated his lakeside wood fired sauna for us nightly …. such wonderful memories to treasure always …. memories that undoubtedly will fuel plans for a future return someday.

Capturing some favourite moments of our time in Finland …. followed by my last few days in Finland, exploring the area around Helsinki ….
found the most amazing ‘Rock Church’ within the city limits … literally a church built around a huge rock formation in the city center with a copper dome ceiling … most amazing and incredibly peaceful inside and apparently one of the most visited sites in Helsinki!

2014/07/20140716-095832-35912002.jpg”>

2014/07/20140716-100616-36376619.jpg”>

<a href="https://seijasgypsyspirit.blog/wp-content/uploads/

For Finns and foreigners alike, given Finland’s unique location tucked away in northeast Europe, Helsinki is a ripe jump off port to explore Russia or some of the other Baltic countries, such as Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania.

When planning our Finland heritage tour, we had briefly entertained the idea of an excursion to St. Petersburg, Russia given its proximity to Helsinki, but after some research, gave up on the idea as a travel visa was required and would be expensive and time consuming to arrange for such a short trip for five people. We opted to do a much shorter, visa free commute to Tallinn instead, and as it turned out, a great choice for us as a group.

However, after a bit of further research on the weekend in Helsinki … I learn that there is indeed a three day, visa-free round trip available across the Bay of Finland to St. Petersburg!! Early evening boarding, arriving early morning the next day, with the whole day to explore this historic city and it’s treasures, and cruise back that night to Helsinki, sleeping two nights on board … a relaxed pace getting there and coming back, with a full day to explore …. and the cost, reasonable … I was sold!

Had no idea really what to expect and as usual, I ignore the fine print at my own peril!

It was certainly a very relaxing comfortable night cruise to Russia … I slept well in a very comfy cabin to wake up fourteen hours after boarding to the beautiful views of some of the forty islands that make up St. Petersburg in the Neva River Delta, with its numerous waterways, reminiscent of Venice.

The main difference however, was the sight of oil barges, oil storage tanks, dozens of various cranes, ships loaded with hundreds of boxes of goods, dozens and dozens of ships and docks etc. etc. ….. The city is a very busy port ….. after reaching the beginning of the little islands, it still took almost a full hour before we finally passed all the accoutrements of the oil industry that is currently responsible for the burgeoning wealth of Russia and docked! …. there were more luxury cars parked on the streets of St. Petersburg than in London! Historically, power and wealth circle the globe every century or so, looking for the next victim … Russia and China appear to be having a go at it these days …

Compulsory for everyone was a shuttle bus into town from the boat. No solo travel available …. this is Russia after all :)!

I had earlier signed up for what I thought was a six hour tour of the city …. thinking, well, not the ideal, but certainly time enough for walking and exploring …… well, that darn fine print reared it’s ugly head 🙂

We did indeed see many sights …. from a bus!! ….. Japanese tourist style, where you jump off briefly, have time for a few quick photos or views of a church, museum, or most bizarre, was a stop at an old submarine, important to Russians apparently but of zero interest to anyone else (or possibly something was lost in the translation) …. and yes …. back on the bus!! This went on for three hours in the most congested traffic ever …. where do all these tourists and tour buses come from ??? Far far too many for my liking ….. yikes … had zero idea that rampant tourism has hit Russia! This is not even remotely my style of exploring a place anymore if it ever was!!!!

I asked Olga our tour guide, if there was a quieter time to see her beautiful city? …. her reply? …. “Oh yes! November is good, no people, just cold weather, maybe snow, maybe much snow …. oh yes, and March good time … also still cold and much snow” …. mmmm, maybe I will give it a whirl Olga …

St. Petersburg is a beautiful city, rich in history … much of it built by European architects during the 17th and 18th centuries ….. gaging from the architecture, primarily Italian and French. It is apparently considered the least Russian of all the country’s cities. The population is somewhere around five million … hence the traffic! There are so many museums, theatres, churches, monuments, university buildings …. a very culturally rich city indeed. How wonderful it would have been to have seen a ballet or heard a concert in a church or theatre!

What was beyond rewarding, however, was touring the Hermitage Museum, located in the Winter Palace, once the home of the former Tsars of Russia …. The museum is reported to contain three millions works of art! Despite having three hours at the museum, it was virtually impossible to attempt more than a brief dent into viewing the many collections and palace rooms. Masterpieces include Rembrandt (only in Amsterdam are there more of his works than at the Hermitage!!), Cezanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Matisse, Monet etc. etc. …… totally floored … there was even a Michelangelo marble statue …. my jaw is still sore as I type ….

Back on the bus far too soon …. I found out too late that it would indeed have been possible to actually arrange an extra night or even two and stay in town, and still not require a visa to do so! ….. if, that is, I had arranged it in Helsinki beforehand!!

Of course this possibility was not even mentioned by the tour company I booked with! …. I have learned that Finns, like Russians, and indeed, many countries, do not necessarily volunteer information, or make suggestions, unlike travel agents in my own country …. it would have been fun to stay the extra days, walking and exploring the street life of St. Petersburg, my very very favourite thing to do in any new city! …. chatting with people, the pubs, the restaurants, the shops, the grocery stores, mingling with locals! ….. oh, so most don’t speak English? ….. no problem! ….. have always managed to work around that small issue 🙂

So yes, Seija, read the damn fine print next time!! …. do your own research before you jump on a cruise liner ….. so despite my disappointment with the experiential brevity, I still loved the intro to this country …. Russia has not seen the last of me!

my

As a fine finale to our heritage tour 2014, Marg, Sarah, Aliana and I hop on the speedy ferry to Tallinn, Estonia, where rumour has it that the Estonians share some common history with the Finns ….. hopped? … more like, lugged, tugged and struggled on with our baggage pile! Estonia like Finland, shares in the vast history of Europe. Invaded over the centuries by Sweden, Denmark, Germany and of course Russia but like the Finns, stalwart (stubborn my husband would remark) … both countries maintained their independent lifestyles and both countries are fairly new to total independence! I would love to read more on the history of Estonia and certainly my own country of birth. It is time …..

Sarah had worked her usual magic and finagled a presidential suite for us in The Merchants House Hotel, an old house dating back hundreds of years, now renovated, restored, modernized yet retaining it’s historical perspective. One would correctly assume, given the size of the place, the various meandering passageways, hidden staircases, that it was indeed once the home of a wealthy merchant! Price?? …. thanks to Sarah, the same as three tiny rooms would have been:) …. we luxuriated in two and a half floors of rooms! …. Aliana discovered the huge bathtubs, ensuite sauna and declared “Grandma, this is very nice” …. with stamp of approval from our youngest in place, we nestled in 🙂

It was great fun being a tourist for a few days in this charming medieval town. We walked the cobbly streets to exhaustion, savoured refreshments in the many outdoor cafés, indulged Aliana (ha! … in any event we use her as the excuse 🙂 ) … with a horse drawn carriage ride and tourist train through the old town, shopped in outdoor craft markets, enjoyed tasty meals, much of which appeared to be a mix of Russian and German cuisine, although we opted for Italian more often than not …. is there anywhere in the world where pizza and pasta is not served??! …. Margaret and I sampled more than our share of many great wines, a full third of the price of what is charged in Finland … we hear that remains one of the main reasons Finns travel here …. the price factor!!

Finland and indeed most of Europe is beyond expensive and it seems to make ‘no never mind’ whether it is a small country town or a city …. the price of everything remains high by Canadian standards. We had a delicious dinner for Sarah’s 32 birthday in a restaurant with the best dark rye bread ever! …. in fact, so good, we went back the day we left Tallinn to purchase a loaf to enjoy with our cheese on the ferry back to Helsinki … picnic on board! Sunshine is so rare, as we have discovered these past weeks, that when the sun comes out, so does everyone … the streets and cafés were brimming with people, soaking in the rays both in Tallinn and Helsinki. Cloudy cooler days followed, but still we walked and explored. Managed to fit in a massage for the three of us in the tiny spa set up in the basement level of the old house …. a fine relaxing finish to a fine adventure!

I am so happy we persevered and made this journey a reality … something that was just a dream a few short years ago. I know our parents would be happy to know we made the effort to reconnect with our Finnish roots. Margaret and I revisited many old memories, creating new ones on the backs of the old, both for ourselves but more importantly, for two other generations …. Jennifer, Sarah and Aliana. We may just have ‘lakeside wood fired sauna converts’ in all three …. I know young Aliana was sold! In many cultures around the world, including our own, it is the woman’s domain to keep the rituals, the family stories, the cultures alive. I hope we will continue to honour our roots in some Finnish fashion in the years to come.

Margaret, Sarah, Aliana leave for the long trip home and I, head for the sleeper train to Rovaniemi, Lapland for quiet reflection and to meet up with Joulu Pukki of course!

<img src="https://seijasgypsyspirit.blog/wp-content/uploads

Of my father and his seven siblings, only three are alive today. Uncle Urpo, Aunt Sisko and Aunt Marjatta who lives somewhere in Southern Finland but apparently few if any have seen or spoken to her in many many years … rumour has it that she is somewhat estranged from the family, hence, we were unable to get a hold of her for a visit. If memory serves, that was also the case 43 years ago when I visited with my parents 🙂

However, father’s oldest sister, Sisko Pusa in her mid nineties, sharp intellect fully intact, although somewhat limited physically, invited us for afternoon coffee, accompanied by the requisite sandwiches, piirakaat and far too many sweets! Finns never invite one over for coffee without putting on a spread … I well remember this from my parents! Mikko and Jukka joined us for the afternoon, an added bonus! Aunt Sisko shared many endearing stories of life with our father and mother, both before and after their marriage. Her memory showed no signs of cobwebs! How wonderful it would be, to have this extended family to visit with and invite over for Sunday evening dinners!! I was not even aware that I miss my Finnish family until I was in their midst. How is it possible to miss something you have never known?? Perhaps the ache for family history and connection was activated or reactivated here in Finland …..

Aunt Sisko’s son Seppo and his wife Silja live on the property in their own attached home, as does daughter Seija (my namesake). Aunt Sisko’s other daughter Eva lives in Liperi, a short ten minute drive away. Neither ladies (both in and around my age) have ever married … lively sisters and the chatter and laughter never let up. They were such fun to be around ….. Margaret and I could easily have spent a week there and never run out of conversation … so many years and so many stories to catch up with! Another great afternoon swapping stories, viewing pictures from the past, taking new ones and committing to connecting soon via email. We vowed it would not be 43 years :)!!! Eva would love to join me on a volunteer post in the near future …. that would be cool! Would totally welcome that …..

Another great family evening! … this time on the old Leppanen homestead where cousin Marti and his wife Ritva have recently built a new home. Their son Teemu and his family now reside in the old home where my father’s parents once lived and raised their own eight children! Teemu and his wife have taken over the operations, freeing up Marti and Ritva for more leisure time after thirty years running the family farm. They talk of coming to visit us in Canada. However, as they are grandparents now to two year old Kia and four year old Eevi, maybe not so much free time 🙂 ….. they often babysit when their son and his wife are busy tending the farm. Daughter Helli was also visiting for the Juhannus holiday with her boyfriend from Helsinki. We said goodbye to Jennifer earlier in the evening …. she had to head back to Kelowna for work … will miss her! Such a trooper of a traveller.

Aliana was happy to finally have little people to play with!! …. language was no barrier to child play …. children just have a magical ability to communicate regardless of language differences and the three girls played well while we all visited. We could hear the girls chatting to each other in the kitchen, giggling away.

We had no idea what to expect as we drove down the pleasant country road leading to the farm that was our first home. Was it still standing? Who lives there now, if anyone? Would they allow us inside the house? Our cousin Marti knew the current owners and kindly arranged a visit for us and indeed joined us for our trip down history lane.

I was four years old when my parents left Heralampi for the wilds of Canada. I never fully understood their motivation to move so far from everything familiar and can only make a guess from the bits and pieces of stories that I barely paid attention to in my self centred youth. I wish I had! It must have taken a huge leap of faith and bravery to leave the comforts of a rural farming life, a huge extended family and community for the unknown Canadian frontier of the fifties. I wish with my heart, that my parents were alive today to share those stories again. We walked somewhat silently throughout the yard at first, lost in our own thoughts I suppose. We learned from Sari, the owner’s daughter, that the playhouse father built for his daughters almost six decades ago, was long gone, replaced by a similar new one for Sari’s children. The Korhonen family have owned the property for decades I believe and use the farm as a summer residence. Mrs. Pirkko Korhonen, the current owner, and Sari, graciously invited us into the house for lemonade, cakes and lively conversation as it turned out. We were thrilled! While inside, we helped fill some gaps in their history book of our old home. This book will apparently always stay in the house as a historical record of sorts. We provided some basic information about our family, letting her know that yes, our father, Veikko had indeed built the home, with help on the foundation from his brothers Kyosti and Urpo. They also helped father frame the red barn. A professional log builder was hired to put up the log frame portion of the house and my father finished the rest on his own. Looking through, I
see his carpentry stamp everywhere. Sari had a builder recently evaluate the structure of the old red sauna, completely built by father. The builder assured Sari that the structure was so sturdy and sound that it should not be torn down as they had planned, but renovated! Later in the week, we located a large record book at our Aunt Sisko’s place, listing all the properties in that particular area of Finland and found Heralampi mentioned, noting our father as the first owner. When one has grown up in Canada, with only immediate family as a historical reference and foundation, walking through my roots has affected me deeply! To really know that ‘Heralampi’ was not just a fairytale heard long ago, but was something so real, so organic, so rich in our family’s historical reality! The emotional reactions welled up somewhere inside me and that night, laying in my corner of Mikko’s kesamokki, on a beautiful antique daybed in the kitchen, the midnight sun lighting up the surrounding woods, reviewing my day, the emotions released and I cried myself to sleep … I believe they were happy nourishing tears.

It was rather poignant to see and visit with Uncle Urpo, our father’s youngest brother who is certainly still very much alive and spry at 86. Anna-Maija’s husband Prakash offered to navigate us to Uncle Urpo’s home … yes, he still lives in his own very tidy home. Poignant only because he reminds me so much of my father physically but there ends the resemblance. Uncle Urpo has a more umm … let’s say forthright, bordering on abrupt manner to that of our father’s more gentle one 🙂 … his sense of humour I well remember from our visit 43 years ago and it was a delight to learn it is still intact! After all these years, it was overwhelmingly a joy to sit with him a spell in his home … our Uncle Urpo! The floodgates threatened to overflow more than once during our visit, as we flipped through old pictures of our parents various trips to Finland, all duly photographed and organized somewhat in albums or boxes. Uncle Urpo shared many stories we had never heard before about their early years at our homestead of Heralampi. He helped our father build the foundation for what would be my first home and later, the three brothers constructed the barn together to house the cows, chickens, horses etc. My parents lived in basically a two room house, with an attic, albeit a somewhat roomy two rooms with their five little daughters! More on homestead next post. Uncle Urpo later visited us at Mikko’s cottage with his daughter, our cousin, Kirsti, who I had last seen as a 14 year old!! Cousin Pekka and his wife Anita stopped by for short visit later in he afternoon. Another lively evening sharing and connecting while we served a light luncheon on the patio, enjoying a rather unusual warm evening ….

Right next door to Mikko’s cottage was his twin sister Anna-Maija and her husband’s cottage … we trekked over for a delicious Juhannus luncheon complete with fresh home baked bread!  How Anna-Maija managed this is beyond me! … Margaret, Anna-Maija and I had gone grocery shopping in nearby Joensuu early that morning for the Juhannus dinner that evening at Mikko’s .. she rushed back saying “come for lunch in an hour or so” …. the woman is a whirlwind of activity, rivalling my friend Linda in that and in her culinary abilities!! Tasty lunch indeed, of a chicken stew, rice, salad, and fresh rye bread!!

Sharing some pictures of the historic ‘savu sauna’ where my father and various members of that generation were born …. It gets fired up every now and again and certainly for Juhannus …. there was amazing energy in that sauna and how thrilled I was to have Margaret and Aliana in there with me along with all the other ladies. Sarah and Jen joined us later in Mikko’s sauna…..

This post needs no words …. that we all enjoyed being surrounded by green forests, pristine lakes and wood fired saunas, is an understatement. We loved every precious moment!

Our cousins appeared from everywhere on our first full day at Mikko’s to help prepare the Juhanuus meal and arrange seating for everyone and by 5 pm, the cottage was full of Leppanens … about 40 of us !! ….. had my head spinning with all the introductions …. a challenge trying to remember all the names of the generations that follow mine!

But no problem at all, despite the decades, recognizing our first cousins: Mikko and his twin sister Anna-Maija, Heikki, Lassi, Pekka, Marti, Jukka and Sirkka! They are all the children of my Uncle Kyosti, my father’s younger brother and his wife, Aunt Vieno, both now passed. It was a pleasure to also meet relevant spouses and children … and a few grandchildren for Aliana to mingle with …. just such a fun evening!! …. full of good food and drink, story sharing, revisiting old memories and lots of laughter.

A break in the evening was made to honour and celebrate our cousin Pekka’s 60th birthday …. a shy man apparently loath to be acknowledged …. but his siblings would have none of that! Asta, Lassi’s wife gave Pekka a warmly poignant and funny poetry reading describing the decades of our lives …. I think I have heard it in English at some point but a delight to hear it read in Finnish. This was followed by a group gift certificate presentation from his siblings. He may not have wanted anyone to acknowledge his birthday, but like all Leppanen men, soft in the heart as they are, his tears flowed freely as he was being honoured and he was very touched. I know when we hugged, our tears mingled. That we share the DNA of this awesome arm of the Leppanen family leaves me humbled. ‘My cup runneth over’. We will be meeting more of the other members of the Leppanen family in the days to come.

I know it must have been lonely for my parents in those early years, with no extended family in Canada and I know my own life would have been enriched with time spent around these many many cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents, but such is life and I am just as proud today to be a Canadian and all that it entails as I am of my Finnish heritage. They merged well. Finnish sisu lives within us.

Finland is known as the ‘Land of the Midnight Sun’ during these precious summer months and June 21 being the longest day of the year, the sun sets briefly around midnight, scans the horizon and by 3:00 am, it is light again! We all head to the water’s edge to enjoy the Juhannus bonfire, kept alive until sometime after 5 am, when it is left to flicker out. Everyone appears to make a contribution to the fire …. Aliana threw her little stick in as well, thrilled to be part of the ritual. Margaret and Jennifer stay later with everyone else but Sarah, Aliana and I turn in sometime before 2:00 am. It was the first Juhannus experience I can remember and one I am unlikely to ever forget. A feeling of absolute gratitude fills my heart.

The pictures tell the story …..

Travelling solo so much in recent years, I have developed a rather pronounced meandering way of exploring countries, cultures, cuisines, sites. These slow-mo tendencies had to be abandoned somewhat over the past few weeks …. Windsor, London, Helsinki, Joensuu and finally to settle for five days at cousin Mikko’s kesamokki on the Leppanen homestead lands …. followed by a return to Helsinki and a ferry commute to the medieval city of Tallinn in Estonia for our final two days together! Whew!! Catching my breath now that everyone else has gone home, although must say, am already missing the ‘hallina’ of family around! I remain in Finland for another ten days to …. ummm, explore at my usual leisurely, rather lazy pace …. started with an afternoon nap 🙂

Having my sister Margaret, niece Jennifer, Sarah and Aliana along, has truly been beyond wonderful …. what unmitigated joy to share this journey into our roots, heritage and find out how ‘sisu’, a quality much valued by Finns, also developed in us, so far from the source!

Time for absorbing the experience and reflecting on this amazing time with family …. writing it all down seems to bring clarity to my travels and oh boy, a great resource and aid when memory fails 🙂

We met up with Johanna Lukkari, our cousin Sirkka’s daughter in Helsinki. Helli, another second cousin who lives and works in Helsinki, joined us for lunch on our first afternoon. Johanna is here for a month’s holiday from Los Angeles where she has been in film studies for the past five years. After magician calibre finagling, we all managed to squish into our van amongst the multitude of travel bags, various toddler paraphernalia and drive the six plus hours from Helsinki to Joensuu with Johanna as our guide. The seemingly endless pine green forests, broken up by a scattering of small towns, farms, and the vast watery landscape beyond, fills our senses as we drive along freeways that often merge into two lane country roads. Throughout, it is all framed by a lush wildflower carpet, predominantly deep pink and purple lupin. We arrive at Johanna’s parent’s Sirkka and Mauno’s beautiful home in time for dinner, where their lush gardens were also in full bloom! I am totally in the aaaahing and oooohing mode with all this abundance of natural beauty everywhere!

It had been a full 43 years since Sirkka and I last sat together, sweating in her parent’s sauna, sharing and comparing stories of our lives in Canada and Finland. We were 19 year olds then, just starting out in our adult lives. As though no years had passed at all, we bonded as sisters, discovering once again how similar we really are, not just physically but emotionally as well! We cried at the drop of a hat … the same thoughts and experiences could set off our waterworks simultaneously! Genetics cannot be denied, regardless of a vast ocean between us! Sirkka’s husband Mauno was born in Lapland, Northern Finland, unlike most of the Leppanen family and their spouses who seem to all be from the Central and more Eastern regions of Finland. Mauno is just a delightful man, sharing great stories while we enjoyed a very Karelian style dinner complete with our much coveted piirakaat!! Unfortunately, their twin sons, Sami and Juho were not there but will meet them at Juhannus I would think. Sirkka and Mauno made us feel so welcome on this long overdue visit to our homeland … I tear up at the thought of their gentle kind-hearted graciousness.

Sirkka and Johanna offer to guide us to Mikko’s kesamokki after dinner. It was about a twenty minute drive to the Leppanen homestead lands where our cousins all have cottages built lakeside. Woodsmoke could be seen coming out of the lakeside sauna as we drove up …. a warm welcome indeed! Mikko is there to greet and welcome us to his awesome ‘mokki’ ….. He stayed at another family cottage nearby, freeing his own up for our little troop. Yet another sweet kind generous relative. There is an abundance of them, as we are about to discover.

We arrive in time for the much celebrated Juhannus (Mid Summer’s Eve), the longest day of the year, which is almost as big a celebration in Finland as Christmas! It is a national holiday weekend where most head to their cottages to spend time with family, sweating it up in the requisite wood fired saunas by lakesides, where piers are available for a cool-off in the frigid lakes. Everyone assures us it is usually warmer but the weather has been unseasonably cool this year, the temperature hovering in the low to mid teens with periods of rain. Well, no different from what we are used to in Canada some years 🙂 There were enough sunny warm days mixed in with the cool ones … all good.

Juhanuus was always our parent’s favourite time of year. Finns may be known as a reserved quiet people as a whole, (there is a saying that Finns know silence in two languages :)) … but boy, not a hint of shyness when it comes to stripping down for a sauna … so, with only the tiniest of hesitations, we reacquainted ourselves with this most quintessential of Finnish rituals 🙂 …. the sauna sweat, lake dip/swim and wash!! Young Aliana joined in with zero hesitation and I know she will, as will we all, miss this kind of organic human connection … sitting naked in a sauna, sweating together, washing together, pretty much in the same manner we did with our parents long ago. It is said there are over a million saunas in Finland, most of them by lakeside cottages. That would be one sauna for every five people as the population of Finland hovers at 5.4 million hardy souls.

So started our journey into the heart of our roots … I am totally humbled by the kindness and generosity of our kinfolk and am moved to happy tears at every juncture. A few pictures of our first days …..

A few short years ago, my sisters and I decided a journey to revisit our heritage country, the birthplace of my parents and five of their daughters was long overdue. Only our youngest sister Margaret was born in Ontario! It has been a full 43 years since I was here on a visit with my parents and last walked the well worn paths of the farmland where I was born! It has been 58 years since my parents left their homeland for the wilds of Canada, with five girls ranging in age from 1 to 7 … a harrowing journey, surely!

A plan was set in motion and here we are, en route to that country of a zillion lakes, of the midnight sun, vast spaces of empty forest, home to just over five million Finlanders! Sadly my sister Maija and her daughter were unable to come, but Margaret, her daughter Jennifer, my Sarah and granddaughter Aliana all forged ahead, knowing that if we continue to wait for everyone to come on board, the trip will forever remain on the back burner. First steps, for whatever we take on in life, always seem to hold a special kind of magic and so it was for us.

A detour to Windsor and London to show Jennifer, Margaret and Jordan a touch of England was a spot of fun … Rob joined us for our time here as did Margaret’s son Jordan, on his way to a Scottish holiday …. We all enjoyed our few days here, roaming the streets of Windsor and the royal castle, toasting over Guinness and various other libations 🙂 …. savoured the quintessential British fish and chips by the River Thames, walked the lush gardens of Hyde Park, discovering a hidden treasure for a toddler …. a playground for Aliana to burn off some much needed two year old energy!!

Tomorrow we fly to Helsinki …. an adventure of the heart begins.

<a href="https://seijasgypsyspirit.blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/20140617-012116-4876005.jpg&quot;

It has been such a great month here on so many levels ….. from the early morning wake up calls of pealing church bells, which I quite enjoy, to the mishmash sounds of cars and trucks revving up, dogs barking, roosters cockadoodling, loud conversations, all seemingly right under my bedroom window, at all times of the day, but particularly, just as I am trying to get to sleep 🙂 … not quite as enjoyable! …. but aaaah well, part and parcel of the tapestry and spice that make up life in Mexico! ….. there are fireworks sparking and lighting up evening skies, margarita popcorn film nights, musical concerts in canyons and private gardens, leisurely cafe brunches, explorations of nearby towns … Delores Hidalgo, Pozos, Guanajuato …. yoga on outdoor patios or thought provoking lectures at the library …. so yes, all in all, a wonderful month!! As we contemplate a return to the ‘normalcy’ of our lives back in Calgary, perhaps a touch of sadness intervenes as we pack up to leave this welcoming interesting culturally rich town …. we return to Calgary’s relentless winter, never that pleasant, the older one gets! The temperatures hover pretty much where they were a month ago! I remind myself that I do enjoy a walk in brisk weather at times, so will dig out my Ugg boots and woollies from the suitcase in preparation 🙂

Although our feet are well conditioned to San Miguel’s cobblestoned, obstacle laden streets, it is still very necessary to look down more that up, to avoid tripping on the zillions of uneven surfaces!! We all walk with what I have coined, the San Miguel gait 🙂 … a kind of conscious cautious walking!

There remains a consistent supply of delightful surprises behind these ubiquitous San Miguel doors ….. What appears to be a simple wooden door, can open to the most charming cafés, concert halls, peaceful churches, shops of all description, art galleries, beautiful home gardens surrounding equally beautiful homes, small theatres, wine shops, cheese and olive shops, carpentry workshops … I chanced to look through a particularly attractive door one afternoon to find caskets stacked helter skelter inside! One evening I picked up fresh hot buns for dinner from a young fellow selling from the back of his pick up truck, baskets laden with all manner of baked goods! A very artistic, somewhat intellectual vibe runs through this small group of expats that make San Miguel their winter home …. There appears to be a disproportionate number of artists, musicians, sculptors, authors, film makers that seem to be drawn to the energy of San Miguel. One can take in a talk on just about anything at the local Biblioteca, the expat hub, or go on an art walk, visit artists in their galleries, who are more than happy to stop and chat and share their art and lives with total strangers who can quickly become friends. It is not at all unusual during our daily walks about town, to bump into someone we have met at some function or another …. a small town characteristic that I find most refreshing, is that most everyone takes time for a chat during just such encounters …. no rushing around!

We have enjoyed so many great films here … alternative films that barely garner an audience in North America … margarita popcorn movie nights will remain one of many favourite memories for Bev and I! We meet together with about 15 other people to share a small theatre room, where the owner supplies everyone with a drink of choice …. always a margarita for Bev and I 🙂 and a small bag of popcorn! Our last film was about the abolition of slavery in Britain … “Amazing Grace”, the story of William Wilberforce, the force behind the abolition movement … A remarkable young man and a very uplifting story …

I share some of our San Miguel memories and moments below, captured via my mediocre at best photographic skills but captured they are, nonetheless …. we really enjoyed sharing some of our time with Elizabeth and her husband Ken, Calgarians who have lived abroad in Indonesia over a dozen years … Donna from Nova Scotia, who lived and worked in Russia for a time … Francoise who is truly a global citizen, having worked or explored around the world and calls Washington D.C. area her home for part of the year ….. did not take long for us to feel like old friends … we bonded while sharing stories of our combined travels over memorable meals together. Special friendships were forged with our home housekeeper Vicky and some of her family …, daughter Guillermina, husband Hector and their five year old child Grecia …. Bev’s exemplary Spanish skills played a major role in this …. essential in forging a relationship with a Mexican family! … I limped along with my scattering of greetings …. Bev’s husband Dave visited for a week and is just as fluent in Spanish ….. I was amazed daily with how well they both communicated with the local people. They have studied Spanish for many years and continue to do so in Canada as well … truly inspiring!

So comes the end to a memorable month …. my bags are packed, leaving me free to savour the day ….. Bev has yoga and a few massages booked while I have opted to wander these now familiar streets, perhaps make a stop at the Biblioteca or sit a spell on a bench in the Jardin, in front of the Parroquia one last time, breathing in the sights, scents and sounds, savouring the magic that is San Miguel de Allende ….. Hasta la Luego dear little Mexican city … til we meet again!

After three weeks of experiencing life in this central region of Mexico, it becomes apparent that the people of San Miguel love a good celebration!! Only the barest of excuses is required to host a fiesta. The area is well known for it’s host of festivals that can easily reach 30 a year and those are just the main festivals!! Bev and I are rarely sure exactly what is being celebrated … the drumming and singing often start in the early morning and conclude with fireworks late at night! We relish and savour this joyful ambiance of a celebratory people …. I was in a shop one afternoon recently, when I heard singing and the music of a mariachi band building up out in the street. I took a peek outside just as a mob of people marched by, carrying a casket high over their heads ….. they were heading to a burial ground nearby, singing and celebrating a life!! Amazing …. it would appear from birth to death, the Mexicans sing and celebrate! A few days prior, I took a local bus and yes ….. there he was, guitar in hand, an entertainer, singing on the bus as I chugged along 🙂

Posting a few pictures of our meanderings and explorations … Bev’s husband Dave joined us this past week … we enjoyed a walk to the Canyon de la Vergen Pyramids nearby, and exploring the colonial city of Guanajuato, home of Mexico’s artist extraordinaire, Diego Rivera, life partner of Mexico’s other celebrated artist, Frida Kahlo. What a tumultuous love affair this multi talented pair of artists had, both in and out of marriage …. lives full of Mexican temper, vim and vigour!!

Met up with a lively group of Canadian ladies one afternoon to explore Delores Hidalgo region, birthplace of Mexican Independence. Jan at 91 was the oldest of us but could easily pass for someone twenty years her junior on attitude alone! I surmised her philosophy to be something along the lines of “get out there and live your life, laugh lots and don’t complain :)” …… nothing less, nothing more! …. Well, alrighty then Jan, will do!!

Mexico’s first indigenous President, Benito Juarez was credited with the declaration of independence for Mexico but it was apparently Father Hidalgo and Ignacio Allende who really got the rebellion underway and were crucial in this uprising to rid the country of European dominance! All hold hero status in this country … with good reason! Love learning as I explore!

Barely a week has gone by, but already this little Mexican city has wrapped it’s welcoming arms around us, becoming our home away from home. Bev and I have become accustomed to the sounds of the street, perhaps most noticeable at night when trying to get to sleep! People endlessly talking, sharing their days with family, right under our windows it seems :), dogs barking, relentless ringing of church bells, fireworks going off for various celebratory occasions, children chattering, trucks gearing up and down, delivering goods, picking up trash (an early morning sound) and just the basic street traffic … all unfamiliar to both Bev and I, living rural as we do in Calgary, where quiet rules, broken only by the sound of coyotes yipping at night.

Most of our waking hours are spent in the outdoors …. walking everywhere, exploring the cobbly streets, museums, churches, the outdoor produce markets, craft fairs, the myriad of interesting shops displaying all manner of handmade goods and enjoying meals at charming outdoor cafés sprinkled throughout the city. Francoise informs there are over two hundred restaurants of varying sorts in San Miguel! … we do not have a car and have yet to utilize the bus or taxi services. Found a suitable yoga class a few days ago, held of course, on an outside patio! Heaven! Alejandro, our instructor, is a gentle, soft spoken, highly spiritual young Mexican … the yoga studio is a short five or ten minute walk from our Casa! We have met up with Francoise and Donna a few times for meals and an ‘art walk’ yesterday through the Fabrica la Aurora, once the main textile factory for the area, now basically a series of art galleries and shops. We continue to enjoy the ambiance of a very friendly community of expats that make San Miguel their winter home. A few days ago, we took in an interesting talk at the local Buddhist Meditation Centre, hosted by an American, Kiranda Benjamin, an ordained Buddhist monk. Kiranda shared her experiences and insights on solitary silence retreats she has taken over the years. A plan is underway to go on a year long silence retreat this summer to the Sudarshanaloka Buddhist Retreat Centre, a 250 acre wilderness camp in the Coromandel Peninsula in Northern New Zealand …. interesting to hear a different perspective on life …. chatterers that we are, Bev and I find even the thought of retreat into silence for a whole year somewhat incomprehensible …. guess we are just not monk material 🙂

Over the years, travelling around our beautiful world as I have been fortunate to do, I have noted that celebrations and particularly religious ones, are frequent in countries with Latin roots! …… and so it was this Friday in San Miguel! …. this celebration called “Lord of the Conquest” …. celebrates the introduction of Christianity to the early Mexican inhabitants ….. It was a merging of their ancestry with Christianity, hence all the traditional dancing, drumming and costumes … the marching and dancing had started in the early morning hours …. we were still asleep 🙂 …. After breakfast, we made our way to Jardin Square, in front of the Parroquia to enjoy the festivities. Colourful beyond belief, with participants dressed in the most amazingly beautiful, intricately beaded, feathered costumes … A veritable Native Mardi Gras!! Not surprising, a little girl Aliana’s age, dancing alongside her mother, captivated me … she tried hard to mimic her mom …. so cute to watch, but still preferred jumping up and down for the most part, just like Aliana :)!!! The dancing and drumming continued long into the evening …. a truly spectacular day. We spent hours in the square just breathing in the atmosphere.

My old Springbank neighbour and friend, Bev Cenaiko and I finally did it!! At our Calgary luncheon ‘get together catch ups’ over the years we had often discussed the possibility of leasing an apartment or casita somewhere in Mexico together … plant ourselves into a foreign country for a spell, become part of the community rather than a rushed one or two week holiday …. unavoidable certainly, when one is working or running a busy household for decades as we have …. there are benefits to these so-called golden years 🙂 …… no more rushing!! … San Miguel de Allende in somewhat central Mexico, kind of spoke to us both. I had spent a week here with Brian several years ago and Bev also travelled here with her husband in more recent times. San Miguel is an old Colonial city with much history …. one cannot escape stories of the Spanish conquest and plundering of Mexico … not all of this is pleasant, as indeed is the case globally wherever indigenous people have been “colonized” by other countries.

However unpleasant the past, San Miguel today is a pleasant city in the state of Guanajuato … Population inches close to 100,000 we hear ….. that figure includes thousands of expats from Europe, US and Canada who call San Miguel their winter home. Little wonder!! The cobbled streets are charming although takes the feet a bit of getting used to … the produce is fresh and local … ie delicious!! ….. an artistic kind of vibe permeates the place …. plenty of reasonably priced restaurants, bars, yoga studios, theatre venues for various live performances, opportunities for learning Spanish and plenty of historical towns and sites to explore, all within an hour or two of SM … This is a place to learn about Mexico, it’s history, to enjoy being around the primarily warm, kind, generous Mexican people and yes, certainly also to savour the simple pleasures of a fresh bowl of locally grown fruit … a place to enjoy the Mexican ambiance devoid of the rampant coastal tourism, the five star all inclusive booze fests that have become the defining feature of modern day Mexican tourism for too many North Americans …. not all of that is bad ….. I, as much an anyone, sure enjoy the hazy, lazy ocean side of Mexico as well on any given day, but I was ready to experience Mexico from a more organic perspective 🙂

We flew into Queretaro, yet another old colonial city …. the cobbly old town section was declared a World UNESCO site a few years back …. we booked rooms there at a converted restored home dating back to the 1700’s …. the doors to the former horse stables, formed part of the back wall in the breakfast room!! …. about 20 rooms, all with different configurations, sizing and furnishings, were named after the various Mexican family members who last owned the estate. The central courtyard was surrounded by lemon, orange and grapefruit trees …. charming beyond belief …. we were loathe to leave our surroundings, so pleasant it was, just sitting in the courtyard! ….. but tear ourselves away we did, to explore Queretaro’s parks, churches, a museum and the ubiquitous courtyards and town squares … it was Sunday with church bells ringing every half hour, families milling about everywhere, a happy ambiance filling the air …. a great way to move into the Mexican lifestyle.

After a pleasant drive through the countryside on Monday, we arrived in San Miguel at our lovely Casa Pura Vida, as the owners have dubbed their beautiful home!! Bev and I are beyond delighted …. the place exceeds our imaginings! We unpack and settle in to our home away from home …. we had earlier arranged to meet my friend Francoise for dinner. Francoise, an American from Washington D.C. has made SM her winter home the past four years. It was a delight to meet up with her again … we first met in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2010 where Francoise was the Global host for my team of 16 volunteers. Over a pleasant dinner of empanadas, fajitas and margaritas, Francoise shared stories of her recent adventures, and offered a myriad of helpful tidbits about San Miguel life in general …. walking back to our respective homes, we discover they are a mere few blocks apart!! … Plans are tentatively made to tie up later in the weeks to come …

Hardly seems possible that it has been over four years since I last walked these Mauian sandy shores with Mickey and Gordon! Life is just a series of fleeting moments really, that end far too soon. Nothing brings that home so much as realizing the once seemingly illusive sixties have arrived …. do I feel mature, wise, content, happy, sad …. stupid :)?? ….. all of the above of course, at various times. I do know I am more content to just ‘BE’ than I ever have … and I DO linger longer … in fact, I rarely hurry with anything any more …. even traffic jams have become only mildly annoying … certainly put to the test yesterday, driving Sarah and Aliana to the airport!! … Hawaiian Roadworks, as it turned out and we barely made the 45 minute check in cut off …. we had left the North end giving ourselves a good hour and a half leeway but make it we did and Sarah and Aliana are undoubtedly enjoying Vancouver’s spring conditions as I sit on my lanai, iPad in hand, enjoying the sea breeze and sunshine, soaking in the peaceful serenity of Kahana Village …. saw our resident turtle swimming with a partner early this morning …. just so much beauty here and so much of it, gifts of nature.

It was not a planned ‘girl’s holiday’ …. but as Rob was unable to come due to work issues, it ended up being a nice little break for the three of us regardless. We adjusted admirably 🙂 …. I am sure Sarah would have preferred her husband and Aliana, her daddy …. but …. they got the consolation prize …. Me:) !! ….. fun days exploring beaches, building endless castles, watching turtles and whales, or a washed up seal, savouring delicious papaya or a mango flavoured shaved ice …. Sarah goggled and found the one place in Maui that uses only fresh fruit as their base … not just sugary syrup …. delicious! Sarah also located the one place on the island that served cold pressed fresh veggie juices …. and probiotic boosters …. we felt sinfully healthy although flu bug did still hit albeit made but a brief visit thanks in part to finding these health boosters I’m sure 🙂 ….

As I look around me, I breathe deeply, always amazed, always thankful for the beauty that surrounds me wherever I find myself. Inner peace may come from within but oh my, the outer beauty of nature is surely a facilitator of the highest order! Mahalo

A quiet low key Christmas and New Years for the Webbs and Overmanns at Sarah and Rob’s home in Kitsilano, was as warm and peaceful a way as I can think of to end 2013 … all proceeded by a few days of boarding and skiing at Whistler/Blackcombe, where my nephew Jordan joined us all for a few days … (while the rest hit the slopes, Aliana and I played in the snow) … totally at peace with that, given the creaky protests from my knees when contemplating downhill skiing … forty plus years was enough I suppose ….. perhaps time to reacquaint myself with cross country skiing as a winter sport ….. seems to me I enjoyed it at one point! My trusty old Luminex seems to be as temperamental as a two year old toddler lately … so pictures are rare …. considering my recent resolve to enjoy and savour the moments more and photograph less, this could be a good thing 🙂 … although, dropping it in the sands of India a few years ago, causing irreparable damage was possibly the catalyst for that resolve 🙂 … in recent years, the experience of looking at life through a lens too often, leaves me feeling disconnected on some level … still, pictures sure do allow for some great experience recall ….. as always …. torn! Managed to capture some poignant family moments, however, with Sarah’s camera …. snowmen, sand castles, Aliana’s Christmas cookies 🙂 …. 2013 takes a bow and makes a quiet exit.

>