Years Later... Greece.

 

Had it really been over two years since we'd been back?  When Covid hit we hadn't quite realized how long it might be until we could all make our way to this little corner of the world. Friendships had been put on hold (in-person anyway), bills had been piling up, our experience there has reverted to the memories and hopes we had. In time, we sort of got used to not being there and one day turned into ten, and on and on it went. As Covid came and variants popped up all over the place so too did ways to deal with it. Our living in the UAE meant that vaccines came early and often and as the world's economies looked to 'open' we were afforded the opportunity to return. 

And return we did. To a country both backward (in terms of a public bureaucracy one would hope they would learn to make efficient) and beautiful (in terms of it natural beauty. We returned to friends and family (uncle 'Eko, Olga and Alice joined us for a short while!) and were able to reconnect.  

The plan had been to "go somewhere new" but one thing led to another, and the holiday season was in high gear, meaning our ability to get out of the city was confined to just two days. We rented a car and drove off, to daddy's favorite area within a two-hour radius: Nafplio.  The day we chose to visit, however, was one that most other Greeks had also chosen, so we found ourselves trying to keep physical distance from everyone else. Though the town continues to be beautiful, the amount of people really challenged our Covid hopes for physical space.  

So, after a short stroll to reacquaint the girls to the old town, we got back into the car and headed to Tolo, where the far left edge of the beach provided the quiet, natural solitude we had been hoping for. We climbed a small rocky outcrop that stretched out form the rocky beach, positioned ourselves along its ridge and watched an incredible sunset that filled our souls several times over. We continued to watch the growing darkening of the colors until we decided to make our way back to the car and onward home.  The darkening sky in the evening provided a couple more glimpses of the symphony that is nature at dusk before darkness enveloped us before we returned home. 

On the way the Peloponnese had provided us with an array of olive groves - that daddy loves so much - to run around and climb on. That too was a wonderful connection to the land and mountains around us. Nature really does do wonders for us all, doesn't it. 

Back to Oman (after soooo long!)

This whole COVID thing has really made is home-based and limited in terms of travel options. But as the world has gone ahead and started vaccinating itself one thing we've slowly seen is the gradual 'opening' or borders and travel opportunities. It didn't take long for us to see our opportunities grow exponentially as soon as the UAE and Oman opened their borders for tourism. We called our good friends John, Melissa and Izzy and packed our car and off to Oman we went. 

It was a loooong weekend in Oman but we had one extra day off for Thanksgiving, meaning we had a free travel day to get places before the crowds appeared.  We made our way to Muscat with the new immigration procedures (which now included PCR testing and online documentation and medical certificate printing at the border) and, with not too much of a delay (we were the only ones at the border crossing who needed a visa-on-arrival) reached our friends. It would have been a holiday enough to be there, with them, sharing stories and just being together. It's quite amazing how some friends just make you feel like you belong as soon as you walk through the door. It was like that.

The next day took us to a place called Finn's Beach, about two hours from Muscat, through beautiful mountains and across the coast for a bit. As we got near our final destination John noticed something... a local swimming spot, known as the Sink Hole, had an empty parking lot. So with a quick turn of the steering wheel and a short side trip we pulled into a spot which would normally be a weekend getaway for the locals. One this day it was just us. Perfect!  We made our way down the stone steps and jumped into the chilly water, looking to the sky and loving the clarity of the water we were bobbing in. The girls decided that it was so "awesome" that we came back the next day too, though it was quite a bit more full on day 2. 

Once we got our fill of the Sinkhole and the subsequent lunch (under a pergola in the local park surrounding the sinkhole) we made our way to Finn's Beach. Finding a spot, we did the customary clean up of the campground (why are campgrounds to packed with trash?) just above a small beach, and settled in. The night was wonderful, filled with time outside (amazing!) and enjoying the water (the little beach was all ours). Some of the time included meeting people from the school where Melissa works and Izzy attends. International teachers and their families do make for really great, friendly, welcoming conversationalists. :-)

The girls loved it. Daddy got a little crab friend (who we met on 'our' little beach) who kept creeping up the sand and nestling into the side of his sandal. If he moved (cautiously) it would just move again and nestle into the same spot. Cute!  

But time moved on, and the crab eventually made its way to a large bolder that adorned our little cove. And we packed up, and moved on, and hold on to the memories.  Amazing ones. 

Volleyball Together: A Special Season

 

It was that time of year - tryout time. This time around, though, it was also the first time that our little one would be trying out formally for something. Sure, she had been on teams before but in elementary school they do a great job of making sure that everyone has the chance the play and that playing time is equal and all those things that make developmental programs, well, developmental programs. 

This time around our two girls were trying out together. Irini went into tryouts with the flair of "I've been here before and I'm not particularly fazed" while Amalia went in with the "OMG, I hope I'm going to make it!". Three days later the teams were announced and right there, on the roster for the MS Falcons Volleyball Team, were both their names!!  We were delighted as can be!  So excited that they both made the more experienced team (though Amalia had never played formally before) and also elated by the fact that they were on the same team. Given their age difference it might never happen again. This could have been their one shot as teammates. 

And what a shot it was. It was one of those rags to riches stories where a relatively inexperienced team goes winless for the whole first half of a (admittedly short) season only to turn things around right in the middle and then, without signs of slowing down, just turned up the notch and won every game right through the end of season!  It turns out that not only did they play well on the court but they "clicked from the very first day" according to them. They really bonded well with the other girls and were excited as can be to have been part of this very special group of girls. Happy as can be throughout the season and quite bummed to see it all end when that final whistle blew. 

And so it was that on this first (and perhaps last) season together it was a magical group of girls playing in a magical season. It's the type of story that they might tell for years to come. And hopefully one they will recognize for not just the way it played out, but also for the fact that they were there by each other's side, screaming "Go Falcons"... together. 

Little Moments

One of daddy's favorite statements is "it takes a village". This post is a celebration of the village that our daughters benefit from. There are more, of course, friends who are part of the fabric of the creation of our life's experience, but these photos seemed to jump out together in this past because they comprise a glimpse into the "little moments" that make life a celebration. It's the little moments, such as playing a card game with friends when your father walks in to take a photo from above. It's the moments in water park that you've been waiting for. It's the moment when it rains in the desert and you run out to lie on the ground knowing that this rain will last only a few minutes, if that. It's the moment you complete a spontaneous art project that you somehow decided to do, perhaps because you're bored and your parents tell you you can't be "on the screen". 

Whatever the reason for the moments, what's important is that they are celebrated. Because as we all know the moments are little ticks in cultivating that wonderful person our girls are becoming.  Moments that seem fleeting, or somehow unworthy of celebration, and yet do so much to generate a sense of purpose and belonging to a 'village' filled with caring people. Little moments, it seems, are what make villages the amazing places they are. And what gives that added little spice to our lives. Here's to all the wonder in little moments and all the wonderful people in the villages that make us who we are!

Surfing!

The idea of surfing started years ago, when our chosen family of Ralph, Anne and Maria introduced the idea of paddle boarding to our girls. It was years ago, in Schinias outside of Athens. Ralph had brought his "toys" and the girls took turns (or sometimes worked together) to balance themselves as the lapping waves moved the board around. They moved, sometimes too much, sometimes hanging on and sometimes splashing happily into the water before jumping right back on. 

Since then things have moved forward. The girls have worked on paddle boarding on several occasions, usually in a very informal manner with several people on top of a board trying desperately to keep a group of three or four on the board while going nowhere fast. It's been the source of lots of joy and, over time, a source of interest for our girls. Even more recently they saw a movie called "Soul Surfer" and they thought that perhaps it's time to look into things a bit more seriously. 

And so one of Amalia's presents for her birthday was a surfing lesson, one day in a three day surf camp over the Eid holiday. Off she went to a place that we recognized once we got there. It brought back memories of Ralph, Anne and Maria, in Dubai this time, introducing us to the Surf House!  At the time we were just looking around (and bought some towels). This time we were back for the surfing lessons!  

Amalia asked mommy and daddy to leave her on her own with the group, and so we did. Leaving her with a group of 18 kids and three adults, all new to her. Three hours later we picked her up. She was beaming!  Apparently she had managed to get up on her very first (admittedly small) wave and never looked back. One of her instructors said she was "annoyingly good" and as we walked away, thanking everyone, she turned to tell us all about the day. Finally she said that perhaps, next time, we could video her surfing. 

Just how much surfing is in her future (or Irini's, who is also invited) remains to be seen, but one thing is certain. She loves it!  Narly dude! :-)

Amalia Antics!

 

This post is merely to share the types of things that our little one does nearly every day. Not many words necessary, but a true sense of joy and fun in everything she does. Love to this family, and to all. Oh, and happy birthday too!

Happy 11 to our little one!

Time keeps on ticking. As much as you try to hold into it it just keeps on ticking. As much as you try to at least elongate the moment it keeps on ticking. And some ticks change the special numbers that you hold on to. In this case the tick brought with it the number 11. Eleven years of wonder and that extra sense of a complete family love. Eleven years of growing independence. Eleven years of giggles and laughter, of silliness and wonder. Eleven years of self-initiated interest in discovery of new things, of being outdoors in wanting to spread and develop creativity. Eleven years of a complete family with this little one.... our not-so-little one. 

As is now customary in our family a birthday brings with it a wake up and made-for-the-day indicators of the day ahead (as well as a path to the presents that wait). This time Amalia's birthday had been filled with weeks of events largely due to her friend Eva visitng from Vienna for over a month!  But on "the day" Eva was already back home and this was the 'just the family' version of the birthday... the subdued - but love filled - final chapter of the series of special events. It included, of course, the pancake requirement and also a new cookbook that she had wanted: Eat Meatless by Jane Goodall (one of her heroes). And also a small blue hand-made card. And in it was a little statement... something about a surfing class. Her eyes brightened up. Her smile widened. Surfing has been "on the list" for quite some time and now, here it is!  

As the clock keeps ticking - sometimes from friends from far away, sometimes with friends from closer to home, sometimes with family - it keeps adding to the wonder of a life filled with everything worth celebrating. We love you, Amalia, sooooooo much!  Happy birthday, our beautiful girl!

New Heights!

Let it be known:  April 7, 2021 was the day that, indisputably, Irini moved into second place on the height classifications in the family. 

Of course we've been seeing her grow for years but the past nine months of so we've noticed it a bit more obviously. Then there was that "is it true?" period where it might have been but maybe it was the shoes, or the angle, or whatever. And then, on this day, daddy looked over at the two of them working on preparing a meal, roaming around between and among the kitchen equipment, and said, "stop... come over here... stand here..." and then he took this picture. Undisputed proof. Our little girls isn't so little anymore. 

And with every inch she's grown so too has our love for her... to her height and onward... to the moon, and back. :-)

One more Camping 'first'...

 ... just before leaving the adults took a look around the place and realized that there was a whole lot of space to run, to walk, to explore or perhaps... to learn to drive!  Irini and Amalia were thrilled to take up the offer. And while Amalia sat on daddy's lap to to go through the basics Irini was able to take the wheel and begin a new chapter of her life!  With daddy sitting right next to her (much as he had done with pappou when we was younger - though on a stick shift) she learned about brakes, and gas and turning and neutral before smiling broadly and stepping on the pedal, just a little cautiously, for the very first time. It appears we might have a new driver-in-training in our midsts!

Camping with Friends

We love camping but we're not the 'leaders in camping' types, really. We love tagging along and going with the flow (whatever that might look like) and we like being part of larger groups of friends who decide, for one reason or another, to venture into the desert to spend the night or the weekend. And so it was with this outing. We linked up with our neighborhood friends and, taking advantage of the "stay in the UAE" spring break we headed out to Al Bateah, a location that was new for us. It was quite different from the camping in Wadi Shawka that we had gone to earlier. More sand dunes to deal with. More space to settle in and more dune climbing. 

We got there in the late afternoon and had to make some last minute adjustments due to other groups having already staked a claim in other parts of the area. But we found a nice flat area, easy to access but sitting that foot of some rather large sand dunes... which attracted the kids nearly immediately. Within minutes, and as the adults started setting up their tents, the kids were already out of site, having climbed up the nearest dune. Mommy followed them to get some photos as the rest of the group quickly set up camp and followed suit, in time for sunset. It wasn't until we got to the top that we realized that the dunes just kept on going.... and the kids had gone with them!  Playing, running up and down. Giggling away. 

So we took photos of them, of each other, or the photographers taking pictures of other photographers taking pictures of the sunset. Later, as darkness arrived, we went back down for dinner, for songs and chats and stories... and to discover little friends with pointy tails rummaging around. Our first direct exposure to scorpions!  We were apprehensive at first but equally as interested in getting to know them. All in all we found four of them moving around, some with more energy than others, before calling it a night and hoping that one of them found their way inside any tents. By the next morning one of our scorpion friends was roaming around but the rest had returned to their underground dens. 

With the sun, and the heat, steadily climbing we packed things up and get the cars ready. But there was just enough time for one more thing...

Mango Sticky Rice Rediscovered.

When we left Malaysia we recognized those little things we'd need to let go of. A big one was the east Asian food which had become such an integral part of our diet and the culture we called home. And when we arrived here we found a plethora of Asian food though it was never quite "the same" as enjoying it on a street-side in Kuala Lumpur or Thailand. And then, one day, Amalia and daddy stumbled onto a 'hole in the wall' Thai place only to discover that mango sticky rice was on the menu. 

Now let's be clear. Mango sticky rice holds a very special place in the heart of our girls not simply because of the taste, but because of the memories that it brings with it. Mango sticky rice is a window to SE Asia, to the kind people of that region, to the restoration of natural goodness through one's stomach. It is "one of those things" that, for us, is synonymous with the place where our girls were born and brought up until recently. And though our experience here is slowly replacing the memories that our girls hold of that region, we have, finally, found a mango sticky rice worth waiting for!  

One look at the smile above and one can see that this particular plate says "I'm home" to us. :-)

Making Bread!

 There are lots of things that make learning great. But the best learning is the 'hands on' learning that we did so much to develop when the girls were young. We took them to the parks and jungles to make sure they observed and touched things, to engage in their surroundings and develop a care for the world. We also made sure that they developed a relationship to preparing food. Thankfully the school where we are currently does an excellent job with their Edible Education program too and that influence has made its way to different classrooms and age levels. 

For Irini one of those connections came in the form of a science project. The set up was something like this:  Study yeast (and how it works) through making your own bread. For several days she had to put the ingredients together from scratch and then measure how much the starter had grown. Over the course of two weeks she prepared, covered, observed, measured and finally baked her very first loaf of sourdough bread!  Sadly the bread didn't last more than just a few minutes once the family got their hands on it, but we suppose that it a success story, right?  We love our baker/cook in every way possible!

High Ropes on Beautiful Days!

You know the kids are getting older when things you used to worry about are now just "drop them off" affairs. Case in point:  With our friends Eva and Arian in town the fathers decided to take the kids off to the high ropes course on the other end of town. It's a pretty fun place and offers a number of options from kiddie ropes to waaaaay up there ropes courses. In the older days the fathers would have dawned their harnesses to go along for the course with the kids, pretending all the while that they are unaffected by their fear of heights. But now, with the kids a bit older and much more able to handle things on their own, it's just a "we'll be at the coffee shop" affair. The kids, dawning their own harnesses, are off to the highest of high ropes courses complete with climbing and ziplines!  

The problem, of course, with this drop off method, is the lack of evidence for things like family blogs. But knowing that the kids are taking bold steps to being their own creators of personal experience is pretty cool. Plus, the coffee and conversation are pretty good too. :-). The kids are growing up. And we're winding down. All in a day's work.