Getting Back to Normal

Christmas vacation here was three weeks long! It was great. We had almost none of the usual Christmas stuff going on here, so it felt more like a summer vacation. I think we all were itching for a schedule again, but I have to say that I hate to send Joe and Alex back to work and school. It's so great having everyone at home! We had a good time together. No stress, no places that we HAD to be. We did take two outings to remember-one to the zoo and one to Boca Chica. The zoo was a lot different than any I've been to before (duh). I felt like we were in a jungle and they don't have fences at all of the habitats here, so it was like walking around with the animals. It was fun!

(The walk back to the zoo entrance.)

(Flamingos-there were swans in this area too, and fish!)

(The monkey habitat-the zoo keeper took a boat out there in order to feed them!)

We took a taxi to Boca Chica so that we could go to the beach. We got a good deal on the taxi which was nice, and we spent all day in the white sand! There were no waves (which I actually really missed) because of an outcropping of rock that ran the stretch of the beach we were on. It was nice for the kids because it was shallow out a few hundred feet, so they were able to splash and play-Ethan floated around in his little floatie-without us having to worry at all!

The water was clear and when the sky was clear the water was all the shades of blue.

I really enjoyed watching the kids play without us having to worry so much about safety. I also really enjoyed watching the local vendors selling things at the beach, and contrasting them to the rich, spoiled tourists that were all around! There was artwork everywhere! People selling paintings on the walk to the beach and carrying paintings around on the beach. There were Haitian men fishing with harpoons and selling very fresh fish! The fish are beautiful here. They are silver and blue and pink...all so brightly colored! They would catch them and then bring them to a pier near us and clean them. It was fun to watch! While the old, wrinkled, tanned Europeans sunbathed and had people bringing them fruit and rubbing oil on their backs, the people who I thought were really having fun were the Haitian children! They were all on the end of the pier taking turns jumping into the sea. They were in their underwear-and they were having a blast! They seemed very pleased when I walked out to them and asked if I could take their picture!


I had fun talking to a Haitian woman who makes money braiding hair. She wanted almost $50 to do corn rows in Emma's hair! I told her no way, but she wanted to earn some money so we told her what we could pay and Emma got five braids on each side of her head :) Ivy got two for free. This woman spoke Creole, Spanish, and English. Her English was learned on the beach! Emma-my Emma who won't let anyone touch her hair-sat there eating an apple while a complete stranger braided her hair! It was great!

One of my favorites was a little boy selling hats. He came by with the banana leaf hats that they weave and I was almost out of cash, but I asked him how much. Then I asked him how old he was. Nine years old and helping his dad earn money by selling hats at the beach. His dad made them, he said, and they sold those and also fruit. The one I chose was a little small, so the little guy took the clip out of my hair to show me that it would fit better that way! I have to say that I really like being around the local people of the lower classes. I hate to even say the word "classes" but such is life :( Really, people are people. Why do we have to be separated because of something so foolish as money? But separated we are by money. Well, that's another post that's up and coming! Anyway, all in all I would have to say that there are things about a good old U.S.A. freezing cold Christmas that I missed. But Christmas in the tropics is something I think I could get used to!