What I Did On My Summer Vacation

We got back from Guatemala a few days ago. Gusi had a blast. Everyone had a blast. It was incredible to go and see the family one last time before heading off on our African adventure. Gusi had a huge terrace to run around with a hammock hung up for when he got tired. He wasn't too happy having to sleep in the Pack-n-Play but he adjusted eventually. He loved having company come over and in any respectable Latin family, you always have people dropping by. He was quite social with everyone and wanted to be where the action was.

He has also blossomed into this little chatter box. He started saying his (first) name while we were there (in the last two days he has been able to say his first and last name), as well as pronouncing everyone else's name.

What I loved about being in Guatemala was that everywhere we went it was set up for kids. There were play yards in restaurants and stores. People didn't give me nasty looks (like they do here) when Gusi started squealing. Everyone complemented me on how beautiful and intelligent he is. Everyone! I was waiting in line at the bakery close to our house and Gusi was chatting with the woman behind us. She couldn't get over his vocabulary. She even said "hello" and he responded in English to her. The boy is a genius: mastering two languages before the age of two and knowing when to use each one. And soon we'll add on another one, maybe even two depending on how much Wolof he hears on a daily basis.

We were very sad to leave though. Gusi still asks about his great-uncle and our neighbor Sandra every day. Everyone teared up when we said our good-byes because this little one had brought so much happiness to them. I know they will miss him and he them. I just pray that we'll be able to go back soon. He will be surrounded by French (and some English) in just a few short weeks; I will be the only native Spanish speaker he hears until my mom comes to visit or we return to Guatemala. I know it will enrich him beyond my own expectations, but still, I worry about his maternal tongue getting pushed to the side.