I've been out of touch for a while now and hope to get back on track with the blog before being thrown off the track again with the upcoming birth of Gusi's little brother.
Recently we took a family vacation to Spain. To Barcelona to be exact. It was a chance for Papi to get a break from work, for Gusi to hear Spanish being spoken by people other than his parents and for me to dip my toes in "first world" life again.
Weeks previous to our trip I researched where might be a good place to take a family vacation. We had thought of a resort in Cyprus, Turkey, Corsica or Greece but ruled those out when we saw that the temperatures would not be beach weather. Besides, we've got resorts and beaches here in Senegal, why go so far for what we can essentially get here? So, we decided on continental Europe. Yes, madness I know, since the USD is so low compared to the Euro, but we really thought it would be worth it (and it was). I looked around online and found a list of the top child-friendly cities around the world and Barcelona was at the top for the European cities. BINGO. They have an aquarium, a zoo, Güell Park, museums, a metro, buses, everything to make our stay pleasant.
I even found this site kidsinbarcelona.com which I really liked. They give advice and support to families moving to Barcelona as well as valuable information to tourists with kids. Their lists of possible kids' activities, parks and message board forum provide loads of information.
We agreed this would be an easy place to go to. I put together a tentative schedule that would allow Gusi some fun activities (the Science Museum, the zoo, the aquarium) and Papi and I some cultural ones (the Picasso Museum, the Joan Miro Foundation). Gusi was more excited about the possibility of riding on a train (ok, the metro), a bus, and strolling the streets in his stroller. Dakar isn't easy when it comes to using a stroller. There's tons of sand and my umbrella stroller gets stuck quite easily. Note to self: we'll be needing an "all terrain" stroller with two seats upon our return this fall.
The plane left Dakar well after bed time, but Gusi was wound up about going on a plane that he couldn't possibly sleep. He finally fell asleep on my belly, so I guess you can say that he and his brother were napping together for the first time.
When we finally got there, Gusi was so excited to see new things. Look Mami, tall buildings! Yes dear, there are lots of them here. Look Mami, what's that? Recycling bins so people can put their containers and newspapers in them and they will be turned into something else. (I'd have never thought they were interesting but hey, I've seen plenty of them and he hasn't.) He was also amazed that everyone spoke Spanish. He commented several times to me during our trip that the whole world speaks Spanish in Barcelona. Yes, son, that's one of the reasons we came here, so you could hear more people speaking your mother tongue.
I must say that he did quite well (looking back on it) at the museums. He wanted to listen to his own handset when we went to Gaudí's Casa Batlló, he watched the screen showing how Picasso transformed Velazquez's Las Meninas into his own for almost an entire hour at the Picasso Museum, and he would point out things like the bell tower on the cathedral. Of course, he is two years old, so after spending two hours waiting in line to get in at the Fundació Joan Miró, going inside was challenging. There were lots of screams of "CIAO CIAO MIRO" which is Gusi's way of saying "buzz off Miró". But I have to thank my dear, loving husband who graciously took Gusi and entertained him so I could enjoy the museum. Miró has always been one of my favorite artists and I had never seen the pieces in this collection before, so it was a treat to have some time to myself to explore.
We also did some shopping. We had to get Gusi a jacket (don't need one here in Dakar) and some shoes (he's usually in sandals or Crocs) to keep his feet warm. When we took him to the department store all the saleswomen doted on him. Ay, pero que guapo que es el niño. (The boy is so handsome.) Of course, even the men at the neighborhood bar where we had breakfast were commenting on how beautiful our son is. That's just being Spanish...they always comment on how handsome this or that person is and Gusi loved it though he was timid while they were talking to him.
We also managed to buy a decent toaster for our house in Dakar. And a night light for Gusi's bedroom. Papi wanted to upgrade our toaster, so we did and Gusi hadn't been sleeping well in his crib before leaving Dakar so I thought the night light would be helpful, and it has been. It was random odds and ends that we got and/or enjoyed while there. Like strawberries, sweet, large strawberries. We all chowed down on those. The joy was in the details.
Gusi did quite well sleeping in his own room and in a bed. We rented a two bedroom flat so that we could have space as well as kitchen and laundry facilities. It worked out well. Gusi slept in his room, we had breakfast and snack foods in the kitchen and did laundry whenever we needed to.
There did come a point when we noticed that he was missing home. He would wake up telling us how he had gone to play in the garden with Tony and then walked to the beach. I can only decipher that this meant he was dreaming of home. We told him the day before we were leaving that we'd be going back to Dakar and he was quite happy. While we could see that he had had fun in Barcelona, to him his memory is all about Dakar, this is home, this is where he is happiest. And frankly, for all the comforts of living in the "first world", I missed Dakar too. I now realize that we have a HUGE house (how do Europeans live in those cramped apartments?), a wonderful garden, two people who work for us who care for our son, and a tranquil lifestyle. We live the life that many Americans in the 1950s did: you know your neighbor, you socialize with your friends on a regular basis, you bake from scratch, you cook seasonally, your kids play in the street, you take things one day at a time.
I am looking forward to going back to the US in a few short weeks, but it will be different. I've been in Dakar almost 9 months now. I've been reborn in those months in a manner of speaking. I don't always find what I'm looking for, so I have Plan B, C and D ready. This used to frustrate me incredibly but now it is becoming second nature. No pork loin at the butcher's? Ok, then have beef bourguignon. Never made it before? No problem, that's what the internet is for. We make our own pizza from scratch, we grow some of our own vegetables and we see our friends every single day. I haven't been this social since...well, never probably. So, the US will be familiar in how to get things done and where to go for things I need, but my life there won't be easier because of it. Life will simply be more convenient. I wonder how Gusi will do with the transition.
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