It's been quite some time since we returned from our trip to Mérida, but I thought I would add the completed video we produced, as a way to round out the blog, and complete our story. Producing this video for EducaTE was an extremely rewarding experience, and the result is something we are proud to be a part of. Enjoy the video, and please do YOUR part to support the less fortunate children of the Yucatán. Thanks!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Returning Home
8/12/10: 4am comes way too soon...
Cherie kindly arranged to have a friend of hers (who does taxi service) drive us to the airport so we could catch our flight home. Bleary-eyed, we loaded up the car and said goodbye to Casa Walker. Had hoped to have a decent breakfast at the airport, but the best we could do was Burger King... again.
Travel days are usually a blur, but one aspect of this day will never be forgotten. For whatever reason, our first flight ran way behind schedule, giving us VERY little time to make our connection. We got off the plane and RAN through the airport with the kids and our bags, making it to the check in counter as the last passengers were boarding. No problem with getting on the plane, other than the fact that it was a full flight and we were told we couldn't bring our carry-ons with us. We would have to check the bags we had with us.
Ok, so you're telling me I'm supposed to check my cameras, microphones, hard drive, telephone...all the electronic equipment...even the Wii? We had two carry-on bags STUFFED with fragile equipment, and I'm supposed to hand it over to have it thrown in the bottom of the plane? No can do. I may as well have tossed it all in the trash.
The result is that we were not allowed on the plane and had to wait for another flight a couple of hours later. Ughhh. Two bored kids, two tired parents, stuck in the airport for two more hours. Double ughhh.
I've resigned myself to the fact that NONE of our trips happen without at least one day of rough travel. Usually that happens on the return home, so that any relaxation that was achieved by even going on vacation can be completely unraveled. But once we were finally able to board the new plane, the remaining flight was rather uneventful (and that's perfectly fine).
I must admit we had one very nice surprise waiting for us when we arrived at the airport. The town car we had reserved to take us home was not available; so the driver showed up for us in a stretch limousine instead!
After such a long day, it was so nice to stretch our legs, have a drink, and relax in comfort. The kids got such a kick out of the luxurious ride in a "big fancy car", and one of the boys on the street did a real double take as we pulled up to our house. I can only imagine what the neighbors thought. Here we leave the country for a full month, and when we finally return, it's in a stretch limo, like we're somebody important. What a life!
And that's our story. Back at home in one piece, missing Mérida, but happy to relax a while. We survived a whole month abroad (happily) and would gladly do it again. We had such a great time, met some fantastic people, saw lots of amazing sights, and gave our children the experience of a lifetime.
We are truly blessed, and will always remain grateful for this tremendous opportunity. Looking forward to a return visit someday!
Cherie kindly arranged to have a friend of hers (who does taxi service) drive us to the airport so we could catch our flight home. Bleary-eyed, we loaded up the car and said goodbye to Casa Walker. Had hoped to have a decent breakfast at the airport, but the best we could do was Burger King... again.
Travel days are usually a blur, but one aspect of this day will never be forgotten. For whatever reason, our first flight ran way behind schedule, giving us VERY little time to make our connection. We got off the plane and RAN through the airport with the kids and our bags, making it to the check in counter as the last passengers were boarding. No problem with getting on the plane, other than the fact that it was a full flight and we were told we couldn't bring our carry-ons with us. We would have to check the bags we had with us.
Ok, so you're telling me I'm supposed to check my cameras, microphones, hard drive, telephone...all the electronic equipment...even the Wii? We had two carry-on bags STUFFED with fragile equipment, and I'm supposed to hand it over to have it thrown in the bottom of the plane? No can do. I may as well have tossed it all in the trash.
The result is that we were not allowed on the plane and had to wait for another flight a couple of hours later. Ughhh. Two bored kids, two tired parents, stuck in the airport for two more hours. Double ughhh.
I've resigned myself to the fact that NONE of our trips happen without at least one day of rough travel. Usually that happens on the return home, so that any relaxation that was achieved by even going on vacation can be completely unraveled. But once we were finally able to board the new plane, the remaining flight was rather uneventful (and that's perfectly fine).
I must admit we had one very nice surprise waiting for us when we arrived at the airport. The town car we had reserved to take us home was not available; so the driver showed up for us in a stretch limousine instead!
After such a long day, it was so nice to stretch our legs, have a drink, and relax in comfort. The kids got such a kick out of the luxurious ride in a "big fancy car", and one of the boys on the street did a real double take as we pulled up to our house. I can only imagine what the neighbors thought. Here we leave the country for a full month, and when we finally return, it's in a stretch limo, like we're somebody important. What a life!And that's our story. Back at home in one piece, missing Mérida, but happy to relax a while. We survived a whole month abroad (happily) and would gladly do it again. We had such a great time, met some fantastic people, saw lots of amazing sights, and gave our children the experience of a lifetime.
We are truly blessed, and will always remain grateful for this tremendous opportunity. Looking forward to a return visit someday!
Last Day Part 2: The Final Shoot
8/11/10 continued...
After the haircuts, we met up with Jenn and headed back to the house to pack. Grueling and depressing. Enough said.
Yet we still had some unfinished business to attend to before heading back to NJ. One last video shoot for the EducaTE project.
As luck would have it, the program director for EducaTE had just flown back to Mérida the day before, after being abroad in Europe all month. Perfect timing, as it would be a key interview to get some important on-camera insight about the organization.
The kids spent the afternoon playing in the pool while we recorded the interview at the house. Having never met before, we got along great with Katrin, who proved to be yet another super nice person. We chatted with her for close to three hours, and her dedication to the project, as well as her neighbors in Cholul, was evident. Plus, she handled the interview so well, considering she was feeling jet-lagged from traveling the day before. A video shoot is work, of course, but this was really a very pleasant experience. We had met so many truly wonderful people on this visit to the Yucatán... so friendly, warm, and welcoming.
With the interview behind us, we all got cleaned up and dressed to head out for an early dinner. Problem is, it was a bit TOO early, since most places were not yet serving food for the evening. We wandered up and down Calle 59, sweating and baking in the sun, looking for someplace to eat.
We had planned on Pancho's for our final dinner out, but that wasn't going to happen today, I guess. So we found ourselves at Café La Habana instead. The food was fairly good and the air conditioning was cranked, so all was well. Plus, the kids looked like movie stars, waiting in the front window for their paparazzi.
Afterwards, we headed back to the house (quickly) for our appointment with the property manager, then out to meet up with Cherie & Greenwood one last time. On their recommendation, we all sampled some wonderful frozen treats at an ice cream shop they frequent. Mmmm, delicious tropical flavors!
The kids had so much fun with our new friends on this trip, it was really difficult to say goodbye. We are really going to miss them; they are such wonderful people and hopefully we'll be able to come back to visit them in Mérida soon.
Later that night, with the kids finally tucked into bed, Jenn and I headed up to the rooftop with wine glasses in hand, to survey the city and take in the warm summer breezes. We spent a couple of hours reminiscing about our trip, reliving all the highlights of the month, and dreading the return trip home. The time really seemed to fly by, and now we found ourselves wishing we had more time to stay.
How can that be? Really? After four weeks?
After the haircuts, we met up with Jenn and headed back to the house to pack. Grueling and depressing. Enough said.
Yet we still had some unfinished business to attend to before heading back to NJ. One last video shoot for the EducaTE project.
The kids spent the afternoon playing in the pool while we recorded the interview at the house. Having never met before, we got along great with Katrin, who proved to be yet another super nice person. We chatted with her for close to three hours, and her dedication to the project, as well as her neighbors in Cholul, was evident. Plus, she handled the interview so well, considering she was feeling jet-lagged from traveling the day before. A video shoot is work, of course, but this was really a very pleasant experience. We had met so many truly wonderful people on this visit to the Yucatán... so friendly, warm, and welcoming.
We had planned on Pancho's for our final dinner out, but that wasn't going to happen today, I guess. So we found ourselves at Café La Habana instead. The food was fairly good and the air conditioning was cranked, so all was well. Plus, the kids looked like movie stars, waiting in the front window for their paparazzi.
Later that night, with the kids finally tucked into bed, Jenn and I headed up to the rooftop with wine glasses in hand, to survey the city and take in the warm summer breezes. We spent a couple of hours reminiscing about our trip, reliving all the highlights of the month, and dreading the return trip home. The time really seemed to fly by, and now we found ourselves wishing we had more time to stay.
How can that be? Really? After four weeks?
Last Day Part 1: The Haircut
(Oh my gosh! I started writing the final posts and never put them online! This was months ago!)
8/11/10: We've put it off and now there's no avoiding it any longer...it's time to pack for the return trip home. UGH! We awoke with that sick feeling in our stomachs, knowing soon we would need to have all our belongings assembled for the next day's flight.
But first some important business to attend to in the morning. Jennifer returned our car to the rental agency back at the airport, while I took the ULTIMATE leap of faith. A haircut, at a barber in Mexico.
After a month abroad, my hair was getting pretty shaggy, even more unmanageable with the hot climate. And since Lukas was due for a haircut as well, it was time for the boys to take a risk. I was hopeful that even with the language barrier, I would be able to explain to the barber a close approximation of the cut I was looking for. Otherwise, I could be spending my first few weeks back at home wearing a baseball cap 24/7.
Here's how the experience went: The barbershop was due to open at 10am, but when the kids and I got there 20 minutes later, the gate was still down. The corrugated metal door was only partly ajar, so I peeked in to see if the shop was open. A sleepy looking older man was only just now making his way into the shop from the other end, and he indicated that he would be opening soon. My guess is that he was sleeping in the back room, possibly in his living quarters behind the shop. No problem, we took a seat inside and waited... as he washed his face, combed his hair, and made himself look presentable. This took another fifteen minutes, before he finally raised the gate and opened up the shop.
He was finally about to get down to business when a woman behind the door at the back of the shop began calling to him urgently in Spanish. He responded nonchalantly to her while he prepped his combs and scissors, and then I noticed the woman's hand reaching through the doorway, grasping for something. The barber rolled his eyes, shuffled across the floor, and handed her... a roll of toilet paper. It was at this point that I began to wonder if we were being featured in an episode of Candid Camera.
With that interruption behind us, I bravely decided to have the barber start with Lukas first. I used what few Spanish words I knew to get my point across: "Corta solo un poco" (cut only a little bit, or at least I hope that's what I said). The barber said nothing, but smiled politely and set about the task at hand. Lukas was so cooperative and patient, sitting very still and behaving wonderfully, for what seemed like an eternity. The barber shuffled around the chair in small steps, scuffling his feet through the hair clippings in a manner that instantly reminded me of Tim Conway on the Carol Burnett Show (alright, yes, I'm really dating myself, that's apparent). Was this all just another comedy sketch from the 70's?
After a time, the barber finished up with Lukas, and you know what? His haircut looked pretty good! Just a bit shorter that I thought it would be, but it looked really good on him. And I figured if my son could brave his way through this surreal experience, then I certainly couldn't chicken out now. I sat in the chair and said to the barber, "Muy bueno, gracias...", and then I gestured to Luke's hair clipping on the floor, "...pero es demasiado para yo... un poco, por favor." I don't now if it was right but I think it made some sort of sense because the barber nodded and smiled again, instead of that quizzical expression people usually give me when I try to speak Spanish. He set to work again, shuffling around the chair once more.
When all was said and done, Señor Conway actually did a great job...probably one of the best haircuts I've had in a long time. Even better, each cut only cost 40 pesos, which is less than $4.00! Chalk this one up as one of those quirky experiences that are never forgotten.
Now back to the house to pack...
8/11/10: We've put it off and now there's no avoiding it any longer...it's time to pack for the return trip home. UGH! We awoke with that sick feeling in our stomachs, knowing soon we would need to have all our belongings assembled for the next day's flight.
But first some important business to attend to in the morning. Jennifer returned our car to the rental agency back at the airport, while I took the ULTIMATE leap of faith. A haircut, at a barber in Mexico.
After a month abroad, my hair was getting pretty shaggy, even more unmanageable with the hot climate. And since Lukas was due for a haircut as well, it was time for the boys to take a risk. I was hopeful that even with the language barrier, I would be able to explain to the barber a close approximation of the cut I was looking for. Otherwise, I could be spending my first few weeks back at home wearing a baseball cap 24/7.
Here's how the experience went: The barbershop was due to open at 10am, but when the kids and I got there 20 minutes later, the gate was still down. The corrugated metal door was only partly ajar, so I peeked in to see if the shop was open. A sleepy looking older man was only just now making his way into the shop from the other end, and he indicated that he would be opening soon. My guess is that he was sleeping in the back room, possibly in his living quarters behind the shop. No problem, we took a seat inside and waited... as he washed his face, combed his hair, and made himself look presentable. This took another fifteen minutes, before he finally raised the gate and opened up the shop.
He was finally about to get down to business when a woman behind the door at the back of the shop began calling to him urgently in Spanish. He responded nonchalantly to her while he prepped his combs and scissors, and then I noticed the woman's hand reaching through the doorway, grasping for something. The barber rolled his eyes, shuffled across the floor, and handed her... a roll of toilet paper. It was at this point that I began to wonder if we were being featured in an episode of Candid Camera. With that interruption behind us, I bravely decided to have the barber start with Lukas first. I used what few Spanish words I knew to get my point across: "Corta solo un poco" (cut only a little bit, or at least I hope that's what I said). The barber said nothing, but smiled politely and set about the task at hand. Lukas was so cooperative and patient, sitting very still and behaving wonderfully, for what seemed like an eternity. The barber shuffled around the chair in small steps, scuffling his feet through the hair clippings in a manner that instantly reminded me of Tim Conway on the Carol Burnett Show (alright, yes, I'm really dating myself, that's apparent). Was this all just another comedy sketch from the 70's?
When all was said and done, Señor Conway actually did a great job...probably one of the best haircuts I've had in a long time. Even better, each cut only cost 40 pesos, which is less than $4.00! Chalk this one up as one of those quirky experiences that are never forgotten.
Now back to the house to pack...
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