The past year and a half have been very full for this family. During that time, Caroline and Luke changed from 3.5 and 1.5 year-olds into 5 and 3 year-olds (so different!). We spent 6 weeks of the summer of 2008 in Chatham surrounded by family which we (I) sorely needed! In the fall, we moved back to Arizona for Matt's final year of business school at Thunderbird. We made some awesome friends while there and really came to appreciate all that Arizona offered. Caroline completed her first year of preschool. Matt graduated in May 2009 and began a lengthy job search which eventually earned him a fellowship with Ciudad Saludable, a wonderful organization based in Lima that is transforming solid waste management and environmental practices in Peru and beyond.
During our extra long summer (which extended through the fall and into winter), we became Chatham residents. The summer of 2009 was a great time with many extended visits from friends and family. We filled our days with time at the beach, swimming lessons, Cape Cod League baseball games, many meals on my parents' deck, Friday night band concerts and lots of laughs.
Caroline and Luke both attended preschool in the fall, and we had the chance to feel like "locals" for a short time. The kids quickly adjusted to their schools and truly enjoyed the new friends and experiences they were able to have. While they were excited for the chance to go to South America, they were sad to leave their schools behind.
In an effort to see as many friends as family before our almost year-long departure, we decided to take an 18-day roadtrip to Minneapolis to spend Christmas with Matt's family. It never sounded like a good idea to me, but it turned out that it absolutely was. We made stops in Ohio and Chicago on our way out and visited with friends in the PA/ NJ area on the way home. Our time in Minnesota was worth all of the miles it took to get to and from there. After this trip we were unconcerned about a 12+ hour travel day to South America. In a car, that's how long it took us to get from Minneapolis to Youngstown, OH! Caroline and Luke were champs the entire way. Well, almost. They both melted down crossing the Sagamore Bridge - about 40 minutes from Chatham! Kids.
As we packed our bags and moved our things around (nothing new for us... or my parents who are the keepers o' our stuff :), we felt great excitement for this opportunity which we had been waiting and waiting and waiting for! Living in limbo isn't my favorite thing. Life still happens, quite happily, actually, but it can also be a stagnant feeling. Thankfully, we have a wonderful support system of friends and family whom we were able to spend time with. We realize we would not have had this had a job opportunity presented itself more quickly.
So now we are 5 days in Lima. Lots still to be done here. We need to find an apartment and learn more Spanish! More to follow....
