- I'm learning how to play tennis, which is great, especially because as a kid I never felt like I was very athletic, it has been the joy of my adult life to realize that I actually really do love being outside and playing sports. I remember going to Snohomish High at night with Cliff and Jen, I think Eloria might have played on the field(?) while we ran around the track, that was maybe one of my first tastes of a really satisfying part of my life and a really happy memory.
The other benefit of learning to play tennis is that I'm also multitasking, my tennis teacher speaks only Spanish, so I have learned; brazos, manos, fuerte, arriba (which is up, not fast, as I was lead to believe by a certain cartoon mouse), atras, mas cerca, y exelente! I am also teaching kids yoga at my house with a friend of mine that is a certified yoga instructor. Outside of an unfortunate face plant a little girl took while trying to do crow, it's gone pretty well. Dad, thanks for the background in self hypnosis, it's really helping me with guided meditation during avasana, since I just learned that was a word, I'll tell you it's the time at the end of class where you lay down and I always fall asleep, which it turns out is not as good to do when you are the teacher.
The kids are doing really well, Maggie is starting speach therapy next week - I don't like it. They are trying to fix what I find super amusing. Abe is having fun in cub scouts and getting really into watching football- his Dad is very proud. Vivian is starting a mosaic class that is offered through her school, which will be a wonderful diversion from her almost constant state of reading. Simon just said Mamamamamamamamamamamamamama - I assume he means me. I'm telling myself it's taking him so long to speak because after his first year we switched languages on him. He looks at all of us with a healthy dose of skeptisism. I think once I put him to bed he does the same thing every night (Pinky) - tries to take over the WORLD!!!!
Dave was on a women's talk show, Mujer a Mujer (Woman to Woman), the video won't load onto this blog, but Dave looks about how you would expect Dave to look on a woman's talk show- super uncomfortable. NIV (non-immagrant visas) has been a great opportunity for Dave to learn a lot about our countries immigration practices, it's really interesting stuff. For instance, did you know that roughly fifty percent of illegal immigrants did not cross the border illegally? They are approved for a travel visa (non immigrant visa) and then they overstay - indefinitely. It makes people like Dave have to guess based on a two minute converstaion whether or not someone is likely to overstay (or jump) their visa. It's a stressful job, Dave sees a lot of people in a day, but it is interesting to see the other side of so many ongoing arguments in an election year. Looking at immigration up close (I have heard from my staunchly liberal friends) will turn anyone into a republican - on the flip side, getting an up close and personal look at Foriegn Aid (it does work, really, if for no other reason than we need alternative kinds of pressure to persuade others toward our goals besides our fists) will turn anyone into a democrat.
One more little political blip, I cannot tell you all the deep loathing I have for Rick Perry and the eventual satisfaction that was mine when he plainly became a bare ass. Not only has he barely even tried to hide the fact that he was a candidate for people who don't like mormons - he came out a couple of weeks ago to say that he did not believe Foreign Service Officers were working in America's best interest. This was right before his "debating is as easy as one, two.....I'll get back to you" debacle. That moment, my children's laughter, sunshine on my shoulders... it's the little things, you know?
El Salvador is also the Central American hub for USAID, so we live and mingle with quite a few bleeding heart, former peace corps types. It's interesting because when I lived in the States Foreign Aid seemed like a stupid waste of money. Now I think sometimes it's a stupid waste of money, but most of the time it is an imperative bargaining tool for our national security. I may have gotten way more liberal about foriegn Aid ( and I also now think Hillary Clinton is kind of the bomb), but I have also gotten WAY more republican about illegal immigration. Lax immigration laws now seem horribly inhumane, paving the way for people to break the law and then making life hell for them once they have, it's a mixed message that ultimately hurts families by ripping them apart long before they get deported, since many if not most illegal immigrants leave parents when they themselves are children, or leave their children and/or spouse to get to America.
Anywho, life here is really great when we don't miss everyone horribly, and it's always interesting. I hope everyone is doing wonderfully in the Pacific Northwest!
Hey guys, Dave here now. I share a blog with my siblings where we all post to, kind of what Traci is hoping will happen with this blog. Anyway I have posted a bunch of photos over the past few months on that one. Please feel free to head over to it and look at pictures that we've posted over the months going back to March. Some of the posts were posted by my siblings which may or may not be of interest to you, but please check it out if you'd like: http://mckay1957.blogspot.com/
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