Is there still hope?

Ella with her hair like Meter Katrien!

Yes, there is always hope.
Apperently, as I found out last week, there is even hope for my hair.
With some

~ tender love and care
~ a silk pillow
~ a boar (everzwijn) hair brush
~ a special (and rather pricy) conditioner and shampoo
~ no sleeping with loose hair
~ and the occasioal hair cut

my hair should be shiny and healthy and lush and happy...

Hmmm, I wish we all knew which ingredients we needed to feel just like that!

''Take your daughter to work'' day

My favorite things of my half day at moekes kindergarden classroom:




* seeing little people wresstle in and out their wintercoats

* hearing ''juf, juf, juuuuf, juf, juuuf'' (means teacher) 500 times in 5 minutes in tiny squeely voices

* being called ''juf'' as well :)

* feeling proud of my moeke for being an awesome teacher

* seeing the proud little helper of the day blow out the candles, change the calander and put away the waterbottles







* eating apples because wednesday is fruitday and have moeke pointing out that they should choose their pieces of apple with their eyes and not their hands (and being thankful for that rule :) )












 * the whole playground time (and this gets a different section)
~ the little boy playing a cow the whole duration of the playing time
~ the little girl letting us know that her friends cloves had dissapeared in her jacket
~ the little boy asking us at least 3 times if he could go fetch the ball in numerous obscure places
~ the 10 times little people told on eachother
~ the boy that declared two times it wasn't him that hit a girl in the stomach






* the little songs they sing for every little ritual
* the boy with the big head and the big eyes, telling me I am really sweet








* and last but not least... the big tears of the little boy dropping his handcrafted clay angel just before his dad arrived to pick him up :(


Can I come with you again next week moeke?

Under the Boardwalk...

Only some days ago,

maybe a week or so.

I was in a far away place

a place that looked like it was in the old days.

I loved every little bit

and invite you to sit

and take a little look

at the pictures I took...

 

 

Look through his eyes and see...

 

Bench on the Boardwalk

 

The Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, CA. The prettiest little amusement parc.

Colourful

 

Right by the water.

 

Rides, blues skies and palmtrees!
 

Garlic fries anyone?

Human painkillers

Do you know what's insane?
How emotions can cause physical pain.
My stomach shrivels and burns and shakes
and sometimes, I swear, I can actually feel that my heart aches...

But I found what puts the pain aside,
what makes the tension in my body hide...
It's the smiles and ''Great to see you again''s
that make me less tense.

It's my favorite old man's teary eyes
and the ''hello's'' that came after the ''goodbyes''.
It's the cutest little girl I know...
and all of you who show
that it's great that I am back
You guys are saving me from a heartattack!

Life and it's lessons

On 12-12-'12, the world didn't die, but (without being too dramatic), mine did a little bit.
I got on three planes, in two cars and on two trains and every vehicle took me further away from the foreign countries, the different continent and...
him.

While waiting for my second plane, I noticed I was missing an earring...
I retraced my steps,
went back to the gate I came out from,
asked the sweet gate keeper guy,
he checked the plane for me,
called the plane cleaners and wrote my name down, just in case...
but it was gone.
My favorite pair.

I cried...
But not for those earrings.

I left that earring in America, just as I left him there.
My other earring doesn't feel complete without the other one.
Just as I don't feel intirely complete without him...

But... I dried my tears, washed my face and started thinking of creative things to do with that gorgeous solo earring.
Just as I will find fun and creative ways to spend my time and be me, without him here.

Inspiring friends

One of my inspiring friends Michaela,
quoted Shakespeare:
''Nothing is good or bad,
but thinking makes it so."

I love the friends I made along the way,
and the friends that are here today.

I love the friends I left behind,
there for me to refind.

I love the friends that are there for me.
the friends who let me be.


Detail of artwork @ Asian Art Museum in SF

I love the friends who think the same
even the ones that don't remember my name.

All of my friends give me massive amounts of inspiration...
hearby I tell all of you... you have my adoration!

Lucky me...

Lucky me, for this is what I see...

 

 

Natural Bridges, Santa Cruz

First date? @ sunset.
 

 

Curious bird.

''Lief''!

Seals resting under the pier.

Surfing into the sunset.

 

My new love!

The end of the world

I will be spending the next 2 weeks in Santa Cruz,
before the cozy holidays in Belgium.
 

When I walk here on West Cliff...

I feel like I'm at the end of the world.

And I sort of am.
In body and spirit.

 

With the ocean talking

and the wind hugging

I feel refreshed

and purified.

 

I want to not stop walking.

I want to walk there forever...

All my troubles

get taken away by the wind

and eaten by the ocean.

 

Soon,

I will go,

light and happy

and start yet another new chapter.

 

Oops...

It's been over two weeks since I posted on here...
I've been busy...
Doing stuff, feeling stuff, saying stuff and thinking stuff...

All talked out, but here's a tiny photo summery of what I've been up to.



Catching the sun in Monterey.
 

Moving around in the lovely CA.
From San Francisco, to Monterey, to Santa Cruz, back to the city
more Monterey and Santa Cruz...

In thoughts...
like this lovely Buddha
from the Asian Art Museum
in SF.

Hanging out with these fantastic girls!

Enjoying the healing powers of
magnificent Redwood trees.
 

Reminding myself of my good heart...
and your good heart.

Finding beauty and letting go...

 

Being thankful for 2 great thanksgiving dinners...
and feeling stuffed like a turkey multiple times.
Here... stuffing... a tradition.

Ending Ecuador time in Cuenca...

We were lucky to spend the last of our Ecuadorian days

in one of our favorite places...

Cuenca.

 

Postponing the 5 hour bus ride to the city of our departure (Guayaquil)

we hung out in Cuenca and...

 

People watched...

 

 

 

Went on a photo walk and made people look at us funny

and wonder why we find doorknobs so interesting.

 

 

 

Stared at the pretty buildings and enjoyed the sun in a blue sky.

 

 

 

Went in to some interesting buildings

without knowing what they were actually there for.

 

 

 

 

Did some last minute shopping...

Not for propane of course :)

Our purchases are still a secret!

 

 

 

 

Enjoyed the delicious food...

Veggie almuerzos RULE!

 

 

 

Sent my last Ecuadorian postcards...

 

 

 

And... unfortunately getting sick...

It's part of travelling and I was due :)

 



A home for everyone...

I do not have the words to describe our visit to orphanage ''Hogar Para Todos'' in Azogues, Ecuador...
All I can say...
all 28 of the children living there took a piece of our hearts...
and Nancy Calle and the ladies taking care of the children are my new heroes.

I let the pictures speak for themselves...
Want to know more?
* Read Tims blog: http://vagabondurges.wordpress.com/2012/11/09/a-home-for-everyone-part-1/
* Check out the facebook page ''Fundacion Hogar Para Todos''
* Ask me about it
Want to do more?
* Those 28 sweethearts can always use some sponsoring... contact me or Tim if you want to help.