the final countdown!

20 days.. that is all we have left in Chile now. It is quite unbelievable to think that almost 3 years ago we left our home in London with just a few suitcases, a baby and a toddler to stay for a few weeks in Santiago.  It has been amazing. A time of personal growth, of learning how to cope with difficult situations both from a physical and mental point of view. Both of us are so grateful of the opportunity that we have had to live out here and immerse ourselves in a culture so different to our own. Particularly that we have all been able to learn Spanish; now we have to keep it..

I am very interested to see how I will adapt back to the UK having been away now for so long. A big adjustment will be having no help at home, so I will be a much busier Mum, a challenge which I looking forward to and hope I can rise to. Of course my concern is what to do if I have a relapse, but I am looking positively and trusting that if God wants us to be in the UK that he will provide me with the coping mechanisms. At least my family will be only a car journey away and not a 20 hour, 2 plane trip away.

Speaking of planes, my brother is doing that trip now as I type, from Santiago to Uk, having been with us for the last 2 weeks. It has been really special to have the family here and we are very grateful that they were able to sneak in a visit before we finally leave. They have traveled independently both north and south of Santiago, as well as spending their weekends with us. I have noticed something very encouraging whilst they have been here, which is that I have been much calmer, more enthusiastic, more energetic and I haven't crashed after activity nearly as quickly as usual. It really feels like the adrenal gland supplements are working! In fact last night we went out to dinner at a particularly good Peruvian restaurant, I tasted Peruvian pisco sour, red wine and even had a cocktail of my own. We then danced until 3 am at a salsa bar, rolled home to bed and by 7am I was up making breakfast for the girls and feeling reasonably good! Today I seem to have had no side effects from the indulgence, which we have been amazed at. I am praying that nothing will go awry in the next few days..

So, I am sad that the family have left. I have fantastic memories of their time here, as do our children, and now it feels like our time really is closing in. I am excited about the move, but also apprehensive. I don't feel stressed yet, and hope it stays that way.. TM and stress don't mix!

Living la vida loca..!!

I wouldn't have it any other way really.. I have never been one for sitting still, and dear God, bless Him, has at least allowed me to continue with my craziness by giving me a form of TM which sees me recovering for periods of time. Yes, it is frustrating, as although I recover and can get on with most things relatively "normally" I never know when a relapse might hit me. We plan our lives thinking I will be ok and then deal with the consequences as they arrive.

So, right now we are preparing to leave Chile, and so I am trying to find the most economical way to get our possessions back, pack, find somewhere to live and organise how we move into a new house, as we are not returning to our flat in London. My brother is here visiting with his wife and daughter as I mentioned, and I have been acting as their travel agent. Don't worry, I love that sort of thing, but of course it is one more thing to do. Today I am busy with my nana organising food for our celebration tomorrow. I feel very blessed to have had Karina working with us, as she has enabled me to get on with other areas of my life. Now that my MSc dissertation is completed, I have been trying to focus on nutrition and how that is helping me. I am now trying to turn that outwards and would like to start to help others. My girls, of course, are a constant use of my energy, but they add so much happiness and richness to my life. On top of all this I am helping my husband start up his business as director of a consulting firm. I am responsible for keeping up with the accounts and running errands to get business cards, printing and administration done on the company's behalf.

As I said though, I wouldn't have it any other way. Life for me is so dull when I have little to do. I don't feel valued or that I am using the skills God gave me. I find it difficult to do nothing, even reading a book sometimes is hard as I feel I should be doing something more productive! I inherited it from my Mum who is just the same.. so the way I am trying to relax is by doing yoga. I have been wanting to try it for some time, and finally found a suitable class. The teacher had to stop the class after only a few weeks, so now I am having private classes with the teacher, which is great because she can tailor the class to my exact needs. Of course this combines exercise too, which I am finding more and more of a challenge because I fatigue so quickly. I have to be feeling on top notch form to do anything too physical. It is a form of exercise I am really enjoying.. and I am sure it is helping in many ways, certainly my flexibility and balance.

We don't have anymore travelling planned before we leave Chile sadly, but we are going via Peru on our way back to the Uk. The my vida will become more loca as we settle in to a new home, new city and make new friends...

All Change!

Things have been a bit hectic here recently, but I am pleased to say that on the whole I am holding up! We have suspected for some time that we might move back to the Uk at the end of this year, and now it is definite. 3 years of uncertainty have passed by almost in the wink of an eye it feels. I have very mixed feelings about going back, but am excited at moving closer to family and friends, and having services in a language in my mother tongue. Familiarity was something else I was seeking out a little, but that may be difficult given that we have chosen to move to a city where we know no-one.. but we have placed our trust in God that he will provide, as He always has done so far.

Consequently, we have been cramming in last minute visits around this beautiful country, trying to soak up the rich culture, the diverse landscapes and the warmth and friendliness of the Chilean people, about which I plan to write in greater detail soon. At this very moment, my brother, his wife and daughter are visiting Chile, independently exploring north of Santiago, then stopping over with us for the weekend before heading south. They took their last chance.. I have mentally prepared myself before to leave Chile, but everything changed suddenly overnight and we stayed almost another year longer. So, I guess I am a little guarded, although we are making all the necessary plans to return, including school applications and house renting.

My diet continues and although I am not always able (and if truth be told, good enough) to stick to it 100%, I can honestly say I feel the benefits when I stay on track. If I waver, I suffer in one form or another. I have had a couple of short lived but very severe attacks recently which would appear to follow on from "treating" myself to something that tastes a little more interesting. Overall, since starting my adrenal supplements I have had more energy, have been sleeping better, more patience with my children, less anxiety and just generally more relaxed. I don't fly off the handle because my husband is a little late home from work, or because the girls have decided to do their craft work as they chose and not exactly as I expected them to. So that is all very encouraging. Because of where we live, I sometimes fall short of some pills whilst waiting for my next order to arrive. I certainly notice the effects of their absence too. The adrenal glands supposedly take a minimum of 4 months to recover, and with the state of mine it could take much longer. For some it can take up to 9 months for them to regulate. I am just getting to the end of 2 months of treatment. However it is important that they are monitored, as over correction can take place, which gives rise to other problems. So when I get back to the Uk I will be getting a retest to see where I am at..

So amidst packing, filling in school applications and looking at potential houses to rent, my life trots on without too much drama. The girls are excited to return to be closer to family, although I'm not sure how much they really comprehend, but Mary seems to be led by the excitement of starting a new school. On Saturday we will be having a party to celebrate our 3 years here in Chile. It isn't a farewell party, just a celebration of the wonderful time we have had here with very special friends. I hope my brother and his family enjoy meeting them all..

Easter Island Days 4 & 5

Day 4

The early birds of the family went off for an early walk at sunrise, whilst I slept in longer with our snoozy baby! Mary had lots of fun at the play area in the village. I had organised a hire car for the day so that we could explore the whole island. It didn't take us long to get around considering the whole island is so small (25km long and 12.5km wide).

Firstly we went to Rano Raraku, the site where up to the 18th century 95% of the Moai figures were carved over a period of 500 years.  Here 397 Moai remain, never having been transported anywhere. Considered the Moai graveyard, the slopes of the volcanic crater are littered with the giant monolithic sculptures, some standing, some leaning, some half buried and others lying face down. Despite being windy and overcast we had great fun traversing the slopes of the volcano admiring the individuality of all the carvings.


There are several incomplete Moai that can be seen at the quarry. The most notable of these is a giant statue still lying, like in its' grave, never having been excavated. Had it have been finished it would have been twice the size of any other carving, standing 21.6m high and weighing a massive 270 tonnes.

Of course, it would have been rude to leave without climbing up and seeing inside the quarry. Although not wildly exciting to see the lake inside another volcano, it was eerie to watch the patterns made by the wind as it howled across the surface of the lake. The ripples were uniform and pushed the water to the edges where it lapped against the tall, green reeds, and the girls feet! It also afforded us a picturesque view back out over the island. I particularly enjoyed the contrast between the orange colours of the volcanic rock, which framed the ever changing layers of green as the eye moved out further into the distance finally finding the peninsula.


From the quarry we drove on to Ahu Tongariki. Here the landscape is dominated from afar by 15 Moai which have withstood the test of time. They have survived the island's civil wars, along with an earthquake which caused a huge tidal wave, sweeping over the statues causing them to fall and get damaged. A project by the Chilean government and the Japanese in 1994 saw the restoration of these carvings to their former state. It was picturesque to see the Moai against the backdrop of the sea, whilst in the foreground wild horses grazed.

Anakena and its beautiful sweeping beach white idyllic white sand was the last stop on our island tour. Here we had a picnic whilst the sun tried its best to burn off the cloud. Jude made her best attempt at snorkeling, managing to be brave enough to put her head in the water and see a crab. 

The girls were very excited that we had arranged another afternoon for them with their new friends. They could barely get through the door quick enough when we arrived, so Ross and I felt comfortable to enjoy our 3 hours to ourselves. We had decided to drive back to a beach close to Anakena, Ovahe, and spent our time diving again. It was a pretty beach and the water was clean but not nearly as calm.  I swam out, but it didnt take long for the waves to set me off feeling seasick. I saw a number of fish but decided that I needed to go back onto solid ground. Ross helped me swim back safely before going to enjoy a dive by himself.

It was hard to drag the girls away, so Antje kindly invited us to stay for supper. Of course we accepted the invitation to the girls delight. I had just a light bite as I had arranged with Hema to go for dinner and on to a Rapa Nui show. So I left the rest of them enjoying food and play, to dash back and meet up with Hema. She was getting ready to leave as she had bumped into a travel buddy she previously met in San Pedro de Atacama, so arranged that he join us for some food. The restaurant we ate at was very basic, but the food was really good. We had a fish which is caught off the island, sadly none of us remember the name of it, but it was a really good fish. It came with salad and chips and as always some good bread and pebre. 

The show was a lot of fun. We chose not to sit in the front row in an attempt at not getting pulled out on stage to dance. Luckily it worked! It opened with a man wearing no more than a jockstrap, painting himself with the clay based paint they traditionally use. It was quite intimidating with the dimmed light and the strange music, so I was glad that I had left the girls behind. Especially when several of them came on and started jumping around, banging sticks and shouting in a style which was reminiscent of the Haka. 3 stunning ladies danced, depicting the essence of the slim, dark skinned, Polynesian women that live on the island. 

Day 5

On our last morning we woke up very heavy hearted, feeling a great sadness at having to leave the island. In just a few days we had both grown to love the people, their culture and the rich history tied into this petite little island. Another week there would not have gone amiss, and we could see how the missionary families had stayed for so long. But sadly we had to leave. There were a few hours in which we could explore a bit more, so we focused on the town of Hanga Roa which we had neglected. I always enjoy craft work, so set off to walk around the Feria where they both carve and sell typical crafts. I managed to find a gorgeous hand crafted salad bowl and servers, and haggled to a good price, almost half of one I had seen previously. The girls really enjoyed watching the craftsmen at work and were hovering over our crafters shoulder asking many questions. 

We took a last stroll along the sea front back to our hostel, which was a new route for me. This took us past more very beautiful carvings, unusually one had a painted back, so really caught my eye. Mary had seen Hema also strolling along back to the hostel and, never one to forget, insisted that she played hide and seek which had been put off for 3 days! 

Back at our hostel, our host Vicky was getting nervous that we were not allowing ourselves the recommended 2 hours check in time. She was pointing at her watch and repeating "2 hours" as we all loaded our suitcases into her vehicle. As we approached the airport we saw our friends walking to spend their last moments with us whilst we waited for our plane. The girls were so happy and they were given a big bunny as a reminder of their new friends. We climbed on the plane with smiles, and many happy memories of a fabulous trip.