I imagine that the kids will have all kinds of questions about why they have to take their shoes off and what all the big machines are for. I know Logan will love the metal detecting wand when he sees it.
Airplane Security
By now I am sure everyone is aware of the recent bomb scare on the flight to Detroit. US Homeland Security has predictably tightened up the rules on what you can bring on planes destined for the United States again. This isn't an issue if you aren't landing in the United States but of course, we have to go through Miami to get to Santa Cruz so we are expecting some lengthy delays getting through security thanks to the new rules.
I imagine that the kids will have all kinds of questions about why they have to take their shoes off and what all the big machines are for. I know Logan will love the metal detecting wand when he sees it.
I imagine that the kids will have all kinds of questions about why they have to take their shoes off and what all the big machines are for. I know Logan will love the metal detecting wand when he sees it.
Christmas Visits & New Years Wishes
Christmas was a busy time for us as we had Melody's brother Aaron and his wife Orishia come and stay with us for a few days followed by Christmas Eve supper with Tony, Suki and his mother, and then my parents arrived on Christmas Day and stayed for a couple of days. Everyone wanted to be sure to see us before we leave at the start of February.
It was nice to see everyone since we don't get out to see Aaron often in Okotoks and the kids really like playing with him. We saw my parents a month or so ago in Regina when Lukas had a soccer tournament but its always good for the kids to see Grandma and Grandpa and Logan was sad to see them go. He really likes to have spend time with them and he especially enjoyed teaching Grandpa how to play chess.
I think all the kids liked their gifts even though they were a little more sparse than previous years as we tried to keep costs down so they can have a little more spending money in Bolivia if they want some souvenirs.
For the first time in a few years, we have nothing planned for New Years Eve and will probably just watch a movie together and relax a bit after the busy Christmas week.
It was nice to see everyone since we don't get out to see Aaron often in Okotoks and the kids really like playing with him. We saw my parents a month or so ago in Regina when Lukas had a soccer tournament but its always good for the kids to see Grandma and Grandpa and Logan was sad to see them go. He really likes to have spend time with them and he especially enjoyed teaching Grandpa how to play chess.
I think all the kids liked their gifts even though they were a little more sparse than previous years as we tried to keep costs down so they can have a little more spending money in Bolivia if they want some souvenirs.
For the first time in a few years, we have nothing planned for New Years Eve and will probably just watch a movie together and relax a bit after the busy Christmas week.
End of the Shots & Out of the Shop
This weekend will see the last of the shots we have needed before we leave and I for one can't wait for them to be over. I know the kids are looking forward to them being finished as well. Unfortunately, the last one is once again rabies which means another two days of feeling like a retired linebacker.
We have also all had our physicals, eye appointments and for most of us dental appointments and everyone has come out of the shop with a clean operating report, so we are all good to go.
Our duffle bags that we ordered have also arrived at Quinn the Eskimo in Saskatoon and will be picked up today (thanks Becky). We figured duffle bags were the best bet rather than luggage so we can fill them all on the way down with whatever we need, but if we don't fill 10 bags on the way back, we can roll the unused ones up and pack them in the other ones. Instead of the camo military style, we have plain black ones made of the same heavy canvas material that the military uses and we will be sewing our Canadian flags on them so we an identify them better in the airport.
Everybody is coming up to Prince Albert to visit us over Christmas before we fly out, so its going to be a little hectic around the house for the next week and a half. Melody's brother Aaron and his wife will be arriving tomorrow and staying until Christmas Eve, when Tony, Suki and Tony's mom will be coming over for Christmas supper. Its Suki's first Christmas in Canada and we figured they shouldn't be alone over Christmas. Then on Christmas Day, my parents will arrive for a few days. I will of course be taking no time off over the holidays because it will all be used in February, so its going to be a busy stretch.
I probably won't be posting until after Christmas, so I can talk about what the kids got that they might be able to use while we are gone. Two of them can read fairly well, and they know how to find the blog, so no hints will be given. Merry Christmas everyone.
We have also all had our physicals, eye appointments and for most of us dental appointments and everyone has come out of the shop with a clean operating report, so we are all good to go.
Our duffle bags that we ordered have also arrived at Quinn the Eskimo in Saskatoon and will be picked up today (thanks Becky). We figured duffle bags were the best bet rather than luggage so we can fill them all on the way down with whatever we need, but if we don't fill 10 bags on the way back, we can roll the unused ones up and pack them in the other ones. Instead of the camo military style, we have plain black ones made of the same heavy canvas material that the military uses and we will be sewing our Canadian flags on them so we an identify them better in the airport.
Everybody is coming up to Prince Albert to visit us over Christmas before we fly out, so its going to be a little hectic around the house for the next week and a half. Melody's brother Aaron and his wife will be arriving tomorrow and staying until Christmas Eve, when Tony, Suki and Tony's mom will be coming over for Christmas supper. Its Suki's first Christmas in Canada and we figured they shouldn't be alone over Christmas. Then on Christmas Day, my parents will arrive for a few days. I will of course be taking no time off over the holidays because it will all be used in February, so its going to be a busy stretch.
I probably won't be posting until after Christmas, so I can talk about what the kids got that they might be able to use while we are gone. Two of them can read fairly well, and they know how to find the blog, so no hints will be given. Merry Christmas everyone.
Logan the Author
Logan's Kindergarten teacher asked him to prepare a small project on Bolivia including a little information about the country, what we will be doing while we are down there and what types of animals live there. Logan took the time (with a little help from Melody for spelling purposes) to hand write the project as best he could. Over the course of a couple weeks, he picked his top 10 Bolivian animal list and got some pictures from the Internet. He wrote short sentences describing what we will be doing and a little bit about the country including the population and location along with a map of our flight route down.
Logan of course decided that this has made him an author and was kind enough to provide his autograph to several of his classmates after presenting his project. He has decided that his next book will be called "Babies With Hair" and that it will be a book of different animals, showing the ones that have hair and the ones that don't have hair. Keep your eyes open for it next Christmas season.
Logan of course decided that this has made him an author and was kind enough to provide his autograph to several of his classmates after presenting his project. He has decided that his next book will be called "Babies With Hair" and that it will be a book of different animals, showing the ones that have hair and the ones that don't have hair. Keep your eyes open for it next Christmas season.
Election Results
Bolivia just held their Presidential election and as predicted by the polls, Evo Morales won again with just over 50% of the vote. President Morales is a very socialist leader who was at one point a coca farmer himself. Many of his policies are not popular in the Santa Cruz area that we will be going to because many of the industries that he is planning to share the wealth from are housed in the Santa Cruz area.
Bolivia as a whole has many untapped natural resources which should produce a great deal of income over the next few years. They have the 2nd largest natural gas deposits in South America and have half of the world's known lithium reserves in the Bolivia salt flats that has been hardly touched. With the emergence of all the lithium battery use in the world, it would be a great boost to their economy if the lithium mining industry really took off.
Click here to read a little more about the Bolivian election results.
Bolivia as a whole has many untapped natural resources which should produce a great deal of income over the next few years. They have the 2nd largest natural gas deposits in South America and have half of the world's known lithium reserves in the Bolivia salt flats that has been hardly touched. With the emergence of all the lithium battery use in the world, it would be a great boost to their economy if the lithium mining industry really took off.
Click here to read a little more about the Bolivian election results.
News at Noon
Tina Mudry from CTV News at Noon was nice enough to invite us on the show today to talk about our efforts in Bolivia. I don't know if we are made for television or not, but I certainly found it interesting.
Vampires and Rabies
Bolivia is a country where bats can be common. Of course, with bats comes the opportunity for rabies. Bolivia has two kinds of bats that can carry rabies. The first is the insectivorous (Artibeus planirostris) bats and the second is the blood-sucking (Desmodus rotundus) bat. Since none of us are insects, I am not generally concerned about the insect eating bat, but we all have blood in us and occasionally these bats are known to nibble on people taking a nap, but most commonly they feed on cattle. Either way, the rabies vaccine is a must.
For those who are not familiar with vaccinations, apparently there are a few side effects that go along with them. Up until now, we had all been lucky enough to not have any of the side effects that can be related to the various shots. That was until we started our rabies vaccinations. A day or so after receiving the shot, Melody and I both had a fair bit of joint pain and of course when we looked it up, its a common side effect of the rabies vaccine. Good thing that we only have 1 more dose of rabies vaccination left to take.
I can't wait to feel like an retired NFL football player again.
For those who are not familiar with vaccinations, apparently there are a few side effects that go along with them. Up until now, we had all been lucky enough to not have any of the side effects that can be related to the various shots. That was until we started our rabies vaccinations. A day or so after receiving the shot, Melody and I both had a fair bit of joint pain and of course when we looked it up, its a common side effect of the rabies vaccine. Good thing that we only have 1 more dose of rabies vaccination left to take.
I can't wait to feel like an retired NFL football player again.
In the Shop
Everybody is going in the shop in the next few days for a little routine maintenance. We have scheduled doctors, dentist and eye appointments for everyone. We just want to make sure all the mechanics are working properly before we hit the road.
Its also time for the next round of shots to take place. This time we are getting the rabies shots. I hear they taste like strawberry. Too bad they get shot into your arm with a needle. Its gonna put a damper on the Grey Cup party. We will all feel a little better about them when the Riders win the big one.
Thanks to everyone who has taken the opportunity to donate to the cause thus far. If anyone missed getting a letter, let us know and we can email it to you.
Its also time for the next round of shots to take place. This time we are getting the rabies shots. I hear they taste like strawberry. Too bad they get shot into your arm with a needle. Its gonna put a damper on the Grey Cup party. We will all feel a little better about them when the Riders win the big one.
Thanks to everyone who has taken the opportunity to donate to the cause thus far. If anyone missed getting a letter, let us know and we can email it to you.
Just Leave It On.
So with all the needles being poked into everyone in the family for H1N1 and the 8000 or so we need to go to Bolivia, the younger kids have been wearing a lot of band-aids on their arms recently. Today, I offered to help Logan take his band-aid off to which he replied "I think we should just leave it on and they can just put the next needle into the band-aid, so when they take the needle out, there is already a band-aid on the right spot."
Why didn't I think of that???
Why didn't I think of that???
No Turning Back Now
Well, the tickets are all paid for and we are set to leave February 8th at 6:35 am for a marathon 27 hour travel period which sees us land in Santa Cruz at 9:10 am local time. I think our last flight from Miami is on an Albatross (the bird, not the plane) because that leg of the flight is just over 6 hours. Its actually not that bad because we get a few hours in each airport to organize the kids, get snacks etc and the last flight has us flying through the night so everybody but me can some sleep on the plane. For some reason I just can't seem to fall asleep on airplanes. I always think I'm going to miss something out the window kinda like William Shatner in the Twilight Zone episode. Melody will of course be fast asleep before the plane leaves the runway as usual.
Our flight plan takes us from Saskatoon to Toronto to Miami to La Paz and finally to Santa Cruz and of course the exact opposite on the way home.
The return flights are pretty good because we get to overnight in Miami and get some rest before the leg home. We are back to our home sweet home on April 5th.
That's all for now folks. Off to get more shots.
p.s. If you really want a ton of information on the city of Santa Cruz or Bolivia in general, there is a really great blog from a lady who lives in Bolivia that tells you everything you would ever want to know. She even lists a restaurant I can't wait to go to in Santa Cruz that serves all the local delicacies including armadillo (picture below), crocodile, charque (dried llama or horse meat like jerky seen below hanging to dry in the sun) and pacu (picture below) which is a cousin of the piranha.
Our flight plan takes us from Saskatoon to Toronto to Miami to La Paz and finally to Santa Cruz and of course the exact opposite on the way home.
The return flights are pretty good because we get to overnight in Miami and get some rest before the leg home. We are back to our home sweet home on April 5th.
That's all for now folks. Off to get more shots.
p.s. If you really want a ton of information on the city of Santa Cruz or Bolivia in general, there is a really great blog from a lady who lives in Bolivia that tells you everything you would ever want to know. She even lists a restaurant I can't wait to go to in Santa Cruz that serves all the local delicacies including armadillo (picture below), crocodile, charque (dried llama or horse meat like jerky seen below hanging to dry in the sun) and pacu (picture below) which is a cousin of the piranha.
Little Info For the Masses
For those of you who are not familiar with where the heck Bolivia is, its a landlocked country in the middle of South America. The western side of the country is about 3 miles above sea level in the Andes mountains and is where the capital city of La Paz is located. Our travels will not stop there however as we will be continuing on to Santa Cruz which is in the lowlands in the east.
Santa Cruz has a population of about 1.5 million people, but the city is not made up of high rises and looks like a very large small town when you are in it. Click here for the wikipedia page about Santa Cruz.
The main purpose of our trip is to help out our friend Ken Switzer and the El Jordan organization who work with street kids. Ron will be providing introductory computer classes and Melody will be teaching the girls esthetics services so they can make some honest income. Both Ken and El Jordan strive to get the kids off the streets, into schools or classes and keep them off.
Below is the building that we will be teaching in. Our accommodations will not be quite so nice however. If you click on this sentence, you will get a youtube video of a recent rain at the place we will be staying. Gives you a real idea of how nice we have it here.
Santa Cruz has a population of about 1.5 million people, but the city is not made up of high rises and looks like a very large small town when you are in it. Click here for the wikipedia page about Santa Cruz.
The main purpose of our trip is to help out our friend Ken Switzer and the El Jordan organization who work with street kids. Ron will be providing introductory computer classes and Melody will be teaching the girls esthetics services so they can make some honest income. Both Ken and El Jordan strive to get the kids off the streets, into schools or classes and keep them off.
Below is the building that we will be teaching in. Our accommodations will not be quite so nice however. If you click on this sentence, you will get a youtube video of a recent rain at the place we will be staying. Gives you a real idea of how nice we have it here.
Shots, Budget and Kindly Donations
We have started getting all our shots and so far everyone is taking them like real troopers. Not one tear has been shed by anybody so far. Halloween candy has terrific healing abilities if applied immediately after receiving an injection. Many thanks to Dr. Ardell for helping us with recommendations and actually performing the shots.
We also received the part that I hate today and that is the budget information which means that I have to actually get off my wallet and send in some cash to go. It also means that we have to start the fund raising portion of this experience. Lukas has kindly offered all his spare change to help out the cause.
We also want to send a shout out to the Salvation Army for donating a whole bunch of school supplies that we are going to fill our second suit cases with for the kids down in Santa Cruz. Believe it or not, they called us because they heard we were going and they wanted to help out.
We also received the part that I hate today and that is the budget information which means that I have to actually get off my wallet and send in some cash to go. It also means that we have to start the fund raising portion of this experience. Lukas has kindly offered all his spare change to help out the cause.
We also want to send a shout out to the Salvation Army for donating a whole bunch of school supplies that we are going to fill our second suit cases with for the kids down in Santa Cruz. Believe it or not, they called us because they heard we were going and they wanted to help out.
Baby Steps
Welcome to our blog for our trip to Bolivia. We have sent in all our forms and info and have been accepted by International Teams for our trip to help out Ken in Bolivia. Now we start the hard part where we start writing all the class notes for the students and the fund raising part.
The kids are coming up with fund raising ideas to do their part. Luke is planning on raising money by shaving his head to raise funds, and the other two are still thinking.
We will try to update this with as much information as we can as we go along and upload pictures and info when we get down there. Check back often for info on fund raising activities.
The kids are coming up with fund raising ideas to do their part. Luke is planning on raising money by shaving his head to raise funds, and the other two are still thinking.
We will try to update this with as much information as we can as we go along and upload pictures and info when we get down there. Check back often for info on fund raising activities.
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