A difference

Well, I don't know if I have said anything along these lines in previous blogs.  Perhaps if I read my blogs I would know.  I was standing in the new apartment looking out the window at the street below and the clouds and everything in view.  The sky seems to be a different color of blue here.  It is almost surreal.  I noticed that the sky actually had several shades of blue.  The clouds seemed to have a 3-D effect.  I know that Fabiana misses the other house, she lived there for 13 years and it was her home.  It was the home that the children grew up in.  I know that this is a change for her and she seems to be making the best of it.  I hope that what I am doing and me being here has made it somewhat easier.  The owner of the apartment hasn't actually made it easy to live here.  The first thing she did was tell us that we cannot wash the clothes and have our wash water flow onto her back yard; okay we bought a smaller washer and had it installed in our bathroom and the wash water discharges into the shower.  The second thing she said was not to throw dog droppings into her yard. We haven't done that so I don't know where that came from.  I find it interesting that she has placed about 6 grocery bags full of grass clippings for the garbage collectors to pick up.  They don't do that here.  They have been sitting there for about 3 days.  The garbage gets picked up here every night between 8 and 8:30.  There are still some boxes that need to be unpacked but everything is coming along fine.  The built in closets are okay but I need to retrieve my ladder to get to the parts that are on top.  That is where things will go that don't need to be dealt with on a regular basis.  
Yes, I am happy here and I know that I am loved.  Things are better than they were when I first came here and I loved the country then, you can not imagine how I feel about it now.  
I walk 2 blocks and I am in the center of the city.  
I wish each and everyone of you could come visit Uruguay so you can experience what I do on a daily basis and then you would understand.  I am not asking you to move here because I know that there would be less than a handful of you that would or could do it.  Next time you want to take a vacation to an interesting place, please consider a visit here.
Okay, more in the next blog and I will read the previous blogs to make sure I am not repeating myself, although I will probably repeat about how I feel about living here and being with Fabiana.  She is the love of my life and always will be.

Back down south

I am back living in Paysandu.  Things are different, better.  Things have already started to change for me, us.  I feel more love than I did when I came here the first time.  I was greatly missed, and not just by my family.  A very good friend of mine, Andres, the guy that sells nafta across the street told me that he really missed me.  His wife cried when I left. I know I have friends in the US and family, but my real family is here.  The skies are clearer and the sun is brighter.  This is the place where I will live out the rest of my life and I WILL be happy.
The house sold for less than it's appraised value and we will be moving into our new place on Wednesday.  A lot of the furniture has been sold because we won't need it in the new place.  Some of it is going into storage in the spare room at Fabiana's parents' house.  We bought a new dining room set today along with new beds, better quality stuff. 
The children are happy I'm back and some important things have changed.  Sebastian and I are going to start over and I believe in a short time we will become friends.  Valentina thinks of me as her papi and that is a great thing.  In February we are expecting a new addition to our family and I WILL be the father.  
I know this is a short blog but I wanted everyone to know that I am back in Uruguay and doing great. 

Headed home

Well, I know this will come as a big surprise to most of you.  I am going back to Uruguay, hopefully to live in a different town.  Although, I lived in Paysandu for over a year and a half, we have decided that we need to live somewhere else.  I will always have great memories of Paysandu.  It was the first place I lived when I arrived in Uruguay, but the "adventure" continues.  We are looking to live in Carmelo or Colonia.  My preference would be to live in Colonia.  It is on the South Atlantic coast and it is a very old "town".  Across the river from Colonia is Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Colonia began it's history as a fort to fend off invading forces.  Some of the old cannons are still in place.  It was the second place I visited when I first arrived in Uruguay.  It is a quaint tourist attraction, and a lot of tourists visit there.  It is a relatively small town but it has a lot of charm.  I am also thinking, great fishing.  
So for all the people that have sent me encouraging emails, please wish us luck.  
I don't know much about Carmelo but it is located on a river and I am still thinking fishing.  
We are going to make a fresh start and God willing I will be a father in February.  I am hoping for a daughter.  Love has reblossomed for us and I know we are going to make a go of it.  Fresh start, fresh ideas and fresh living.
Pray for us,if you are so inclined.

Paysandu

Okay, here is the shocking news.  I am returning to Uruguay in about 2 weeks.  It is my home now and that is where I need to be.

Life in the U. S.

St. Louis

I am in St. Louis.  Uruguay is now a history lesson for me.  I am going to miss everything about that country.  It was home for me for over a year and a half.  I didn't have many new friends there but the ones I had I will never forget.  
This will just be a short blog for now.  I am still getting blindsided by feelings of depression but I am sure I will get past it.  
Laterz.

Food

So here I am, 3 days away from returning to the United States.  Needless to say, I am nervous.  I have been living here in Uruguay for over a year and a half, and to be very honest the tranquility of the lifestyle here is very addictive.  I cannot imagine what it is going to be like returning to the hustle of the North American lifestyle.  If I dwell on it, it becomes unsettling.  So in order to change my thought process, I was thinking about what food I would love to eat once I get back.  Pizza? No, there is an abundance of pizzarias here.  Hamburger?  No, the hamburgers are far superior to a hamburger in the US.  Fried chicken?  I cook a mean southernstyle fried chicken.  Anything with pasta?  Pasta and rice dishes here are a staple.
So I was thinking and all of a sudden it hit me, it hit me hard enough to make my mouth start watering.  Even though I have had plenty of meats cooked on an outside grill here, I don't think anything can match the taste of smoked, sliced brisket served with pinto beans, potato salad, pickles and onions with a slice of bread and a jalapeno on the side; or a slab of babyback ribs.  I will probably continue to cook South American style at my apartment; simple and inexpensive.
Another thing I will be experiencing here for the first time will be riding the bus from Paysandu to Montevideo, it should be an interesting and hopefully educational experience.  I will take a taxi from the bus terminal to the airport and then sit around and wait for 9 PM to board the plane.  It will be about a 9 hour flight and then 8 hour layover in Miami.  Unfortunately I will be flying over South America in the dark so I won't get to see what the country looks like from aloft. 
This will probably be my last blog from South America since I only have 2 days and a wake up before I leave.  
Need to dig up the Avocado tree I planted in the back yard to give to my friend across the street.  Fabiana's mother is getting my Jalapeno plant.  
Leaving Uruguay is going to be like saying good bye to a friend that you know you will never see again, some things were just not meant to be.