It struck me today that we only have a few more months here in Barbados, and I always feel a bit sad when we start the moving process. Even in Shanghai where things were crazy and crowded and polluted and dirty, there were also many, many delicious and exciting and relaxing things that we discovered over the course of our time there. The biggest disappointment for me about our time in Shanghai was the feeling that I was just getting really comfortable there when we started to pack our stuff up to leave. I could drive myself around the city, knew my favourite places for dumplings, pizza, crepes, burgers, and even (Greg still thinks I am crazy) where I could get an avocado shake. I had been to Tai Kang Lu and Pearl City so many times I finally felt like a local, and to make things even easier a metro stop had just opened up steps from our house. I could speak enough Mandarin to get by, and even to feel comfortable going out to new places by myself... and then it was time to leave.
Adjusting to life in Barbados was nothing like the adjustment in Shanghai. In most ways the two experiences couldn't have been more different, but the experience of leaving is shaping up to be just about the same. This hit me today because I was having such a great day, and yet it was just a normal Saturday in every way. Every Saturday I leave Ryan with Greg and drop Conor off for a sailing lesson. I go to the gym, work out, and then have a chance to just sit and enjoy the beautiful beach. Sometimes I go in for a quick swim, other times I just sit and watch the tourists (I imagine them all coming from the icy north) enjoying the sun and the perfect water. I enjoy the smell of the ocean, the clean salty air, and the colour of the water which changes from a translucent turquoise to a deep, deep blue. After this bit of relaxation I head back over the the Yacht Club and have my own sailing lesson, and Conor joins me on my boat as my crew. Conor ends up spending about 4 hours on the ocean every Saturday, and he is never anxious to come in. I love this time out on the water for so many reasons. It is great to be learning something new. I never really pictured myself as a sailor, but if I am going to pick the skill up anywhere I imagine there won't be a better place to do it in the world! I love that I am sharing something with Conor that he enjoys so much, and there is a particular joy to it being something that he is better at than me, something that he can teach me. After sailing, we stop at Cuz, simply the best place to eat fish cutters in Barbados, and we bring lunch home to Ryan and Greg. At this point we usually hang out at home for a while, relax and rest after our busy morning, but in the afternoon we go out and do something as a family. Last week we went to the Accra pool, the week before it was miniature golf, but today we walked to the driving range at the golf course behind our house and hit buckets and buckets of balls. Ryan LOVES driving in the golf cart (of course!) and we all enjoy the walk and the practice. Tonight was unusually busy, so we weren't quite as free to play around as normal. The kids and I head over to the driving range some afternoons after school, and we pretty much have the place to ourselves. But it wasn't too busy for us to hit our balls and stop for a drink at the club. We walked back home just as the sun was setting.
All day long I kept having these wistful moments. I wish that I could memorize everything about the time and the place and the people. I want to somehow make permanent the feeling of being out in a little boat with Conor as the wind picks up and we really start to move along the water. How refreshing the spray of the water is. How carefree and happy Conor is as he leans his whole body over the side of the boat, arms outstretched, hair just grazing the water, face looking up at the sky just because he "likes how the world looks from that angle." I want to somehow always remember Ryan's laughing face as he glides down the hill at the golf course on his bike, swerving back and forth just to make the ride last a little bit longer.
I got a little teary in the car today on our way back from Sailing. I told Conor that I enjoyed our time together at sailing so much, and that it was one of the things that I will miss the very most about our life in Barbados, and can you guess what he said? First, of course he said "aw, thanks Mom, I really love it too!" And then, proving that he is clearly much older than his 10 years, he said "but we'll have something else to share where ever we go... maybe we could take tennis together, or something else that we haven't thought of." So yes, I take comfort from the wisdom of Conor, and even as I try desperately to focus on making the most of our last few months in Barbados, I will look forward to the new and as yet unimagined treasures that surely await us in each of our future homes.
Some pictures from today and a few from last Saturday:
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| Conor and Mom at the Barbados Yacht Club. |
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| Conor acts as both navigator and crew. |
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| A quiet moment, when the wind gave us a break. |
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| Ryan rides his Strider bike to the driving range. |
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| Ryan sure looks like he knows what he is doing. (He doesn't!) |
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| Conor does know what he is doing, and he is really improving! |
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| Ryan is being tickled by his dad in this picture, it's not his fault he isn't cooperating! |
Walking home at sunset after such a wonderful day!
And a few pictures with the boys at the golf course on a different day:
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