the little travelers * travel blog

the tsunami that wasn't

So late last night when getting home after a family reggae concert we found out a tsunami was on its way and was to hit around 11am this morning.  We are located at the mouth of the river right on the ocean.  The sound of the ocean is a constant sound we hear all day and night.  The last tsunami that hit the island took out this entire river valley fifty years ago.  So what do a couple of 40-something year old women do when faced with eminent evacuation and a house full of sleeping children?  Wine and brownie bites from Costco of course!  Yup, from the person who made it through Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas with no refined sugar this year.  A big pack of brownie bites were in the house for a kids' potluck thing and we decided they definitely needed to be broken into and eaten in pairs.  Finally at 2:30 we decided to try to sleep a bit, only to be woken up a few hours later by sirens and mandatory evacuation.  So the one suitcase we each had turned into 2 outfits, a bathing suit, cameras and computer, no suitcases.  That's what we left with today fully expecting this whole house to be washed away and needing to find housing.  

The local radio stations were announcing an all island prayer happening at the same time and apparently it worked!  It was quite comical to see the scientists on TV saying, "We're really scratching our head on this one, wondering where it went...'  It just seemed to disappear.  

So now we're back in the same little house all safe and sound with tons of clothes and stuff here that now we get to keep.  It's so funny how the car full of stuff seemed like not much  when we were leaving and now after keeping 2 outfits each, having a whole suitcase full of clothes feels like a ton.  Perspective is everything.

 

details

So many of you have been asking me for a few more details...  Without getting into too much detail, I will say that our living arrangement needed some adjusting and so rather than stay in the desert and change housing we went for a bigger leap.  And as for the girls and their part in all of that decision making process- I did consult them.  Since we were at the school we were at because of their desire to be there I thought it only right to see what they wanted to do.  Now I know many people take issue with this thinking that is the adult's role, but I did ask.  And they were both ready for a change.  I was clear that if we left Arizona it would mean leaving all their 'things' behind except one doll and one game and a suitcase full of clothes.  I was also clear that this included recent Christmas gifts that they were really enjoying like their new carrom's board.  The house we were living in with grandma was large with a huge loft upstairs dedicated nearly entirely to their American girl dolls.    

 

When they do voice over for one of our dvds they choose the form of payment that they would like to receive.  In the past it has been trips to Disneyland (when we lived nearby) or Legoland, but in recent years the payment they've chosen is an American girl doll and one extra outfit.  With grandparents helping increase the load as well, they soon ended up with loads of goods from this company of marketing gurus.  They had the closet full of clothes, beds, desks, laundry rooms, kitchen tables- you name it.  When it came time to leave it all behind they had no problems whatsoever.  It was truly one of my most proud parenting moments to watch them give all this stuff away to their cousins.  They were running around the loft adding more and more stuff to the bags picking out the things they thought each cousin would like the most.  Their favorite books, games, dolls and outfits all given away in joy.  And I gave away the $600 Waldorf castle too!  That was the hardest for me to just let go of.  No thoughts of selling or trying to get some money back- just joyfully giving it away to my nieces who still have years of enjoyment ahead of them.  They both agreed that they'd much rather live at the beach than with their stuff.  Amen to that!

 

It's amazing how much power we can let all that stuff have over us and how truly liberating is to just release it all!  I am so grateful they chose the way they did!  Now I'm swimming laps with fish swimming by me rather than in a chlorinated pool at the YMCA.  Sooo worth the trade.

 
 And as for friends... they've been doing more writing since leaving school than they ever did while in school.  With emails going back and forth their writing and spelling has already improved since leaving.  I think in many ways they feel the same way about friendship that I do and that it not something that ends when we move to a different physical location.  Friends are something that we carry with us always in our hearts.

island priorities

Can I just say how happy I am to be in a place that has their priorities straight!  I was in LA selling my car and computer on craigslist and the pace of interactions is truly insane.  I had a guy wanting to buy my computer calling multiple times from his commute saying, "I'm on my way, just stuck in traffic, but I'm on my way."  so I wouldn't sell the computer out from under him.  

Now I'm here looking for a new car and in setting up appointments it goes something like this, "Well, I'm going surfing now so you can call me later and see if I'm around."  "Sun's out so I'll be at the beach for a while and then you can come by tomorrow, or next week, or whenever..."  I'm still on a total spastic pace and can't wait until I mellow out!  But I love the fact that no one is going to miss out on a great day at the beach in order to sell something!  Money is not king here- enjoying the island reigns supreme!  Thank goodness somewhere someone has their sense about them.

Some shots of life on the river:

 

 

 
 

aloha

A little bit of drama, a little bit of driving and little bit of flying and now we've ended up here.  In Kauai.  On one-way tickets.  I know, it's a long story and a short story all at the same time.

 

Turns out I was probably not so suited to the desert.  Or having a job.  Or having the kids in school.  I mean, it was all fine- we'd get up in the dark, pack lunches, get dressed, sit on the freeway for a half an hour and then get to school.  I really loved teaching and my students and it was great being part of a community again.  But I have to say, I really love the beach.  Really, really love the beach.  It is my personal vow to myself to never live away from it again for as long as I live.  

 When I was in labor with above child I went to the beach.  Water broken, wearing a Depends pad, I walked in the sand and up the steep ramps to the beach.  When I lived in Jamaica I lived on the beach.  When I lived in Japan the beach was 10 minutes away.  The ocean soothes my soul and I'm committing myself to it forever.

So now the girls are unschoolers again and I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do in order to make it work for us here.  But we're here!  Irresponsible, probably.  Risky, definitely.  Sold all our worldly possessions and each brought one suitcase.  We are now here on the world's most remote island chain and figuring it out as we go.  

 There are a few things we brought with us:  Quilts that we love, our NASA designed, dust mite impermeable pillows, bathing suits, a handful of clothing, a camera, a video camera and a macbook.  What more do three girls need?  Let the adventures begin!  

ps-  I did get the Germany dvd off to the printers a few days ago- the day before we left the mainland.  So it'll be available in about a month.  hooray.  And if any of you feel moved to call some local libraries and request the dvds that are out if you haven't already, I sure would appreciate it!