4-11-2010

On the bus on the way to our day trip.

José Luis first request: "Gaseosa!"

Jhonatan enjoying his soda too.

José Luis eating his chips, sweet potatoes and roasted pork.

Cristina, the twins and I at the river.

Jhonatan enjoying his lollipop while trying to dip into the water.

José Luis gazing cutely at the guy who was diving in the river to catch shrimps.

José Luis´s classic pose, bending his little body to play the truck while showing his underwear with his initial on it!

Alcides climbed up the tree to get those boat like plants for the kids to play.

I thought parting would be something to be dealt with when I leave. But it came sooner, and it was like the biggest nightmare! The twins, Jhonatan and José Luis, will soon be adopted by a Swiss couple, and they will move to Switzerland by the end of November, most probably before my arrival from my trip to Colombia. Both of them have been very special to me, and it is just too hard to imagine seeing them go, even though it could be a really good thing for them. They will live in an industrialized country, one of the loveliest in the world in where they will have good education and environment to grow up. Cristina and I decided to ask for permission to take them out for a day today, as I will take off two days later to Colombia for three weeks. When Lemar´t found out that we were going to go out, he raised his hand and said "sí sí" that he wanted to come along too. But of course we couldn´t take him, and I had to explain to him and told him that I will take him out another time. We had lunch together where we let them order and asked for what they wanted to eat. First thing they asked for was "gaseosa" (soft drinks)! They were so loud with their squeaky voice, and they talked so much that sometimes we have to ask them to slow down! All I could think about at that moment was that when I arrived, they couldn´t speak much. In the first couple months, they could just say "agua". Looking at them now, they have changed and grown so much, and we had been through so many good times together. After the meal, they finished homework in the restaurant before we went to the river and passed some time there. They were so afraid of water, but after a while they dared to meter their feet in the river a bit. I tried hard to remember their smiles, laughter, squeaky voices and silly faces. After we returned home, I put them to sleep. First I stayed with Lemar´t, as in fact I missed him so much during our outing. Afterwards, José Luis asked me to stay with him, and so I climbed up to his bed and spent the last night with him. It was all bittersweet, and I held him tight and told him that I will always love him and I would probably be able to visit him in his new home. I don´t really think he understands what´s going on exactly, but he held me so tight too as he fell asleep. I was going to go after he fell asleep, but somehow when I tried to get up he would grab me back with his arm. He did it for at least five times. At that point, I couldn´t hold any longer but burst tears. I went back to my room and cried like a baby. It was awful. The most embarrassing thing was that the walls are so thin that Tía Gadita could hear me nextdoor, and she came to see if I were ok. So we chatted a little bit, and realized that I can´t make any noises even in my room! She was very understanding though and encouraged me with comforting words. I hope that they will have a great life in Switzerland, and "los quiero mucho por siempre!"