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COUNTDOWN TO CHILE |
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PRE-TRIP PREPARATIONS
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We are going to a place called La Serena--The Serene. I hope it lives up to its name. Some peace and serenity would be a real treat these days. Since 9/11, our country seems to have plunged into a quagmire of hysteria and paranoia. I'm tired of listening to Bush, and I'm tired of hearing about all the atrocities going on in the Middle East. I guess it doesn't help that I have now made it my business to focus on all of this. Now, in addition to worrying about personal and family issues, I worry about bioterrorism and plagues.
It will be hard watching the November election from so far away. David and I joke that we will become political refugees in Chile if King George gets elected again. We applied for absentee ballots which I assume means that they will be counted. One cannot be too sure in a U.S. election nowadays.
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In trying to decide where to spend David's six month sabbatical, we had our lists of requirements. My list included: political stability, no terrorism, no malaria, Spanish language, and temperate climate. David's criterion: good telescopes. That pretty much excluded all countries except Chile. We thought about the Canary Islands briefly, but we didn't want to spend six months on a island. Too isolating. I know people will think we're nuts, but I like to have my feet firmly planted on a continent.
Once we settled on Chile, I did what any self-respecting mother would do, I went to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) web site to look up what diseases I should worry about while we're there. Fortunately, malaria is not an issue, but there is this strange malady called Chagas Disease that you can get from a kissing bug. The bug sneaks in at night and bites you near the lips while you're sleeping. (That's why it's called the kissing bug.) Its bite releases parasites which travel throughout your body and permanently damages your organs. Unfortunately, there is no vaccine and treatment only works if the disease is caught very early. The only way to prevent this deadly disease is to stay at five star hotels at all times; this is the only way to ensure that the bugs can't crawl through the cracks in the walls and foundations. I'll have to make sure that we only stay in top of the line hotels for the duration of the trip--preferably ones with spas.
We have all gotten our Hepatitis A and typhoid vaccines. Julian, our gourmet 10 year old, is now thrilled that we can eat at any Mexican restaurant and order uncooked scallians with abandon.
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We are purging our possessions. We are getting rid of our two cars and selling our condo in NYC. Yesterday, David went through his wardrobe and threw out half of it. I culled the kids' clothes. Getting rid of possessions is kind of like losing weight. You feel lighter when you are through, but the process is painful. I think I'll wait until the last minute to get rid of my stuff.
Sarah, our 7 year old, I have discovered has a horrible allergy. She is allergic to the word "clean." For example, when I say, "Sarah, go clean your room," she develops an immediate reaction of fatigue and has to quickly retreat to her room to lie down. Julian doesn't have this allergy; however, Joshie, our 3 year old, has a variant of it. Instead of fatigue like Sarah, he develops sudden hearing difficulties and just ignores what is being asked. Funny, at daycare, he doesn't seem to have this problem. I've watched him cheerfully help put toys away after his teachers ask him. Maybe he's only allergic to putting toys away when they are in his home. Is there a scientific explanation for strange phenomenon?
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Before the WMAP satellite launched in June 2001, David's colleagues were pulling all-nighters getting it ready. I teased him that they were doing all the work--what was he doing? He said that his turn will begin when the data starts coming in. I had no idea what was in store--or that I would become a satellite widow. David and his team worked day and night for over two years.
I hope David gets some much needed rest while we are in La Serena. He not only worked day and night, but he also worked during his sleep. In his dreams, he did equations and then would wake up around 3-4 am to write them down. Sometimes he would write them down and just stay awake working for several hours before collapsing. Of course, this disrupted my sleep so I would stay awake for the rest of the night. I can't claim I was doing equations.
Unfortunately,our little 3 year old alarm clock, Joshie, had no mercy for our sleepless nights. David bought a T-shirt from his favorite coffee house that read, "Sleep is for the weak." That might be his motto, but I can't live on coffee so my motto is, "...
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