Don Christian

Is it wrong to desire horrible weather at home while you’re away travelling?  A few years ago, Sheldon and I took our wives and another couple to Panama in June.  It was difficult to justify because the weather is often nice in Idaho in June, and a great part of travel is escaping the things you don’t like about home, but $280 roundtrip tickets to Panama City were impossible to turn down.

While we were enjoying the serene and underappreciated historical town of Portobelo, we got news that it was snowing in Idaho Falls.  I don’t quite know which I was more thrilled about – the fact that I stood shores of the bay where Sir Francis Drake, the great British Admiral (or the pirate as he was known to the Spaniards) was buried in a lead casket, or that 2 inches of snow plagued my hometown.  There’s great joy in knowing what you’re missing out on. (More on the Panama trip in a future post).

So as we enjoy the 75-85 degree days in Medellin and the kids play in the pool, I’m more than pleased to hear that our prolonged winter continues back home… as if it could somehow get it out of its system before we return.

Adding to my joy is the discovery of something we’ve never had necessity of, but which has been quite a treat.  Because the society in South America is so stratified, many upper-class families are able to inexpensively hire nannies for their children.  While we are hardly upper-class, we decided to indulge.

Alba, our nanny, did the laundry, swept and mopped all the floors, made the beds and organized the kids’ clothes, played with the kids, made us a delicious spread of soup, sandwiches and french fries for lunch, washed all the dishes and responded to the kids’ demands for snacks and drinks.  And if that weren’t enough, all day she referred to me as “Don Christian”  which, perhaps self-aggrandizingly, I equivalate to “Sir Christensen.”  I know, its vain, but it sure beats being referred to as “Bddaadth,” which is what happens when native Spanish speakers try to say “Brad.”  If you think that’s funny, try telling one that your name is “Earl.”

Wanderlust with us.