Farewell My Friend

Hi my dear Valentina!

I can't believe I have let so many months lapse. I feel terrible about that, but I know you will forgive me. You do seem to have such a forgiving spirit. The truth is, I have hardly found time for anything these days. Life with two kids is quite a challenge--one I wasn't entirely prepared for. Let me give you a rundown of my day (P.S. our nanny quit recently--so I'm doing this solo): I wake up at the crack of dawn (literally) after being up 4-5 times the night before with my baby. I take care of the kids, I do my writing for my Glamour.com blog (which I have loved!), talk to editors, and then collapse at the end of the day. My mom and my husband are a big help to me, but with two small children in the house, life is bound to be crazy--and it is.

Let me tell you about my new baby, Russell. He was born just before Christmas and is now almost 5 months old! I can hardly believe it. He's a good baby--really mellow and sweet. Thank goodness for that. I'm writing you this note as he sleeps, but my 2 year old, Carson, is running around determined to get my attention. Motherhood is both joyous and frustrating--that's the honest truth!

I just celebrated Mother's Day (and still sometimes find it shocking that I am actually a mother!), and my husband got me the most gorgeous Japanese maple for our yard. Awwww. He also made me a fabulous omelet for breakfast--gotta love that!

I'm making progress on my book--a novel--which I have been polishing and revising for my literary agent. I hope to have a final draft to give her soon, and then it's anyone's guess whether it will be published. I can hope, right?

I often think of you and wonder how life is treating you. Your relationships? Your travel? Your hopes, dreams, goals? It was about this time last year that we began writing to each other--when I gained a new friend. I have treasured this journey, although I have been a tardy letter-writer. : ) And when I look outside and see my tulips in bloom, I remember sending you photos of my garden a year ago.

As we sign off on our little project here at Franglish, I will leave you with what I've learned from this lovely journey:

*That friendship can be real even from afar.

*That there is wisdom in letters.

*That it feels good (and is just plain fun) to get a letter and to have a pen pal (and you don't have to be a kid to do this!)

*That you are a wise and dear soul who has given me much encouragement and joy.

I will always think of you and be grateful that we "met" in years to come. I do hope our paths cross in the real world one day. And I thank you for stepping out and joining me in this little project.

Wishing you the best now and in the future, your friend,

Sarah

The Butterfly Transformation

Dear Sarah, 

it has been a very long time, I know. 

I apologise for my silence. 

As I told you in my last letter, I spent some months in French Guiana, where I had very limited access to the Internet connexion.

I hope that you haven’t been too worried about me, nor upset or deceived. I haven’t forgotten you! I think of your round belly, and I wonder if you and your baby are just fine. Is Carson excited to be waiting for his little brother? Does Jason take care of you as he should?
I read about your new blog and I am so proud of you! Congratulations! It’s such an exciting project…

In Guiana I wrote you some thoughts, that I report here under without corrections.

Dear Sarah,
I am writing to you from Saint Laurent du Maroni, French Guiana… an overseas department of France wedged along the remote, northeastern shoulder of South America between Suriname and Brazil. From my window I can see the Maroni river, and on the other side the Surinamian village of Albina. Amazonian forest all around.
Humid and hot. Mosquitos. Fiu fiu fu fii fii… crac ra cra… all the noises of the forest awake in me the souvenirs and the sensations of my previous trips to Costa Rica and Martinica… even if the French Guiana doesn’t look like anything known.
In this village of the far west reigns a strange atmosphere. The signs of the colonization remain, the French administration is present everywhere, with its palaces beside the local shacks in wood, and the enormous Camp of Transportation, an ill-famed prison where till 50 years ago the modern slaves were kept, obliged to the forced work. The work camps were set deep in a jungle. The penal system in French Guiana was notorious for its high mortality rate, and if you see the movie "Papillon", it isn't difficult to see why. The prisoners were engaged in hard labor, with poor rations, in a malarial swamp. Frankly, the surprising thing isn't that up to forty percent of prisoners died every year, but rather that over sixty percent lived.
Today the nature has taken possession of this abandoned place, the vegetation grows anywhere, in this green hell. Saint Laurent is not a place of great tourist interest, nevertheless the effect of disorientation is strong. Its inhabitants represent perhaps the most ethnically diverse group of people anywhere in South America, from Creole-speaking Haitians to Portuguese-speaking Brazilians to Buddhist Hmong refugees from Laos. This morning we had breakfast with a shrimp and chicken soup, at the market of the village. On Saturday the village is full of life, very different in comparison with other days when the roads are desert and the slowness is the only imperative.
Here life is regulated by the alternation between the rain and the sun. The river is the place where all human activities take place: here women wash the dishes, men wash their car (crazy!) and transport their merchandises, children swim totally naked… even if the brown colour of the water is not so appealing for diving!
Yesterday walking on the beach of Awala Yalimapo we assisted to the birth of the marine turtles, it was so moving to see them appearing from their nest under the sand and to follow their march of survival towards the sea. Tomorrow, if the tropical rains allow us, we will reach by pirogue a Hmong village where we will eat at noon.
And then we will shelter ourselves in a bungalow, in a tropical garden similar to the Eden… Bob and I have already spent some nights there, like Adam and Eve, sleeping in the hammocks, eating grilled shark cooked on the stone… Bob in his “roots” version: “I’m a poor man, I’m a fisherman”... !!! 

We also organised a photo competition: we were playing as we were special reporters for National Geographic, in charge of indexing all the species of flowers and animals in that garden. This garden is so rich that it took us the entire afternoon, believe me! I must confess that Bob won the competition, thanks to the butterfly that I couldn’t catch, and also to a flower of cotton that I missed…

Here the power of nature is impressive and I feel like in the maternal belly… in complete harmony with the universal pachamama.

I have been very happy during this trip, but sometimes also very sad. The crisis I am passing through followed me over there. Even if you run away, you can’t run away from yourself… The day I came back to Marseille I had the impression to touch the bottom… maybe it’s the only thing I can do, if I want to climb up again to the highest cliffs…

Why did I choose the image of the butterfly for this letter? Because it doesn't freak out when it knows it's time to change! It just sees change as the next step. In its caterpillar stage, it creates its little cocoon, goes inside, and when times up, and after quite a work out, it emerges, transformed into a butterfly.

It stretches its newfound wings and flies away to discover new horizons!

What I’m experiencing it's just like the down time the caterpillar has to go through in order to be the butterfly. If he only knew how much easier it will be when he can fly! We often forget how much easier it is to fly.
 But it does get dark in the cocoon of Transformation! A major part of our transformation is when we allow ourselves to go in and see our dark side. Jung said that too much light makes very big shadows! Once you have been in the Dark of the Cocoon long enough, it is time to get out!

The stage of biological "chaos" has set in. This chaos, however, is not our modern concept of chaos, which we equate with disorder. This "chaos" is the Greek chaos, where the potentials for a new order lie hidden, waiting to be expressed. Out of this chaos, the butterfly emerges.

Sometimes it's scary to leave that time of inner reflection and get back into the outer world. Sometimes I feel like I get lost in helping others and never get around to finishing my own transformation. Everyone knows that if you help the butterfly to get out of his cocoon, his wings will be too weak and he dies. The butterfly needs to go through the struggle to be strong enough to fly away and so do I! I am now trying to getting ready to take the next step and put what I have learned into action in order to reach the next stage in my soul's evolution.

The caterpillar lives a life of taking. It eats and eats all day long and doesn't offer much to the world around it. Then it closes into a cocoon and is transformed from an earth-bound, not very attractive, being into a beautiful butterfly, which eats little and offers much beauty and happiness through its appearance and movement.

“What a caterpillar calls the end, the butterfly calls the beginnig.”

I end up here, with the hope of a renaissance, soon.

I’ll be waiting for your news, my dear pen pal.

Take care

Valentina

It's been too long!

Dear Valentina,

How is that my "Part B" took a month to get to you? Oh dear. Life has gotten hectic, but I'm back. And I can't wait to hear from you! How are you doing? How are things with Bob? Are you still in France? Still soul searching?

Oh Valentina, what a summer it's been -- a summer of highs and lows, of excitement and disappointment, and big decisions.

I'll start by sharing my exciting career news: I'm the new health and fitness blogger for Glamour.com. The blog, Vitamin G, covers all things related to women's health and fitness, and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity. I hope you'll stop by and send me some love!

There's lots to be thankful for over on this side of the world: beautiful weather, a garden thats full of surprises (pumpkins, dahlias, eggplant, and San Marzano tomatoes), a busy toddler who is curious and fun, and exciting new opportunities around every corner.

But I'm kind of deep in thought, too, about things that might be too personal to share here on this blog--want to fly out to Seattle for a weekend visit so we can catch up in person? How fun that would be. I guess I share this because I want you to know that life isn't all rosy and perfect. Nope, nobody's dying. My husband still loves me. And this pregnancy is going well (I told you I'm having ANOTHER boy, right?). But there are big decisions to make, big realities to face, and I've never been big on change. So there you have it: Things are good, but imperfect. Doesn't that just describe life to a T?

Tonight my husband, son, and I went out for pizza--because I was way too tired to cook, and my son, Carson, must have noticed that I was feeling the weight of things on my shoulders because when I sighed deeply, he leaned over and gave me this huge adorable smooch on the lips. There is nothing like a kiss from a toddler--all wet and messy and full of love. Then again, he pinched me and hit me today, too--normal toddler stuff, I assure you--so I take the good with the bad. : )

Well, I'm going to sign off now, and promise to be a more frequent letter writer. I can't wait to hear from you, and am hoping that this letter finds you well.

With love,

Sarah

P.S. Did you see that the Lost Girls linked to us today and wrote a little about Franglish? Thanks gals!

A Belated Hello: Part A

Dear Valentina, 

Hi my dear! Apologies for my very, very slow response. Even despite my absence here, I've thought of you often this month -- and boy, what a month it has been! 

I love picturing you and Bob as "professional wedding guests" -- hah! Now that could be the basis for a really hilarious screenplay! Can't you see the story unfolding, and all the humor? : )

I hope things have been going well for you this summer, and that you continue to enjoy many adventures in France. Any closer to making those big decisions that have been on your heart these past months? 

Big decisions are kind of my life story these days. I have something I can't wait to tell you about, but I'll save that for my next letter. How's that for a little tease?

For now, the details of my life. Where to start ...

The month of July is so lovely in Seattle that everyone forgets what they're grumbling about and enjoys life. For me, that has meant spending a lot of time on our back deck, working in the garden, and watching my son run all over the backyard. I'm also enjoying some downtime, because things are about to get really exciting and hectic and maybe a little crazy, too, next month. I'll tell you more soon. But I'm enjoying the calm before the storm now.

I spent three days visiting my parents in Poulsbo, Washington, recently. They live in the "country" -- seriously, their next door neighbors have goats and donkeys. And just up the road is this fabulous farm stand where you can buy things like fresh rhubarb, pickled beans, and just-laid eggs. And the part I love: You just walk up to the stand and leave your money in the cashbox. Everything is on the honor system out there. How refreshing coming from the fast-paced, every-man-for-himself feel of the city to this calm, laid back world where everyone trusts each other. 

Oh, I have to tell you about something. I'm working on a new book, that has captured my attention like no other. It's been an exciting project for me, and one I hope to have complete and in my agent's hands in a matter of weeks (fingers crossed!). Over the last few years, I've come to realize how much of a joy and a release fiction writing is to me. It's especially magical when you feel connected to your characters and the story -- and that's what's happened with this project. Call me crazy, but I look forward to sitting down and hammering out another chapter, just so I know what happens next!

Big sigh. How did it get so late so fast? Everyone in my house is asleep, and it's time for me to join them. Consider this a partial letter. Let's call it "Part A." The next, "Part B" will be coming soon, with a photo. 

Sending hugs, and yawns, to you in Marseille, and hoping your summer has been smooth sailing. More soon ...

Sarah

A Midsummer Night Dream

My dear Sarah,

Please forgive me for my absence ! Of course I have been very VERY busy this period… at work, but fortunately also in my private life. Every year is the same story, when summer comes, it never comes alone… So in brief, to resume my latest month: I have been one week in Rome with my boss for work, I have participated to 2 weddings and one hen night, I lodged some guests, I organised a party for my birthday, I did some extra job as a translator and finally I am leaving next week for French Guyana!!!! Woff, that is what I call to be BUSY!!!
And it’s so hot here that it’s very tiring to do whatever. And do you believe that we don’t even have air conditioned at work??? 35 degrees and just a ventilator!!!
So I will start from the beginning, but I will try to be short. (I am sorry, but an Italian friend of mine is arriving this evening and I will have to pick her up at the station in one hour…)
Roma. Wow! Beautiful, gorgeous, impressing. I am proud of being Italian sometimes!!!
I must admit that it has been a pleasure to show the beauty of the past and present art of living to my boss. He had no words to describe his appreciation. We had lot of meetings to attend, but in between we had the time to visit and, modestly, I have been a very professional tourist guide. We arrived at St Peter’s Square at the precise moment when the Pope was going out to do a speech. We didn’t know of course that he does it every Wednesday morning. So it was a well orchestrated surprise for my boss… the square was so crowded, despite the burning sun. We took some photos, we listened for a while, and we took the occasion to go to the Vatican’s museum… to see the Sistine Chapel and all the incredible treasures that are preserved over there. Rooms and rooms and rooms full of paintings of genius like Raphael and Michelangelo, objects, sculptures, tapestries and so on... even when you think that it’s finished, you will find more!!!
Then we visited the giant park of Villa Borghese with the panoramic view from the Pincio, the Coliseum, the Spanish steps and the famous shopping street of “Via Condotti”, and we finished our stay in Rome having dinner on the roof of a luxury hotel in the Minerva square. The food was refined and delicious, the jazz music from the piano was very soft, the sunset over the city was simply unforgettable… the seagulls were, like us, living a pure moment of grace on the roof. And it was so funny, one of my best French friends was in Rome too, and we could arrange a meeting in this perfect place.
The day after I came back to Marseille and I left with Bob and Miles (our camping car) to the “Gorges du Verdon” another amazing place where the wedding of Ondine & Guillaume took place. We slept on the border of the lake, or, better to say, the blue lagoon, we woke up in the morning and went to the village by bike to buy some croissants, enjoying the peace and the harmony of the green nature. Oh my darling, I love this place. It’s impressing with its high cliffs, it’s like a grand canyon, traversed by a river, which ends in this artificial lake. The fields were green and punctuated of red poppies like in an impressionistic painting. The wedding was simply great, the bride simply wonderful in a red fire dress, people were nice, the party took place in a castle up on the hill with a view over infinity, the children delighted us playing violoncello…
The day after we had a pic-nic all together again, and then Bob and me we stayed one more day in total relax enjoying the beach and “camping sauvage”.
The next week the second marriage was at the rendez-vous! But don’t forget the hen night and my birthday party! Everything at the same time! The hen day and night was cool, we participated to an artistic event, a kind of street theatre, like the freeze or the free hugs movement. This one is called “flash rue” and we played a war game with water pistols in between people. It was quite strange to see around 30 people shooting themselves for ten minutes and then laying down in the street like they were dead!
Then we went to the hammam, where we had a Turkish bath for three hours, complete with massage. It was very girlish, and very relaxing. Then we had champagne for the rest of the day and the night…
My birthday was on the 25th of June, it was during the week, so I just organised a pic-nic on the beach with my best friends. I was very happy to have them all celebrating my birth. We had quite a few champagne glasses that night too…
And then again the wedding of Pierre & Bettina, a French guy and a German girl, in Marseille. I was one of the witnesses of Bettina, I felt a great responsibility!
Again nice people, a beautiful bride wearing a turquoise dress, some intense moments in the church and then the party on a yacht in the “vieux port”. Oh, so funny to talk with some strange characters coming from Scotland, Germany, South Africa, well, it was a very international atmosphere. Bob and me have decided to be wedding guests as a job… we are definitely quite good! We were well dressed, polite and sociable with everybody and we danced all night long like crazy!!!
It’s getting late and my friend is coming. I just wanted to let you know that I am still alive, and happy. I think of you and of the little creature you are carrying inside… I hope you are doing fine, enjoying strawberries (don’t forget the cream!!!!), and taking your time. Please let me know if the baby is finally a boy, a girl, or… a little alien!! By the way, I have heard something interesting about aliens, but I will tell you next time.
For the moment, please, be satisfied with this resumé.
I have one more week before my departure, I hope I will find some time to write you more.
I send you a very warm hug and a sunny sunshine from my beloved Marseille.

Valentina

A strawberry bonanza

Dear Valentina, 

I miss you! I'm sure you've been very busy, and hopefully enjoying a beautiful summer in France (have you ran into your new neighbors Angelina and Brad by chance? Yes, I'm kidding.). 

I wanted to send you a quick note to say hi--just consider it just a postcard--and share my latest obsession with you: strawberries. Today, I splurged on a flat of local berries from the Skagit Valley, just north of Seattle. And let me tell you, they're absolutely divine--tart and sweet and just perfect. So, I have big plans for strawberry creations this week. There will be a strawberry pie, a strawberry panna cotta, strawberry muffins, strawberry crisp, and a strawberry cake--if I can get around to it! Wish you could be here to share it with me. 

Sending you lots of smiles and hugs from Seattle, and hoping that things are going well in Marseille. I can't wait to hear how you're doing. 

xo,

Sarah

What do you think? A boy, a girl, a little alien?

Dear Valentina, 

Hello my friend! How are you doing? I'm writing you on a sunny, but WINDY, evening in Seattle. Once again, the house is quiet -- both of my boys are off on their own (Carson is in bed, and Jason is golfing -- yes, he's kind of addicted. But did you hear about that new study that linked golf with longer life spans in men? I guess it's not so bad after all!). It's nice to have some peace, and just to be here alone. Well, I guess I'm not exactly alone. There's the baby chillin' with me, of course. I keep forgetting about this little guy (I'm referring to it as a "he" because I'm used to little boys -- what in the world would I do with a girl?!). By the way, my official due date is December 25. Yes, um, Christmas Day! 

We had an ultrasound recently, just a standard one to be sure the baby is healthy. And, yes, thank God, he/she is! And what a cute little bugger. It was so fun to see his (here I go again calling it a "him") little arms and legs moving about. I've posted a photo, above, and I have to say that the little kid looks more like an alien right now than a human, but not for long! My husband is certain we're having a girl. I'm not so sure. We'll find out soon enough.

How are things going with you? Bob? Work? Decisions? Travel? Things feel a little like organized chaos here. You know, when everything is scheduled and buttoned up, but there are little fires and fits and craziness in between. 

For instance, right now, all of my deadlines are done. But the house is a mess. And I mean a bigtime mess. I made falafels for dinner tonight (love this recipe), and then finished with crepes, prepared simply with a squeeze of lemon and a dusting of powdered sugar. I ate my crepes and then begged Jason for half of his. This is one of those things you can get away with when you're pregnant. And yes, I'm enjoying every last second of it.

You were right about time -- the great healer. It has given me excellent perspective on the business situation I have been facing. Funny, as soon as I reached a sense of closure about that, a new opportunity presented itself and I find myself feeling completely at peace with things. Now, if only time could work a little harder and faster at healing some other things. : )

Out on my back deck, are several plants just waiting to find their new homes in my garden: Japanese eggplant, Cinderella pumpkins, sugar pie pumpkins, anaheim chili peppers, and a big San Marzano tomato. I can hardly wait to get them in the ground.

I thought of you today when I stumbled upon a Brazilian singer this afternoon. Do you know of Eliane Elias? I'm listening to her song "Kissed by Nature" right now. It makes me want to hop the next plane to Rio de Janeiro. 

Ah, but I'm here in Seattle, where it's going to be windy and rainy this week. That's OK, because

I'm feeling sunny again -- feeling like life is full of possibilities, and excitement, and wonder. It's good to be looking up for a change. I'm hoping you are in a similar place.

Thinking about you lots and looking forward to your next letter ...

Your friend,

Sarah