I think I even wrote about how you often see grandmothers bringing their children to work at the market and in shops.

Well, since last year, the Internet Cafe I use while I’m here has changed locations and management. One of the former employees, a young man of 19 or 20, has taken over and runs things with his business partner. His partner seems to take the early morning shift while he takes the afternoon and evening shift when the place is full of kids playing games.

His business partner?  His baba, of course.

Post from: Babylune

Early this morning, my mother left us for Sofia, a flight to Germany later today and another flight home to Canada tomorrow.

I had high hopes and a few concerns when my mother agreed to accompany us to Bulgaria. I was worried about our family dynamics. Instead, mother nature made it clear she’s had enough of the disfunctional human family during my mother’s time here.

On the day we left Germany, my mother considered cancelling the trip due to back pain. Rather than disappoint the children and I, she gritted her teeth and bore the pain during the flight and the two hour drive from Sofia after we landed.

We left a German summer that was cold and wet for central Bulgaria just in time for a drought and heat wave. Over the past week, temperatures here have topped 44 degrees Celsius (about 107 degrees on the Fahrenheit scale). With water cuts to alleviate shortages, it hasn’t been easy here.

I can’t say it was a fun-filled visit, even though that was what I most wanted to give my mother. We didn’t get to do much in the way of cultural tourism because of the heat during the day. Instead, we hid in the shade and visited with my husband’s family and engaging in a little agrifitness when things cooled down enough.   

She said she had an “interesting time.”

My life is a global adventure, but it’s not like living on the international party circuit. It means that I (we) are always challenging our comfort zones and dragging those we love along with us. When challenging the comfort zone has been really extreme, my mother has always been there for us. When both children we born, she flew in to help. She’s been my navigator as I drove up mountains and made sharp turns on twisting gravel roads. And, now, she’s been dragged into environmental disaster just to support me and my need to have our international lives converge.

It makes the phrase “thanks mom” seem inadequate.

Where ever I am, where ever she is, at the moments we need it most, my mother and I are always together. Thank you, Mum, for giving me that security.  

This entry is part of Mamablogga’s July Group Writing Project on the theme Thanks Mom. I intented to host a GWP this week too, but Jordan’s theme is so good, I think I’ll wait until next month and host one with a cash prize starting on August 20th. The $30 Amazon gift certificate from Jordan is a very nice prize. In addition, if you comment on this post by 29th July, you could win our contest too.

Post from: Babylune