Just before my parents arrived last week it occurred to me that I have spent A LOT of time with them in this past year:
- 2 weeks in July 2007: my parents came to visit O and me in Brussels, and I spontaneously decided to go with them to Switzerland to visit my father’s uncle who has lived there for over 45 years… It was great to go on a holiday with my parents again, even if it felt at times like I was at least 10 (if not 15) years younger..
- 1 week in August 2007: I only had one week in Sweden last summer and I did actually spend a few days without my parents in the old summer house with my siblings.
- 5 weeks in October-November 2007: I got “stuck” in Europe without a visa and without a home in Brussels so I went home to stay with my parents. I could subtract one week out of the 5 as I spent a few days in Stockholm and another couple of days in Spain with O.
- 3 weeks in December 2007 – January 2008 when my whole family came to visit us in Puerto Rico during Xmas and the New Year.
- 2 weeks in May 2008 (i.e NOW) when my parents are once again visiting us.
- 6,5 weeks in June-July 2008 in Sweden, minus one week as I am going to Spain and probably (fingers crossed) to Brussels with O!
My parents are definitely not as old as the tree, Switzerland July 2007 
So, I will have spent approximately 17 weeks, or more than 4 months with my parents in the last year! How many 32-year olds can claim to have been under the same roof as their parents for 4 months in a year?? It’s not like we have just seen each other a lot this year, we have actually lived together for that long! And do you know what, it’s great – I get along well with my parents and fortunately so does O (even if he hasn’t spent that much time with them, compared to me). In fact, I feel very privileged to have had this chance to spend so much time with them recently.
It’s great to have my parents here for a second time, they are very relaxed visitors, and we don’t have to entertain them all the time. They are happy with reading a book (or fixing my computer 
), having a simple meal at home, nipping out for a coffee at Starbuck’s, going to the beach, doing the dishes or even vacuum cleaning… Of course we are still going to do some fun excursions and have a couple of restaurant dinners as well!
This afternoon we are taking the bus to Plaza las Américas to do a little shopping (my mother and I will probably “park” my father in the Borders’ Café) and meet up with O and our friend B for dinner, and then go to a late cinema session. I had a super idea, my father and O will watch the new Al Pacino film 88 minutes and my mother, B and I are going to watch Made of honor, a girly romantic comedy film with Patrick Dempsey. Hopefully everybody will be happy with the choices! I have told my parents to take thick sweaters, and maybe we’ll even bring a blanket for the ice-cold cinema…
Another photo from Switzerland, the garden of my father’s uncle and his wife. A little piece of heaven!
