Hi, I'm Gabi (the mom). I write this blog. The rest of them get annoyed (sometimes really pissed) that I invade our family's privacy. I mostly share my pain/experiences/ramblings; but I'm suck with these four amazing characters as we travel the globe, so I write about them too.
"People travel to wonder at the height of mountains,
at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers,
at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of
the stars; and they pass by themselves without wondering."
~St. Augustine~
at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers,
at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of
the stars; and they pass by themselves without wondering."
~St. Augustine~
We wonder a lot, and wander too. We're a family of five out to Discover Ourselves as We Meander the Globe! It's not always so pretty, but it's never boring. It's totally f**cked up and then it's just amazing, and peaceful, and perfect.
Q:Who in the world came up with this ridiculous idea? And Who fell for it?
A: Always blame the wife, even though it was Kobi's dream. We're really not sure anymore.
Q:What does it look and feel like to 'discover yourself' as a family on the road?
A: Messy, ugly, colorful, very noisy; sometimes quiet, painful, enlightening, bittersweet, often divine and peaceful.
Q: When do you plan on 'coming to your senses' and settling down?
A: Not really being there and seeing our children because we were too concerned with money, and tired, and busy... is that "sane"? We'll settle when this happens...
"Sometimes the best way to figure out who you are is
to get to that place where you don't have to be anything else."
~Levis Ad~
Q: Where have you found your inspiration and self discovery?
A: In our river in the ingenious village in Ecuador, in the ranch rainstorms in Costa Rica, in those moments where we connect to another human being, in the Peruvian sunsets, in the silence, in ourselves.
Q: Why did you leave your lovely lives in Israel?
A: Back home I used to move all the furniture in the house every two weeks. We both thrive on change. We all find that being 'naked and nameless' allows us the freedom to discover ourselves. And... we may die tomorrow; so, exactly when will it be a 'good time' to make our dreams come true?
Q: How do we afford this? Stay sane with three young children? Educate them?
A: Voluntary frugality, and we can't afford it, we create it as we go. Our kids are very patient with their parents' insanity. And the world is the finest classroom there is (in addition to us actually schooling them when we are in the groove to do so).
So we set out to Explore the World; we are actually Finding Ourselves; and now we know that this is the Stupidest, Gustiest, Best Decision We've Ever Made.
Jerusalem born Kobi is an ex-high-tech manager turned passionate dog trainer. He is the voice of sanity when we get lost. Kobi loves nature treks, running and biking, watching movies, training dogs, making people laugh, and playing the harmonica. He (and Gabi) theoretically eat a raw-food diet but can't resist an occasional steak, his mother's cooking, and (well, really) anything else that comes our way.H likes hugging people.
Gabi loves nature, being healthy and in-shape, reading, writing. She is a family therapist with a strong belief in our ability to spiritually heal ourselves. She loves long talks and longer walks with Kobi and is a lot nicer to be around when she has decent chunks of time alone. She's very into self-healing and soul cleansing. Gabi learns (joyfully and painfully) through her children. She continues to help people clean their soul and create joyful home lives via Skype as they travel. She runs a lovely little heal your soul/change your life site.
Dahnya loves drawing, reading, singing, playing with her petshop friends, and cooking. In Israel, she played violin and studied Taekwondo. She loves trying new foods, writing stories,and cuddling with her stuffed animals. She is our great and wise teacher who is forcing us to become better parents.
Because of his blond curls and big blue eyes, Orazi gets lots of attention in Latin America. He doesn't yet understand why. He loves anything that he can pretend blows up, makes a lot of noise, battles and destroys, or throws well. He loves hardware tools to take apart and repairs things and is addicted to refined sugar (it's a constant issue with his health nut parents). He is kind, generous, and gentle to his sisters one minute and raising hell and terrorizing them the next.
There's nothing Solai won't climb. She's tough. She falls, and bounces right back up- unless it's her feelings that get hurt, in which case she doesn't bounce as fast. She loves fairies and kittens, math, and her sister (when she's not fighting with her). Solai has burnt honey brown eyes, a soft round face, and endless marvelous questions about God, the Universe, and how it all fits together. Solai teaches us about giving others, about how frustrating it is when others do not listen to you, and to notice those tiny details in life that bring the greatest joy to the careful observer.
