Tricia Reed's (Friesen) email update

So I guess I'll start ...

Currently we are at 152 Forrest Ave, Winnipeg Manitoba, R2V 1J8. We have only been here for a couple of months and in Canada for a little over a year.

After CBC I went to Winnipeg and spent 5 years getting my education degree. This was interspersed with a couple of summers at a fly-in lodge in the North West Territories (one season with Jamie Kachman!) and a year in Bolivia as a ESL teacher.

In Bolivia I met a pretty amazing person. His name is Stan Reed and we got married 4 years ago. He is from Indiana (but I convinced him that he wanted to live in Canada:). We went back to Bolivia and spent 3 years working together in a very remote Guaraní community (remember watching the movie "The Mission" at CBC? We were with that people group).

We learned to train a team of horses to work the fields but the technology never really caught on for the locals so we ended up working on digging wells/water systems (Stan) and in the local schools (me). Even though we have been back for a year already the experience is still at the front of our minds and we often lay awake at nights and talk about the details of life there - like getting rides on the backs of trucks piled with corn, neighbours inviting us to chicha (corn beer), the screeching of the cicadas at night... Another thing that keeps us awake at night is our daughter. Her name is Belén, and after 14 months in this world, she still hasn't figured out how great a full night of uninterrupted sleep can be. But we still like her. I don't think any other adjustment in my life has been as big as having a child. Maybe some of you can relate. That said, I am staying at home with her now and wouldn't want to be doing anything else.

The other day I was just thinking that our level of mobility (traveling etc) has taken a drastic turn for the worse. Somehow jobs and budgets get in the way. But then I guess everything has its season.

For now we are happy to be in our house (it's really more like a one room cabin), and look forward to skating on the river this winter with Belén. This summer we had fun at the Winnipeg Folkfest (Kjerstin "Olson" and Joe Thomas came!) and also got to do some hiking around the lakes close by. So I guess we are enjoying the city life.

I would love to visit with any/all of you. Also, our house is open to any of you if you ever find yourself in the area. Here is our number 204.475. 7084 ... and email stanandtric@fastmail.fm

Take much care Tricia

-oh, you can check our website if you are interested. There are a lot of pics of Belen but also a few of Stan and myself, I think? Here it is www.geocities.com/stanandtric