Merry Christmas 2011

2011 is coming to an end. It has proven to be another jam-packed year; a year full of new experiences, new places, and adventure. We have had a mix of happy and exciting news as well as saying goodbye to loved ones. Here’s a summary 2011. Hope you enjoy!

Shortly after Christmas 2010, we were favored by a visit from Nils’ parents and brother, Peter. To spice up their visit, we took a trip to Leticia, Colombia, a small town far south of the country along the banks of the mighty Amazon River. Despite the oppressive heat, we loved hiking through the rainforests, swinging on vines, scaling trees, and cruising up and down the river.

To see more pictures from our trip to Leticia, please click here.

To see additional pictures from the Bergeson Family's visit to Colomiba, click here.

Later in January, we traveled to Washington, DC, taking advantage of a two-week training for Nils. We made a quick, surprise visit down to South Carolina to celebrate the 80th birthday of Nils’ maternal grandmother. Blanche Cecilia “Teedie” Radford (or “Boo,” as she is called by the grandchildren) had all of her three children and five grandchildren present to celebrate with her. Nils’ grandfather and Teedie’s husband, Charlie (“Papa”), also turned 80 in August of this year.

Making our way back to Washington, we were favored by the company of Nils’ younger sister, Maren, who spent some time with Jane, giving Emily the opportunity to do some sign-language interpreting. The trip, however, ended on a sad note. In early February, just a few days before our scheduled return to Colombia, Emily learned of the death of her nearly 85-year-old grandmother, Bessie “Jane” Verona O’Hara. Fortunately, Emily was able to make some adjustments to her travel plans, and together with Jane, traveled to Sacramento to attend the funeral.

Emily and Jane with Grandma O'Hara in 2010

Jane had her first birthday in February, celebrating it in style by wearing a crown and going to a youth dance. She continues to grow and mature, learning more and more words by the day. She’s a daring climber and has little fear of strangers (a good and bad thing). She loves playing with other children of all ages, scribbling, and watching her favorite programs on “Baby TV.” So far, she is willing to eat just about anything, and is making great progress in potty-training.

 To see pictures of Jane in 2011, click here.

In March we had more visitors. This time, Emily’s parents, her brother John, and “Aunt” Marian all flew down from Kansas and Missouri to spend about 10 days in Bogota. They had a great time exploring the area which included touring the Salt Cathedral in nearby Zipaquira.

To see more pictures from the O'Hara Family visit to Colombia, click here.

In May, we took another trip to the United States, this time to attend not one but TWO family weddings. On May 28th, Emily’s younger brother Rory married Katrina Anderson in Provo, Utah. The two met while attending Brigham Young University. The new couple is currently settled in Salina, Kansas, where Rory works as a groundskeeper for the zoo, and Katrina works within the local education system.

To see more pictures from Rory's wedding, click here.

The second wedding on June 11th was for Emily’s youngest sister Ellen who married Levi Hanna in Bountiful, Utah. During their reception held in Salt Lake City, all of Ellen’s sisters participated in a sign-song presentation initiated by Emily. The couple met in Salt Lake City, where they continue to reside. Ellen is a teacher at the deaf school, and Levi works as a mechanic.

To see more pictures from Ellen's wedding, click here.

Shortly after returning to Bogota, we discovered some most welcome news. A baby boy is on his way and due to be born in late February, 2012. Emily will be returning to the States to deliver the baby in Logan, Utah. Nils will join shortly before the baby’s due date. Feel free to come and visit us!

In August, Emily’s parents moved to Logan, Utah – Nils’ hometown where his parents still reside. Emily and Nils are thrilled that visiting grandparents will be so much easier.

Starting in June, we were graced with several visitors. First came Nils’ brother Peter and his cousin Catie. The two spent several weeks from June to August learning Spanish at a local language school and vacationing in Bogota. We were next visited twice by friends Eva Srodecki and Gregory Froment, from Germany/France, as they bookended a South American tour. In October, Nils’ cousin Max stopped in Bogota on his way to Venezuela to meet his then-fiancé, Patricia Montenegro (the two were married in November). Also in October Emily’s sister Molly came for two weeks, taking advantage of some time off, making Bogota her second international trip.

Now November… that was a great month! Knowing that our time in Colombia is drawing to a close and figuring that our next assignment would likely take us out of Latin America for a good long while, we decided to visit some of the highlights of South America while we’re still here. First we flew far to the south, connecting in Lima, Peru, and spending a night in Santiago, Chile before finally arriving in Punta Arenas, Chile, in the far southern Patagonia region right on the coast of the Strait of Magellan. From Punta Arenas, we rented a car, crossed the Strait on a ferry, and entered the famed Tierra del Fuego. After a long drive (more than 10 hours each way) and crossing into Argentina, we arrived in the world’s southernmost city, Ushuaia. Ushuaia is a beautiful city, situated on the Beagle Channel and surrounded by majestic, jagged peaks and glaciers. We had a great time exploring this picturesque area, including taking a catamaran boat trip on the Channel and visiting a wild penguin colony.

To see more pictures from our trip to Tierra del Fuego, click here.

After making the drive back to Punta Arenas, and taking three more flights, we arrived in Puno, Peru, a town situated on the banks of beautiful Lake Titicaca along the Andes. On Lake Titicaca we took a two-day boat trip which included visiting the Uros (floating reed) islands and spending the night on another island with a native Quechua family.

To see more pictures from our trip to Lake Titicaca, click here.

From Lake Titicaca, we traveled deeper into the former Incan Empire, flying to Cusco, and hopping a train to the fabled Inca city, Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu was a breathtaking experience. Emily did a wonderful job hiking, despite being six months into her pregnancy. Jane traveled in style, strapped to Dad’s back. As we were hiking back down from Machu Picchu, we got caught in a torrential rainstorm, and got completely soaked before escaping the mountain. It made the adventure all the more exciting.

To see more pictures from our trip to Cusco, Machu Picchu, and the Sacred Valley, click here.

After a week in Peru, we made our final stop in Quito, Ecuador. There, we celebrated Thanksgiving as well as Nils and Emily’s collective birthday (all on the same day this year) at Burger King! Exciting. During our relaxing time in Ecuador’s capital, we traveled by cable car to the top of the mountain overlooking the entire Quito valley. And of course we had to go to the Middle of the World monument, built right on the equator, so we could straddle the line separating the northern and southern hemispheres and take lots of pictures.

To see more pictures from our trip to Ecuador, click here.

Guess what! Emily turned 30 this year! Whoo hoo! Throughout the year she’s enjoyed spending time at home with Jane, working with a local professional sound recorder (yes folks, her voice has been used for advertisements, songs, and English learning products), as well as a handful of other projects. In the spring, Emily was asked to serve as the President of the Young Women’s organization at church. The group of girls, aged 12-18, are mostly Spanish speakers, with 1 or 2 bilingual girls and a handful of North Americans – making the job quite a challenge for Emily. Fortunately, the opportunity gave her a chance to practice and improve her Spanish allowing her to connect with the Colombian and North American girls.

Nils continues to work at the Embassy with the Agency for International Development. He spent the first part of the year working with disability-related issues, and in summertime he focused primarily on programs working to support the regional elections, which took place in October. He was able to travel frequently throughout the country to visit work-related projects. In particular, he made multiple trips to Cartagena, Medellin, and Pasto, among other sites. He even took a business trip to Paraguay in March. Nils, like Emily, also worked throughout the year with the youth of the Church in his calling as Young Men’s President.

During the latter half of 2011, Nils spent much effort in trying to secure their next assignment, as his tour in Bogota is set to end in June 2012. In many ways, it is much like interviewing for a job all over again. Finally, after several months of waiting and negotiating, we were thrilled to learn that we had officially been assigned to Astana, Kazakhstan, where we will spend another two years – at least – starting in late summer of 2012. Nils is particularly eager to return to the Russian-speaking world. All are invited to visit our freezing, Siberian home in the years to come!

Before the close of the year, Nils learned that his paternal grandmother, Carolyn Ricker Bergeson, died in early December. She had recently turned 90. Nils and Jane were able to travel to Utah for the funeral, where Nils served as a pallbearer and speaker during the service. It ended up proving to be a great reunion for the Bergeson family, with nearly all of Carolyn’s posterity in attendance at her funeral.

Carolyn Ricker Bergeson

Thus we say goodbye to 2011, in great anticipation for 2012. For us, it will, no doubt, prove to be another busy year, with a new baby on the way, moving to a new continent, and other events sure to make our year ever adventurous. For now, we wish you a most Merry Christmas, a Happy Holiday season, and a Happy New Year. As Christmas is a time to reflect on the birth of the Savior of mankind, we would like to share with you this short video commemorating His Birth.

Love,

Nils, Emily, and Jane