Repatriation

Hi Everyone,

Just thought I'd give you an update as to how we are all adjusting back to life here in the US.


The kids are doing well--have made it through their first 3 weeks of school.


Dustin is loving everything about school. He has hooked up with all of his old friends and likes his teacher. Today, he is interviewing for a "job" at school, as the peacekeeper. Apparently, all the kids will get a job, pay rent on their desks, and have to pay for privileges such as eating in class or going to the bathroom. Sounds like a fun way to learn about economics and the real world! Dustin has started back into karate, and will get his brown belt in September. Overall, he seems to be adjusting fairly well, and seems happy.


Jensen had a rough start with school, but seems to be handling things much better now. Her first day of school she came home crying and said she wished she were back in Africa. I honestly never thought I'd hear those words out of her mouth! She goes to an IB school, which is quite challenging academically, and her day is quite long (7:55 - 3:45), with only a 30 minute lunch break. She has 7 classes, and even her electives are quite academic and not much fun (Music Notation and Theory, Computer Technology, and Spanish). She is especially having difficulty in Spanish because she has French so ingrained in her brain right now. And I'm not much help either, for the same reason, despite the fact that I took 3.5 years of Spanish.


In any case, she is doing better. The first 3 days she said she was anxious and nervous, and had butterflies in her stomach when she went to school. But she quickly got over that. Now, she's pretty happy when she gets home from school, except on those days that she has a lot of homework. Those are the days that she says she is homesick and wishes she were "home" in Africa. It really is understandable how she's feeling. For the last 2 years she's had no real deadlines or major tests to take in school. She was not competing against anyone but herself, didn't have to wear a uniform, and she didn't have to be in her seat when the bell rang. She could eat in class, listen to her iPod in class, and run home whenever she needed something. And our dog Kami got to come to class everyday! Much less stressful! In a way, I feel bad putting her back into such an academically stressful situation, given that I know it will take her some time to adjust, but I also thought having her go back to her previous school where she was comfortable, was a good thing. I think overall, this will be good for her, and I do think she is adjusting well to school.


Jensen has not wanted to start back into karate yet, as she was worried about her schoolwork. I'd like to see her get back into it, as she was already a red belt, and only about a year away from earning her black belt. She started a sewing class after school yesterday, with her best friend Taylor. They have been friends since they were 1 week old. She will be learning to sew clothes on a machine, and she seemed to like the class a lot.


Kami, our dog seems very happy in her new house. However, she doesn't like the storms here any better than she did in Africa, and she has taken to hiding in closets or in the shower when a storm hits. But she does love taking Jensen to the bus stop in the mornings and picking her up in the afternoons, and she loves walking Dustin to school. She gained 5 pounds while she was in Africa, so she needs all the walks she can get! The vet said that she is now 5 pounds overweight, and I had to switch her to the "fat dog" heartworm medication. She used to take the medication for dogs 26-50 pounds, but now she has to take it for dogs 51-100 pounds! We tease her about the "wattle" she now has under her chin!


Bill is doing okay. His new job in Phoenix is not super challenging, especially after working in Africa ("the hardest job I have ever done"), but he feels comfortable there. He has been traveling to Denver the last couple of weeks, which gives him a break from the heat here, but he really doesn't like doing that kind of travel. Hopefully he won't have to do too much more of it. Bill still has not bought a car, so he still takes the bus to work everyday. So far, it's working for us, but he will need something eventually. At least I feel good about us not contributing so much pollution to the environment.


I have not started back to work yet, but will likely be starting back up in the next couple of weeks. I have 2 previous clients that have asked for me to start working with their child again, so that will be nice to have some of my previous clients. Honestly though, there is still so much to do here that I'm wondering how I'm going to fit it all in, along with working.


We still have very little furniture (but did get our couch last Friday!), and we are trying to get some jobs contracted for here around the house. We need to get the exterior of the house painted, and 2 rooms inside. We need new flooring in all the bedrooms, as currently there is hideous blue carpeting in the bedrooms. We have a leak in our roof (right over our bed!), and we need window coverings on most of the windows (the previous owners had hideous looking curtains up everywhere, that didn't even match the hideous carpets)! We are still using patio furniture for our dining table, and Jensen is still sleeping in the guest room, as she has no bed!


So there you have it! Bill and I miss Africa a lot! We are sad to be back in the hustle and bustle of the US. Even though it was stressful in Congo, it was a different kind of stress. We worried about snakes, termites, bats, mosquitoes, and bees in our home, but I didn't worry about whether or not I would forget to pick my kids up at school. Thank goodness Jensen called me last week to remind me that she got out of school early, or she would have been sitting at the bus stop for a long time! Even though we had sucky food and poor internet connection in Congo (among other things), we had made it our home for 2 years, and we miss it, and the simplicity of our life there.


I do have to say though that we actually left at a good time. In the last couple of weeks, there has been a lot of agressive protesting from the illegal miners in Fungurume, and one man was actually shot. The women at the mine site have all been evacuated, and are currently staying in Lubumbashi. This is the second time they have been evacuated in the last couple of weeks, and at this time, they have no timeline as to when they will be allowed back. While we were there, the security level was always at green, but I think now it has been elevated to yellow. So perhaps the company knew what it was doing when they sent all the families home. In any case, we are happy to be home safe and sound.


We are also happy to have good, healthy (and lots of not so healthy) food, water that I don't have to boil, movie theaters, libraries, doctors, dentists, and hospitals, and stores that are open 24 hours a day for those times when your child says, "Oh yeah, I forgot, I have a project due tomorrow, and I need glitter, glue, stickers, etc". Mostly, we are happy to have all of our good friends and family back! That is what we missed most of all! Thanks to everyone for all of your support for the last 2 years!


Cheers!
Laurie


P.S. I gave my blog page a new look, since we are now back in the US; I thought it was time for a change. Although, I'm not quite sure how much I'll be blogging now that we're back, but when I feel there is something worth writing about, you can be sure you'll hear from me!