TERRAN IN KENYA :: cycling, hiking, snorkeling

Part two in my mama's recounting of her 33 days with Terran ::

Terran: adventures of cycling, hiking, camping, and snorkeling

One of the goals I had during Terran's 33 days with me was to share some adventures! We had three memorable cycling experiences, two challenging hiking outings, a night of camping, and a great hour of snorkeling. I hope these few photos will suffice to somewhat represent our many fun adventures.

The two photos above are from a 3-hour cycling tour we did with Cycle Kenya at Mtwapa (on the north coast). Two guides went with us on the grueling, exhilarating, and challenging tour.

We spent two days at Hell's Gate National Park. We cycled for several hours exploring the beautiful terrain. We were able to cycle right up close to the many wild animals - zebra, giraffe, Thompson gazelle, Hart's gazelle, warthogs, guinea fowl, and buffalo. We also did a strenuous three-hour hike in the gorge and camped overnight... with about eight zebra grazing right outside our tent!

Mt. Elgon National Park was another site for a hiking adventure. It took three hours of ...

Read the rest HERE.

TERRAN IN KENYA :: EDUCATION

Is it cheating to copy/paste what my mama is writing about Terran's time in Kenya?  I won't cheat 100% ... I'll just copy half of her post, and then you can read the remainder of the post over at her blog (linked later in the post).

(I didn't ask her if I could do this, but I figure it's not a violation of copyright or anything when it's your own flesh and blood, right?)

Terran: exposure to education

Terran is currently 16 and will be a junior next year. This is the age when many start considering which particular field of study or future career they might want to focus on. One of the aims of his stay with me was to expose him to some of the struggles of getting an education in Kenya as well as a few ways to challenge his own thoughts.

We visited Turning Point, an NGO in Kibera (one of Nairobi's large slums). Many children living is such slums are unable to attend school for a variety of reasons. One of the primary goals of Turning Point is to prepare children for primary or secondary school. During our three visits, Terran interacted with the kids and did a bit of volunteering.

Tony is my friend, Agnes', oldest son. Even though he's 18, due to many circumstances outside of his control, he's only reached eighth grade. Undeterred by being one of the oldest students in his class, he is very determined to reach secondary school! Terran offered to pay for ...

Read the rest of this story HERE.

ON PICKING THE KIDS UP FROM SCHOOL

Pauline wrote awhile back about school pickup and I've been thinking about it ever since. 

Especially now that we are in the middle of the ghost town that Delhi becomes in the summertime (not that the city itself becomes a ghost town, but all of our typical and common haunts become ... well sparse).  It feels like the days of school pickup are SO long ago ... and that it will be AGES until we start school again.  (while we love the quietness that staying in Delhi during summer gives us, it is quite lonely to have all of our friends away! this summer is dragging on, it seems!)

When I look back on school days in Ohio, they went something like this ::

6:00 - Terran would get himself up, showered, eat something for breakfast.
6:30 - Terran would walk out of the sliding deck door, down 4 steps, and down a driveway that was ... oh ... about 300 feet long. 
6:32 - The big yellow bus would roll up.  Hiss to a stop (sometimes.  sometimes I swear it was still moving a bit as he'd hop on) and continue on to the next house.
7:00 - Wake up the Tone-ster, rinse, lather and repeat for his 7:42 pickup ... same big yellow bus.

Then it was just little Mia and I ... all morning and all afternoon ... until the big yellow bus returned at 2:48 ... first with Terran and then again at 3:58 with Tony.

The fact that the boys bused for the majority of their school years in Ohio (and Terran previously in Georgia as well) meant that mama-kiddo chat time was very limited.  We did, however, always had a fun walk to/from the mailbox ... and used to love our "so ... what happened today" chat time over a snack of popsicles and apple sticks. 

(Terran will say that he misses the bus riding because it was a good amount of social time with his FRIENDS that he otherwise didn't have the time for while at school ... which I kind of understand.)

There is a bus option here in Delhi, but we opted for personal transportation.  There's just something about the roads, the traffic, the drivers here that I just felt a bit more secure in trusting Kushal and myself to get them there and back.

Here we leave the house just about 25 minutes before the school bells ring ... and I can be back at the house in about the same amount of time.  Pretty similar actually in the distance between the school and the house as back in Ohio.

I distinctly remember the beginning weeks of school, after we first arrived in India, during pickup time.  I knew nearly no one.  I joined the lonely parents who didn't have a mad mash of friends to hover around, and share all of the drama from the previous day's happenings.  I stood on the sidelines and acted super interested in my phone, or fanned myself furiously, or sometimes just aimlessly stared into space. 

Then came the days when I knew more people.  When the walk from the security gate up and around to the designated pickup spot became all of the social connection one could possibly need.  It was great!  It was a saving grace.  It was something to look forward to. 

The fact that the campus houses all of the grades (pre-K to 12th) means that you could easily meet up with the mamas of your highschooler's friends at the coffee shop before it was time for the elementary kiddo to meet up with you ... which means that you could also have a significant amount of chitchat time with those mamas while he tooled around on the playground ... all with enough time to catch up with friends who live outside of Delhi proper while the littles wait in line to get a lolly (popsicle).

Now though ... after two years of adapting to my new rinse, lather and repeat routine, pickup at the kids' school here in Delhi is ....quite honestly ... getting a bit emotionally draining.

My involvement with several things (more than several actually ... my list of things I was involved in was not healthy, actually) meant that either my phone was ringing while Tony was excitedly telling me about science class that day, or I was receiving SMS messages about everything under the sun while trying to hear what Terran was asking me, or I would get approached in person with questions, or advice, or suggestions or drama, or gossip, or anger, or pleas for sympathy, or .... (insert any combination of "requires active listening and responding").

Can I be honest ... and just admit that I actually CHANGED the meeting location for my middle little a couple of weeks into the school year last year because I was worn out from face time? 

Instead of walking the main path from outside school gate to the main pickup spot, I chose a discreet location and walked "the back way" to get there ...

I found immediately -- when I purged that 30-50 minutes of social time out of my daily existence -- that my afternoons were more serene, my energy level for my littles when we got back in the car was higher, and the rest of our evening was that much better. 

So while I liked it the first time I read it, the more I give thought to the whole "school pickup" business, the more I'm loving Pauline's post. 

When you take the opportunity and time actually engage your KIDS and listen to them, you can not only learn quite a bit about them, but also boost their self-confidence level a bit each day, learn about any sad things that happened that day, and rejoice with them in the happy moments.

What I have realized about the school pickup part of my day is that I do need to continue protecting it ... and that I do need to strive towards making that drive home meaningful and use it to my advantage.  Especially because I'm not physically driving the car, I have more options right now to physically be in close contact with my kiddos.
 

As my littlest little enters the world of Kindergarten this August, and my oldest little starts his Junior year of high school (HOW CAN THAT BE???) and I will have THREE in the car at the witching hour, when everyone is hot, tired and cranky ... I may have to employ some of Pauline's tactics and use that time very intentionally.

 

Well, that and buy a WAY over-priced cooler from Osabas so I can surprise them with popsicles and cold fruit drinks in the car!

PANJI LA MINICOURSE 2011

Last year during mini course Terran got to go to the Hills of Garhwal and it was amazing (for more info on what a mini course is, read the Hills of Garhwal post that I've linked).

This year, he went to on the Panji La Trek, which is located in the Leh, Ladakh region.  Seen here ::

View Larger Map

HOW COOL IS THAT?

I'll let the pictures do the talking ::

As we did last year, we missed him terribly and since there was no communication during his time away, we hoped he was enjoying himself. 

He did more trekking that week than he had done in ... well, ever!  He was quite sore and exhausted, but thoroughly enjoyed his trip.

I was tickled to see the photo that he took above of the red flowers ... and am thankful someone took the photo of him (and am hoping it becomes a tradition for his next two mini courses as well) and am again humbled that my firstborn son had the opportunity to experience this, with some of his closest friends this year.

Words cannot express how much I feel the pressing weight of the reality that in two short years, I will be preparing for his graduation from high school.  Every day, it seems, he walks farther and farther out on the branch.  Farther out towards the end of the branch, where he will then jump ... and then soar.  On his own, without much assistance or guidance from the Husb and I.

I will again share his photos from Mini Course 2012 and Mini Course 2013 ... and the time between now and then will fly by quicker than I'd like to admit!

MAKE A DIFFERENCE - SITE VISIT

(If you need to catch up on Make A Difference posts, click HERE)

On a recent Saturday, the MAD teachers visited a shelter housing many, many children (I'd guess a couple of hundred?).  

The MAD teachers (all college students) have committed to teaching at this shelter two times a week, for a total of four hours.

The MAD volunteers that led our site visit explained that they tested 90 children for the program they would begin, and 50 of them passed the assessments for placement.

We sat in on several of the classes as they were underway. 

Several things struck me.

(1) I have had a bit of a nauseous tummy at times along this process, wondering just how effective I would be as an English teacher to these kiddos.  I talk fast, struggle to find the right words (unless I'm typing my thoughts out) and really have NO idea what it means to be a teacher.  It was fantastic to realize that the only requirement asked of me is to SHOW UP and be dedicated to them.  The rest will follow.

(2) I'd also wondered how on earth these students would be able to sit still and focus for TWO hours for class when they'd also attended school already earlier that day.  Guess what?

They are SO motivated to learn English, that there was not one discipline problem, very very few moments where the teachers had to ask for them to refocus.  The teachers were amazingly able to simply teach and work with the students for TWO straight hours.  No bathroom breaks, no reassigning seats because of misbehavior, no requests for the students to quiet down.  Just the sounds of teaching, pencils being sharpened and the erasing of an incorrect word or letter.

It was special and amazing to watch our group of teachers interact with students (that weren't even our own clan) and jump right in to assist, help and just spend a bit of time with them. 

After viewing these classes, I am that much more motivated to JUST get started.  Get in those classrooms with our precious students and start to ... Make A Difference!

Next up? I'll share with you about our first meeting with OUR students ... what an icebreaker it was!

IS THE YAMUNA A RIVER OF DEATH?

I wanted to share with you a paper that Terran recently wrote for his Chemistry class, on the Yamuna River. 

* * *

For a bit of history on the river itself, I invite you to read/watch the following ::

Article on the "River of Death" from the Jakarta Globe.

Vanguard piece, reporting from Adam Yamaguchi

* * *

ICP

Mr. R.

Terran H.

What do you get when you combine water with heavy amounts of Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn and Fe?

The Yamuna. 

The contents of this river cause all sorts of health problems, diseases and issues, yet nothing seems to be happening with its solution to fix it.

The Yamuna has a very high BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) which means that even the most basic of plant life cannot survive in its waters, or on its shoreline.  The main metals and chemicals found in the Yamuna can lead to skin rashes, ulcers, lung cancer, asthmatic bronchitis (Cr), decreased body weight, heart/liver damage, skin irritation (Ni), anema, brain and nervous system damage, severe kidney failue and behavioral problems in children (Pb), and cause a serious threat to cattle and plant species (Zn).

The pollutants in the river come from a variety of sources, both from the industrial sector and private residences :

methane gas, industrial waste, sewage / fecal matter, raw trash, offering waste, soil erosion, oil,radioactive waste, acid rain, waste heat (rise of water temperature in river because the water used to cool power stations is discharged into the river), fertilizers and pesticides (most of which aren’t cleared/allowed by the USDA)

An official with direct knowledge of the Yamuna and it’s contents described it as a “Sewage Drain.”  The water remains and stands stagnant 9 months out of the year.  3,296 MLD (million litres per day) of sewage is pumped into the river via 19 drains.

As bad as the situation is in the Yamuna, it’s not the only polluted river in India.  It is one of the worst polluted rivers in the world.  80% of India’s city waste goes directly into rivers that are too polluted for even safe levels for taking baths.  

 80% of the river’s pollution is the result of raw sewage and waste.

The Delhi Jal Board spent $500 million to build interceptor sewers that were supposed to channel the waste to sewage treatment plants.  Officials claimed the Yamuna would experience a 90% improvement in water quality by the time the Commonwealth Games took place.

I think that prediction failed miserably.

Pollution levels more than doubled from 1993 to 2005. And they still rise.  The problem is that most of the sewage treatment plants aren’t used to their capacity (or used at all).

Even if the plants were used as they were meant to be, they would only treat 55% of the city’s residents.  

The remaining people live in unserviced neighborhoods where the sewage goes straight into the river.

India's Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh has mandated that scientists and engineers redesign the flush toilet.  But is that enough?

KUMON, BRAINQUEST and the INTERNET

When I think back to my days of homeschooling, I remember Bob Jones and A Beka curriculum.  I also remember my mom thinking outside of the box and incorporating daily life into our weekly schooling plan.

Sure, there was the book work, worksheets and lots of pencil sharpening.  But there was also quite a bit of real life learning, training and education. 

We spent time on the scene of a demolition of a building. I spent several days with a State Senator for Nebraska, shadowing and learning.  We planted a huge garden and raised poultry (and learned quite a bit from those two simple things).  

Some of the other things we did for our home learning ::

~ we did our own cooking and laundry at home (starting at a young age)
~ assisted our mom in cleaning our church building, and all had our own jobs
~ took art classes, piano/drum lessons, ballet, played sports, etc.
~ we all started our first jobs early in our teen years (and my sister started her own business at the age of 12!!)
~ NO television for many years (ah, the horrors!) so alot of creative play time, exploring, creating and even building a treehouse.
~ the awesome ability to have my grandpa teach us all how to drive ... in the back parking lots of Dodge Park at a VERY early age (I won't tell how young!)
~ loads of camping, learning how to build fires, how to pitch tents, how to fish
~ lots of animal raising (cats, dogs, fish, ducks, geese, chickens, rabbits)
~ Mom made syrup, butter, graham crackers from scratch and we learned as well along the way
~ exploring the background details of how a dairy farm worked and what steps are taken to get from little ole' bee to honey on our toast.

Fast forward to present day.  Homeschooling for families now looks completely different than it did back then.  There are more curriculums available, there are larger support networks, there are even more opportunities afforded kids to join in with "standard school settings" for a portion of their schooling, etc.

What I find interesting though, is that given the choice, I'd choose to homeschool JUST like my mom did.

When I realized that textbooks would only get us so far in our "away" schooling jaunt, I pulled from the way I was raised ... and we set out to investigating the city we would be living in for several weeks and I set out to explore the internet.

What I found was beyond helpful and I'm impressed with the following resources (beyond impressed, actually) ::

Kumon ::

These workbooks are not for everyone.  They require repetition, repetition and more repetition.  They also offer your child the awesome opportunity to DO THE WORK ON THEIR OWN.  Most kiddos don't need a teacher standing over their shoulder 8 hours out of their day.  They need a bit of guidance, and a bit of support, and then they need the freedom to work on their own.  There is a great sense of satisfaction when they reach the end of a worksheet and can say 'I DID it!"

We used 5 books each for the two littles .... that covered topics as broad as "Tracing" for Mia and as specific as "Geometry" for Tony.

I'll be honest though -- I found the repetition a bit much for my two littles, and a lot much for me.  I could only handle so much of the "not again" comments from the kids, so we hit, skipped and missed quite a few of the repetitious pages.

BrainQuest ::

Gone are the days when BrainQuest simply means the little flip cards with fun questions.  I found two workbooks put out by BrainQuest and they were amazingly wonderful to use during our time of away schooling.  Fun, colorful and covering a wide gamut of subjects, they held the littles' attention WELL!  Mia actually asks every morning if it's time yet to do her BrainQuest workbook.  Big thumbs up on these!

Our favorite Internet Resources for learning ::

Science :: Foss Web, Catie

Reading :: Raz Kids (requires a paid membership or a login from your teacher/school)

Math :: Math Playground and EveryDay Math

All subjects :: Have Fun Teaching

In addition to workbooks, internet and assigned school work from home, we are also taking advantage of some extra time together as a family unit and going on field trips, utilizing the local library and including everyone during things like science experiments and art projects.

Homeschooling still isn't for our family long term ... and I will gladly send these kiddos back to their amazing teachers ... but we're making the best of our time together!

HOMESCHOOLING - FULL CIRCLE

I was homeschooled as a child.  For various reasons, I spent the whole of my educational years being schooled by my mama, and I look back on those experiences with fond memories.


When the situation arose that our family had to depart India to reapply for visas, I found myself in the odd set of circumstances that required me to homeschool my own children.


I tell people often that I support homeschooling, but would never be able to do it with my own children.


Sigh.


With no option given to us BUT to homeschool, I outwardly said "It will be NO problem at all!"  I met with all of the principals and teachers the day before we boarded our flight to the United States and armed with piles of books, worksheets and instructions for the kids, felt very secure in the task before me.


Fast forward to Day One of Operation "AWAY" School.


Utter disaster.


10th grade is hard.  10th grade is even harder when you as a parent have NO idea about the nitty gritty going on in the classroom, and when a student is losing the interaction from a classroom (that is structured much like a college classroom with loads of discussion from the teacher and other students), it becomes even harder.


2nd grade is not as hard as 10th grade, but there are definitely certain expectations that a 7 year old has for his "substitute teacher"!


Preschool is fun and very easy to "away school" as long as said preschooler doesn't get bored, fight with her brothers or consistently hit her knee on the table or accidentally step on her crayons and break them daily.


Operation Away School Day One consisted of a well thought out plan.  I was up early with the littles (damn jet lag anyway) and plotted out schedules, charts and a checklist.  I organized their schoolwork and ripped out the corresponding worksheets from the BrainQuest books I'd found at the local Michael's store and the short stack of Kumon workbooks I'd brought from home.

I was READY.


We ate breakfast and settled around the small 3'x3' table in our hotel room.  We chatted about what our morning routine was going to be and then ...


MOM! She sat in MY chair!


Mama? I don't WANT you to be my teacher.


Mom ... that isn't what I'm supposed to be doing.


Um, Ms. Sullivan doesn't do it like THAT!


Mama? I'm tired of doing 'peech therapy.  I just want to do it with Miss E.  


Mom, am I done yet?


Mom, we don't have any pencils.


Hey mom, I can't log in for my algebra.  All of my passwords aren't working.


Mama? I have to go potty.


Mom, I'm still hungry.  I'm tired of doing math, can we do science instead?


Mom - I haven't heard from my French teacher, and I don't have access to the vocab sheet for homework that was assigned today.


Mom, could we just stop now and go play?


Mama, is it time for TV Choice now?  You put it on the calendar.  Can we just watch TV?


Mama, Tony's KICKING me.


Seriously?


I issue empty threats, bite my tongue, grit my teeth and inwardly scream.  I squeeze my hands so hard that the insides of my palms have nail marks.  I wonder how on earth I am supposed to get through this phase/stage/situation ... and then I lock myself in the bathroom.  Then I realize that I need to take it moment by moment and sigh a deep breath.  I re-enter the school zone and in approximately 35 seconds, want to lock myself in the bathroom again!

(Photo taken during the happy moments ...

which on Day One of Operation Away School lasted about 3 minutes!) 

Stay tuned for more episodes of Operation Away School, coming straight to you from somewhere in the middle of the United States.

MINICOURSE PREP

Last year at about this time, Terran was returning from his high school Mini Course Trip.  This year, due to several circumstances, the trips will not happen until March, 2011.

If you didn't get a chance to read the post about his trip, "The Hills of Garhwal", I encourage you to take a few minutes.  You can read it HERE.

It was an amazing experience for him and I'm excited to see what trip he "draws" this year ...

It's time to turn in the paperwork for the trips and the other day he and his friend, Seb, sat down to peruse the descriptions of the trip. 

Well, in reality, they sat and played video games, while I prompted them to spend some time choosing their preferences.

After a couple of minutes of realizing they were not paying me any attention, I got a bit anal on them.

I cut up all of the trip choices and laid them out according to the type of trip :

Light to Moderate Physical Activity

Moderate Physical Activity

Strenuous Physical Activity

Very Strenuous with a high potential for inclement weather, including snow

I prompted and pleaded with them to PLEASE make the time to go through the activities and trips so that they could best place their preferences in order.  Otherwise, they could easily end up with a trip they didn't care for.

After about 20 minutes, they'd finally made their choices, and now they just have to follow the policies on how to correctly turn in their paperwork so that they can be guaranteed they travel on the same trip together ... and cross fingers that they get one of their top choices.

In case you're interested, their top 5 choices?

Choice # 1 - Tons River Expedition

The Tons River is the largest tributary of the Yamuna River, which flows through Delhi.  In its upper reaches, the Tons includes many Class III+ and Class IV rapids.  This is untouched territory, only recently opened for rafting expeditions.  This trip will involve expedition-style rafting, meaning that you will carry all of your food, clothing and sleeping equipment on the rafts and set up tents on the beaches every night.  After a day of instruction in rafting skills, you will take to the river for four days of exciting rafting. 

Choice # 2 - Mahakali Expedition

This expedition-style rafting trip will take you down the Kali River, on the border of India and Nepal.  It's a long drive to Panscheswar, but the views of the Panchuli mountains more than make up for it.  On the first day you will learn kayaking and rafting skills before starting off for two and a half days of whitewater adventure on Class III and Class IV rapids.  The river flows through one of the least disturbed areas in the Himalayas.  With no access by road, all equipment and supplies will be carried on board rafts, so you will also learn to set up camp along the river and leave no trace.  

Choice # 3 - Himalayan Bike Tour

Clean crisp air, good food, great views, day walks and a bicycle form the basis for this trip.  The afternoon of the first day starts with a familiarization session with your mountain bike and its gear system, followed by a relaxing ride.  The next day you will begin a three day cycling tour that includes easy cycling along the flats to tough hill climbs.  Seeing the great outdoors from the seat of a bicycle is one of the best ways to experience the beauty of the foothills of the Himalayas.  Look forward to dinner and leisurely evenings around a camp fire.

Choice # 4 - Alaknanda Rafting

The Alaknanda, one of two forks of the holy Ganges, has its origins in the snow clad peaks of the Himalayas, the abode of the Hindu gods.  This rafting trip allows students to experience three days of whitewater rafting on the stretch of the Alaknanda from Marine Drive through Shivpuri Srikot to Devprayag and Beasghat.  In addition to an outstanding rafting experience, the students will have a half day at the end of the trip to do a bit of rock climbing, rapelling or short hike into the hills.

Choice # 5 - Hills of the Garhwal

(which I found interesting, since it's the same trip he went on last year.  Must have loved it!)

HOLE IN THE WALL

I first read about Hole in the Wall when we first arrived.  I browsed through the website and didn't think much more of it.

The other day, we were driving home - just a couple of blocks from the house, and I saw ::

Dr. Sugata Mitra, a scientist, first created the concept in 1982.  His feeling was that children - unsupervised - with computers could learn.  Through a trial and error process, the first computer (also known as a Learning Station) was installed in 1999, in Kalkaji.  Now, with over 30 Learning Stations installed, the results show that children can indeed use a computer with minimal interaction, and learn skills and tasks - by creating their own learning environment.

To learn/read more about the results of studies concerning the effectiveness of these Learning Stations, visit the HIWAL website.

From the website ::

Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come.

Hole-in-the-Wall is one such idea, which offers the world a surprisingly fresh perspective on the learning process. Breaking the traditional confines of a school, Hole-in-The-Wall Education Limited (HiWEL) takes the Learning Station to the playground, employs a unique collaborative learning approach and encourages children to explore, learn and just enjoy!

As a concept, Hole-in-the-Wall has multiple dimensions and a potential which is virtually limitless. What it offers someone depends on the perspective one is looking from.

For experts, like Nicholas Negroponte of MIT, Hole-in-the-Wall is a ‘Shared Blackboard’ which children in underprivileged communities can collectively own and access, to express themselves, to learn, to explore together, and at some stage to even brainstorm and come up with exciting ideas.

For villagers, it is more like a village Well, where children assemble to draw knowledge and, in the process, engage in meaningful conversation and immersive learning activities that broaden their horizons.

And finally for children, it is an extension of their playground where they can play together, teach each other new things, and more importantly, just be themselves.

Shuddup already!

SHUDDUP!!!!

That is what goes through my head on a somewhat regular basis.  I seriously question my patience levels these days.  I am apparently the kind of mother who has to remind herself subconsciously to be nice to her children.  I lash out quicker than most mamas I know and it needs to be tamed.

I have read more than twenty blog posts just in the past couple of days that all revolve around the common topic of frustrated mothers.  It HAS to be because school has just let out for summer, right?  We can't all be this crabby and moody all of the time, can we?


I had good intentions to make this summer be the one of together-ness.  To encourage creativity, explore our city of Delhi and remind ourselves why we like each other.  You know ::  shiny happy people, holding hands?

Instead, we've done an awful lot of sighing, fighting, whining and crying.  All of us.

Caveat -- we did take a family vacation that was needed, appreciated and very much enjoyed -- some of the photos will be shared next week sometime.


I then read all of these blogs about how the mommas are so very intentional about their summers.  They plan, they organize and they stick to it.


I get all gung ho, bookmark their lists of activities and write down the crafts that they are working on.  I pull out yet another notebook and find different colored markers to encourage the process of scheduling some serious great fun

Then there's reality in my house.

The kids wake up -- at varied times of course -- putting a wrinkle in my plan to have breakfast at the table together.  


I ask them to get dressed, for we are about to start .... drumroll please ... CRAFT TIME.  To which everyone rolls their eyes, slumps their bodies and slink off to different parts of the house.


Before I know it, it's lunchtime, and I am hearing the refrain of "I'm bored" and "He's LOOKING at meeeeeeeeeee."


I try to plan, organize and stick to it, but instead shrug my shoulders, scrunch up my nose and sink into the couch with a huff and a sigh and reach for the remote control.


Some of the things I will resolve to work on this summer ::

• I am trying, trying, trying my hardest to take a mandatory 5 second pause before responding to my childrens' requests.  If I take 5 seconds before answering, I find that I'm less likely to snap back with a "NO" or a "BECAUSE I SAID SO" or an "I DON'T KNOW!!"
• Bedtime is sooo important for our kids.  Yours might be different, but it is so obvious the next day, when they didn't get the night off to a good start.  Dinner before 7pm and daily bathtime (works great as a wind-down!). 
• Teeth brushing.  Seriously, we are BAD at this.  I must make dental appointments for the whole family in the next week, and i fear that the dentist will SHUDDER when we walk in!  Just being honest here, but I bet our kids brush an average of four times per week.  Yes.  Pathetic.
• Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere.  Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share.  We have (kids especially) gotten spoiled with having Sushila at the ready to clean up after our messes.  I resolve this summer to make my CHILDREN responsible for their messes again.  
• Anticipating their needs before they realize it.   I think that if I could do a little damage control, I could possibly eliminate alot of the meltdowns.  If I ask the kids to move on to a new activity BEFORE they tire of the current fun at hand, they are less likely to get frustrated and melt into a puddle of mush.

Maybe ... just maybe ... I can do my part to make this a summer to remember?  Maybe I can change my inner dialogue (wasn't it Dr. Phil who talked about that?) to one that says "keep calm and carry on"


By the way ... if you haven't gotten your SHIRT yet, you MUST ... it's a great way to get involved with girls who have been rescued from the streets of Delhi ... AND remind yourself to keep calm!  I won't bug you about it again ... I promise ... it's just such a great shirt and since we ship to the US or wherever you happen to hang your hat, you have no excuse!

Moving on out ...

Today was a sad day at the kids' school.

I intentionally stayed away from the final assembly for both the elementary and high school - first because I assumed it would be chaotic - but also because I knew it would be full of tears.  I instead positioned myself outside of the laughter-filled pool party of the youngest little.

Even though I made a point to NOT be present for an emotional end-of-year celebration, it didn't mean I missed out completely.

Some of the images of this afternoon included a nearly grown teenager ... her body rocking with her sobbing, her head firmly buried in her mother's neck.  A family of four exchanging loud tears and cries with another family of four.  The fathers exchanging the awkward man-pats, the mothers wiping away the tears and the sets of children trying hard to get their breaths in between the convulsions.  A middle school child poring through her memory book from the past year and freely letting tears roll down her face. A precious little 1st grader slowly walking down the sidewalk repeating to herself over and over, "it's ok, it's ok, I'll see her again."


All of those kiddos ... those families ... are moving ... again.  


It's hard to explain to our kids that it's normal for kids to move .... and move often.  Someone said that this May, over 100 children are departing the kids' school. 


I'd guess that the same number of new kiddos are coming BACK in to the school system, but that doesn't make it any easier to say goodbye.


I remember last year during the first couple days of school.  As a new parent at the school, I was simply trying to find my way around campus, with a really huge fake smile plastered on my face (because fake smiles force your children to think that all is well in the world).


All around me were mothers shrieking with joy.  Gasping with "O M GEE ... it is SOOOOOO good to see you!"   Rapid fire questions about "how was your summer?  "remind me again, where did you go?" and "did everyone have fun?"


It was so disconcerting and awkward.  As a new mom, I felt completely left out and discombobulated.  I squeezed Tony's hand tighter and maneuvered my way to his classroom.  We swooshed past the clusters of expat moms and into his building. I raised my sunglasses on top of my head, squinted against the sudden change in available light and stood - right there in the doorway - for what felt like forever.  

I felt three little squeezes in my hand (our code for "I Love You") and looked down to see a bright eyed little boy who was completely oblivious to my feeling of being completely lost. He said something to the effect of "I'm ready mom!"  I hugged him, told him to have a good day, and lowered my protection against anyone seeing through me to what I was really feeling.

Armed with my sunglasses on, I started the walk back through the hoards of moms reacquainting themselves with each other after the long summer apart and thought to myself "I hope I don't do that next fall.  I hope I don't knowingly (or unknowingly) isolate a new parent with my gushing and carrying on.


This past week, as people said goodbye, hugs were being passed around like candy on Halloween night.  Sunglasses were used, pathetically, to try and hide the tears.  Some put their heads down and pushed through the departing crowd, maybe determined not to deal with it and instead ignore.

As we walked through the turnstile - - for the last time of the school year - - Tony again squeezed my hand three times ... just as he'd done during the first week of school.  We did it!  We all survived our first year of living overseas.  We learned how to say "hello" and start new friendships ... and how to say "goodbye"

Some of the lessons learned this year - - from the viewpoint of our three kids::

• It is ok to cry
• Hugs are good
• Hugs are even better when you squeeze for an extra 2 minutes
• Being aware of others feelings means its ok for one person to be angry about moving, when another person acts like they don't care, and when yet another person can only cry
• Just because you say goodbye doesn't mean you will NEVER see them again 
• Some of the people who you saw at the beginning of the year and thought you wouldn't like, are now your best friends

To all of our friends that we've had the good fortune of meeting, getting to know and spending valuable time with over the last 10-11 months ... we will MISS your presence in Delhi!  


To all of the new folks coming in ... WELCOME.  We may still be missing the relocated pals when you land here in our adopted city ... but we welcome you with open arms!  


Don't pay any attention to the clan of parents gushing at each other after the long summer away ... just jump right in and introduce yourselves!  Before you know it, you'll be saying your own fair share of goodbyes ...


The earlier you say hello ... the longer you have until you have to say goodbye!

Author's Week

What a great experience elementary has been for my middle little.

This past week, several well-known authors were in Delhi to visit the kids' school and how much fun has it been?

Tony has been spouting off names of these authors, as if they are his new best friends ::

David M. Schwartz

Linda Sue Park

Ed Young

These are some PRETTY cool authors ... and it was neat to realize that we already had many of their books.

Of course, I was the "negligent mom" and didn't purchase tickets for the Pancake Breakfast with the authors ... which means we now do not own AUTOGRAPHED copies of those books.

All last week, the authors visited classrooms and held sessions with the kiddos ... and Tony has been pretty impressed.  He told me that he really likes knowing and getting to meet some "real authors" because he wants to write books when he gets older.



This age is really a precious season in his life ... he is full of wonder, a crazy desire to learn, and gets so excited about things (like having his FIRST LOOSE tooth!).

His 1st grade teacher is really hard core about writing and reading ... and creating.  He has 'published' three books at her prompting and with her guidance, and they will be treasured and cherished forever.  



I'm thrilled to watch his blossoming love for reading, and am continuously impressed with his experience so far at the international school.  


Here are some comments that were left with the leadership of the elementary school by the three authors .... sweet ::

"I have never worked with such extraordinary young writers as your students. What they have that other students I have worked with don't have, is a willingness to "go for it", take a risk and put themselves out there. They are not held back by trying to get the spelling right or the grammar right the first time around, but rather getting their ideas down on paper. Too many kids worry about the conventions when it is the ideas that writers are after.  Your students are definitely after ideas! They are such creative writers, deep writers really, whose voices come through so loudly and clearly. Their ideas are amazing and you can tell that their teachers have really taught the craft of writing.  They get it.  In fact they get it more than most middle school students that I have worked with.  I would love to come back to AES again.  I couldn't believe that they knew every single one of my books.  Oh, and did I say what great readers they are?"

"What I have noticed most about your AES students is their ability to express themselves so articulately.  I know they still are growing in the art of writing but they have so many skills and techniques that they are using in such powerful ways. Your students are being mentored to be writers.  They are developing in ways that I have not seen in other schools I have been to. I have been honored to be here and work with them and your teachers."

"AES is a very special and wonderful school and your students have to be the best that I have worked with.  They are so nice to each other and they give compliments!! Not just to me but to each other! They take their writing very seriously and the process you are using is excellent. It builds upon their interests and skill level so well. They tell me how much they like to write. I felt like a movie star being here on campus.  Everywhere I went the children clapped for me."

(Hey ... don't forget to join the contest for a great book!  Details are HERE)

Pride.

The boys' school recently hosted a soccer tournament with several international schools.

We were greeted by this on the campus last week .. and Tony was SO proud. He loves everything about competition, school pride and cheering on his team.

Terran starts track soon and I canNOT wait to have something to cheer for again! I'm a competitive sports mama and miss the sports from back home. Excited to watch and see how well Terran takes to track!

The littles even get into the cheering and the school spirit ... they'll enjoy having their brother to watch and holler for!

Update on Lacrosse in Delhi : I've learned that there is a lacrosse program in Shillong (far east part of India) which does not help much here in Delhi. I'm meeting with some key folks soon and hope to have a great update for you all soon!

Baby Steps!

Processing it all.

When I posted my "New 55" I didn't think many of the items would be crossed off anytime soon.

Here are the ones that I can mark COMPLETE ::

Organize my office space
Complete photo book of our life from 2008-2009
Find a really good wine (cheap too)
Start using Flickr (I am editing this one ... I don't like Flickr .. and am instead doing the Project 365)
Stop buying unncessary bags ... I think the habit is broken!
Get laser hair removal
Throw a family game night (does the intention to actually PLAY games count?)
Light more candles
Purge closets
Create usable outdoor space (Thanks, babe!)
Get all of our music collection "digital"

The one that is most exciting though is this one ::
  
Get Terran excited about photography

Terran chose Photography as one of his electives this semester.  The teacher asked the kids what they most wanted to learn how to do.  Black and White developing/processing, they said.

Hard to see here, but this was his first go at developing B/W print film.  Pretty darn impressive, if you ask me!

I'm really excited that he has taken so much to photography and enjoys it so much.

We have my grandfather's old 35mm camera in storage back in the US ... and man, if I don't wish we'd brought that to Delhi!

BY THE WAY ... so many of you ask why I rarely share pictures of Terran ...

Want to know why?  Because when I point the camera at HIM, this is what I get ::