Our Last 10th Birthday

October 26 was Joe's 10th birthday - the first he's celebrated in the time zone he was born in since he was 1. This year he chose to have a calculator cake, since he "loves math!" This is a big change since last year, and these words were music to my ears!

This year's cut-up cake turned out a bit better than average - I just never know when I begin.

We gave him an Ipod of his own - now the other kids are jealous of his.

All the other kids thought this Wii game was the best choice for Joe - completely unselfish opinions, I'm sure!

The "other" Vannettes celebrated with us - that used to be the normal way we spent birthdays, and now we got to do it again.

Trick candles have been a bit of a tradition in our family. Joe expected them, and I think he would have been disappointed if I didn't find them.

The Inequities of Life

One evening, I observed how comfortable Bailey looked next to Sam on the couch.

Doesn't she look content?

Mark retorted, "Well, I'd be comfortable, too, if I was on a 20 foot long couch surrounded by huge pillows! Something isn't fair here."

Doesn't he look comfortable, too??

Autumn Activities, Interrupted

Just when things were going so well! Sam was really enjoying soccer, was playing more, we'd found out why his knee would pop and hurt and how to prevent this. He started a game and it looked like that was the new line-up.

Then I got the call. "Mom, you have to come pick me up. Something is really wrong with my knee, I think I have to go to the Dr." When I got to the field, a team member was helping him hop to the parking lot. He was unable to straighten his knee and in a lot of pain. Of course, this happens at practice after school on Friday. This is so not the best time to be trying to get in to see an orthopedic doctor. We went to an Urgent Care place that had the ability to take x-rays, and learned

1) nothing was broken

2) perhaps it wasn't serious

3) perhaps is was

He spent the weekend on crutches, full of positive thoughts about how the orthopedist would just "pop" his knee back into place and he'd play the game Monday night. Such was not the case, but at the end of the visit we still didn't have an answer. We did, however, have an MRI, and would have to wait until Wednesday to learn he had torn his meniscus, which was folded over between the bones and stopping his knee from straightening. Surgery was the only option, and soccer was done for the season for Sam. We were so fortunate that a surgeon was available to see us while we were in the office. He felt is was important enough to get this problem taken care of ASAP that he rearranged his schedule and Sam was squeezed in the following morning.

This was taken before surgery, when he was simply hungry and ready to get things going!

This was after surgery, when he was just coming around. Not unusually, he had a bit of a hard time getting through this phase of the process.

As we waited for them to take Sam back for surgery, Ahnalies called from school with the dreaded words, "I'm sick, can you come and get me?" Mark left to get her as they took Sam away, and reported when he returned that she was really sick, with a nasty cough and a raging fever.

We got Sam home by early evening and he had a difficult night dealing with the pain. When I got Joe up for school, he, too had developed the cough and fever, and our family room was quickly transformed into an infirmary with me acting as Candy Striper.
Things rarely go as planned, and of course there is no good time for this type of thing. This isn't how we envisioned Jake's fall break - he arrived home Friday night for a week of relaxing and (we thought) cheering for Sam and Ahnalies's soccer and basketball teams. He did get to relax, but Ahnalies only was able to play 1 of her games this week, and Sam, well, you know, so there wasn't a lot of cheering going on.

A bit of tutoring going on. No, really they were playing some online games.

Since this is the first time Sam's been in a US school, there are lots of traditions that most people take for granted that are new for him. Though we assure him this is very exciting, that he's learning a new culture that happens to be his own, he still feels uncomfortable not knowing how things are "supposed" to work. This week, he experienced his first Homecoming week. OK, it wasn't as fun for him as it otherwise might have been. He missed out on quite a few of the activities due to his knee, his physical therapy, and doctor appointments. However, he did get asked to go with a very nice, pretty Senior, and bonus, since she was on the homecoming court, he didn't have to buy a ticket! They are out now, though I don't imagine he'll be the best dance partner on the scene.

Jake is back in Philadelphia, everyone is healthy-ish, so it's back to the routine next week. Interruption over.

Autumn Activities

It's hard to believe we've been living here 3 months already, yet it seems to have gone so fast!  We have found things to keep us occupied, I'm happy to say, and here a few of them.

At the beginning of August, we got our first puppy ever.  We've had 2 dogs over the years, but both were from rescue societies, and neither were puppies.  Mark wasn't so sure this was such a great idea, but aquiesed on the condition that he wouldn't have to do anything with the dog.  Bailey (a Border Terrier) has been a really fun, energetic addition to our home, though there are still disagreements over who has to pick up her pooh.  Mark still likes to say, "I didn't want a dog!" but it is his lap she's sitting on in this picture.

Sam is playing soccer for his high school, and is really enjoying it.  There aren't many guys in his IB classes, so this has been his best arena for finding guy friends - he isn't having too much trouble connecting with the female population.

Joe played soccer on his school team as well.  He had a great time, though not an overly successful season as a team.  He decided near the end of the season that perhaps goalie is his true calling.  We'll see!


Last weekend, Mark and I were able to fly out to Philadelphia to see Jake on Parents Weekend at Villanova.  We attended a commedy show, a football game, and were able to see him swear in to the US Air Force.  This was a dream come true for him, and we couldn't help but get a bit choked up.  Mark's mom was able to make the trip with us - she really likes to see where we are whenever we move so she can picture us going through our days.  Knowing this, we asked if she wanted to see where Jake spends his days, and we were all happy she could.


And just one final picture of our pup, taken during one of her calmer moments.
Ahnalies started basketball recently, so we'll have pictures of that coming up soon.  She was very nervous to start the season, felt very intimidated by the more experenced players in her class, and dreaded the first game.  It was last Friday night, and though we didn't see it, we have heard she did well and has improved a lot already.

Starts

This is the time of year that everything starts, it seems.  I realize now that our lives this summer have been a calm before the storm of real life sets in - I was just wishing we were living real life before - it was peacefully dull.  Anyway, on Monday evening, Mark, Jake, and Sam headed out to Philadelphia - a 880 mile one way trip from our house, in case you're curious.  I'd like to say I handled this really well, dry eyed with some touching words of wisdom.  Of course, that would be a blatant lie, but to my credit, Joe said he thought I'd cry more - which in retrospect may be less to my credit and more a testament to his expectations of my blubbering hysteria, which just wasn't as bad as he expected.  I stood at the door with tears rolling down my face, but Jake was so ready to be off!  I'm so glad he's so excited!

But they couldn't leave before they had a last binge on "Jake's Mom's Cookies" as they came to be known in India.  Or perhaps "Sam's Mom's Cookies," or Ahnalies' Mom's Cookies," or "Joe's..." you get the picture.  It was shameless bribery to remind him to come home again, at least for the cookies!

They arrived at Villanova's campus Tuesday afternoon, checked into Jake's room and unloaded the car, and then to the hotel.

Wednesday they got his room organized, met his roommate, went shopping for some essentials (they went to Ikea without me!) and Jake stayed in his room that night.  Thursday, Jake was deeply involved in Freshman orientation so they finished getting things settled before Mark and Sam headed for home.  They drove straight here, arriving at 2 AM Friday morning. 

This is Jake's dorm - his room is the right half of the dormer on the 3rd floor. 

The rooms aren't quite as nice as our rooms at Calvin were, that's for sure!

This is Jake's little corner of the world - Mark pointed out that he had even made his bed!

His roommate is of Greek decent - he was born and raised in Long Island, NY, but his parents came to the US as adults.  They own a Greek diner - which led to countless references to "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," a movie we recently watched again and died laughing, again.  His parents are from Sparta originally, which also led to some shameless "300" references, including the idea that they should hang a sign on the door that says, "This is Sparta!"  All reports so far are that he's a nice kid, quiet, similar to Jake only more reserved, also studying Engineering, just Chemical instead of Mechanical. We'll continue to pray for a smooth transition and a good relationship for them.

On the home front, Thursday marked the beginning of school for Ahnalies (8th grade) and Joe (4th grade).  Neither of them slept well Wednesday night, and neither did I, but all went well the first day.  None of the kids really enjoy being the center of attention in a crowd, so the experience of standing up, raising your hand, or whatever, if you're new isn't fun for them.  They each have 1 other new child in their class.  Ahnalies was unimpressed with the history test given the first day of class.  The teacher looked at the other new person, a Korean boy, and said, "It's OK if you don't know this stuff.  You aren't even a citizen of this country."  Ahnalies said to me, "What about me?  I've barely lived here and got 1/2 the questions wrong!"  I assured her it was just a benchmark for the teacher, and I was sure he knew enough about her background that he wouldn't be shocked with her lack of knowledge - she wasn't convinced.

Sam will start school next Wednesday, but he was able to go to soccer practice today and even though he missed tryouts (he couldn't go to practice until he was registered, which he was able to do yesterday) he made the team.  Joe is also playing soccer this fall, so it will be filled with cold evening shivering on the sidelines!  Good thing I like the sport.

Hmmm.

Should I keep posting things on my blog?  I'm not sure.  I wasn't sure our lives in India were all that interesting that anyone would want to read about it.  Peoria?  I have my doubts.  You are all on facebook, right?

We've been here about 6 weeks.  Mark was back in India 3 of the 6.  We're adjusting slowly, not necessarily easily, but adjusting none the less.  Sam is working hard to do a year of Algebra II this summer, Ahnalies has reviewed all of 7th grade math and is heading for Quebec to spend a week with a British friend from India before school starts.  Joe has brushed up on his reading, writing and arithmatic and is more than ready for 4th grade, and is our family ambassador to the rest of the neighborhood - he's made several friends and advises us where to go out to eat.  Jake has worked on a Chemistry class and is starting to think about packing for his freshman year at Villanova - he's so ready to go.  (I'm less so.)  Jake and Sam have finished their required driver's training class and behind the wheel training,  and now are waiting for (Jake) to turn 18 and (Sam) to have his learner's permit for 9 months.  Both feel the wait is endless.

I drive.  I believe I'm making up for the 2 years I couldn't drive.  I take everyone everywhere they need to go, and many places they don't need to go.  We've driven to Iowa, Chicago, and Kentucky.  We've gone school shopping, to tutoring, to the grocery store repeatedly because it's so fun (for real!).  We've gone out for ice cream, to movies, and to one of my favorite places, the library.  We've had a pretty normal summer, I guess.

Now we feel as if it's time to go.  Go where?  Don't know, but our internal clock says we should be going somewhere far away.  Instead, Jake will go far away from the rest of us and that feels unnatural.  The other 3 will go to their respective schools, Mark will go to work, and I'll continue to drive.

I'll include a few pictures from our summer fun for anyone who didn't see them on facebook.

A weekend in Iowa to celebrate my parents' upcoming 50th anniversary included a little water balloon slingshot action.  Daniel and Sam hold, Jake aims

A weekend in Chicago with our neighbors in India included dinner at Gino's pizzeria and a Reliant K Concert.  Farid, Donna, and Lynn

Jake decided to get a jump on the ROTC requirements and had me buzz his hair before anyone at school saw it longer.  It aged him a bit,we think, but he's too young to think that's a bad thing!

Another weekend was spent in Kentucky, where our former neighbors live now.

Jake, Sam and Zach

On the way home for KY, we stopped to pick up our version of therapy, Bailey, our new puppy.

So, there you have a thumbnail sketch of our summer.  I knew there wasn't anything exciting to write about!

Moving On...

I feel like my last posting from India should be an insightful look back, or a heartfelt note to those who have touched our lives in the last 2 years.  Maybe a humorous entry regaling you with tales of our adventures, or a tug-on-the-heartstrings note to our college bound son.

If I tried to share what we've learned about poverty, the caste system, traditions, religion, etc, I'd be sure to forget the most important things.

I could make a list of things I've hated here, reasons I can't wait to leave, things I will never miss, but that would take more time than I have to use.

I could make a list of things I love here, reasons I wish I could stay longer, things I will always miss, but that would take more time than I have to use.

I could talk about the people we've met here, whether they have been an integral part of our daily lives or more casual friends, but I'd never do justice to any of them.

I'm sure I could think of various funny stories about things we've encountered along the way, but that's why I started the blog 2 years ago and you can read old entries.

Lots of our friends have already gone.  Many have gone back home - to their old houses, their old friends, their old schools, their old lives.  We are going to our home country where our children have lived at most 1/2 their life, at least, a tiny fraction of their life.

So, the result is there will be no insightful last posting from India.  I have a few requests, though:  Please try to understand if we aren't excited right away, if we get a little choked up when we talk about our lives here, if we miss friends, if we want to reminisce.  We love you, we love our country, and we are happy to be close to our family again.  However, it is an adjustment for all of us.  We appreciate your prayers.

We fly out tomorrow morning.  Moving is difficult.  We're happy and sad, excited and insecure, laughing and crying.  

We're ready to go, but we're not ready to leave.