Transitions - Part 2

Our trip back to the United States in mid-August and preparations for Peru were much more hectic than we had planned given Aileen’s mother’s surgery.  Aileen was very busy caring for her mother in New Jersey while Jeff was in San Francisco preparing for our move to Peru.  Emma and Hannah were very busy enjoying everything San Francisco has to offer, especially all of their friends and family.  Everyone had a very different experience during our brief visit to the USA so we will each tell our own story.

Jeff

It was beyond weird coming back to our house, especially without Aileen.  However, it was blissful being in a comfortable room with a nice bed, no mosquito net and no blaring music, barking dogs nor cackling chickens to disturb my sleep; hot showers, good coffee and delicious breakfasts every morning were even better.  We were of course very worried about Aileen and her mom and missed them terribly.  To make matters worse, we were not even sure if we would go to Peru but had to move forward as if we were.  During our first week in the United States I needed to focus on getting some consulting contracts to help pay for our living expenses in Peru, so I met with numerous nonprofit organizations and foundations to try and find work.  Thank goodness my sister lives nearby and was able to watch Emma and Hannah for a few days while I was running all over the city.  My folks then came to visit and we spent some quality time with them and all of the west coast Kositsky family.  The next week was a frenzy of packing, shopping, preparing our house for the new tenants, taking care of paperwork and more.  It finally seemed as if Peru was a go and I was scrambling like a madman to get ready before we left for NJ.  The night before we were going to leave was to be a sleepless one.  I had the house all ready but did not start packing until after dinner and had much to do.  This changed abruptly when I received a notification that our flight to NJ was cancelled due to Hurricane Irene.  We were all devastated not being able to see Aileen and her family.  I tried mightily to get us on a flight but it was not to be.  After two very stressful days trying to get through to the airline I finally got us tickets from SF to Houston where we would rendezvous with Aileen and head to Peru.  Once our travel arrangements were set we had time to do some last minute shopping and visit some friends we thought we would miss during this trip.  Seeing my dear friend Tyrell was a special silver lining to the change in our travel plans.  After all of the hassles we had this past month I never expected to actually see Aileen in Houston so we had all sorts of contingency plans in place.  I cannot describe how thrilled I was to see her running down the gangway toward our plane and even more thrilled that airport security was not chasing her for this clear violation of TSA regulations.

Hannah

My time in the United States was super good – I loved it.  I visited lots and lots and lots of my friends.  I saw Nora, Zoe, Rowan, Elias, Toby, Jasmine, Milo, Justin, Helena, Sam, PJ, Maya, Margret, Liv and Liesl.  I am very sad we did not see my friend Willa.  I am really sad I could not see my Mommy or my Grandma.  I did get to see my Grammy and Pop Pop and my Aunt Lauren, Uncle Josh, Uncle Andy (and his girlfriend Cindy), Uncle Andrew, Aunt Christy and my cousins Ann, David, Maya, Diane, Matthew, Sarah, Nadia, Jordan and Arielle.   We bought ice cream and chips and ate lots of good food like carrots and potatoes.  My Daddy got an Ipad and other stuff.  The airplane trip to Houston was okay.  We were just talking about Mommy and she came running to us.  I was very excited.  The flight to Peru was bad because my ears were so plugged I could not hear.  They gave us food on the airplane and it was pretty good.  I was scared to be going to Peru because the teachers might pull my hair if I am bad.

Emma

I really had a SUPER good time in America, especially with my friends and family.  I thought it was very nice when my school friends made a party for me at Zoe’s house.  I also had a really good time at the Academy of Science with Liesl and hiking with Sam.  I also had a really good time at my Aunt Lauren’s house when everybody came over.  I liked when Grammy and Pop Pop came over to my house.  But the most exciting part was seeing Mommy in Houston before we went to Peru.

Aileen

When I think about my last minute trip to New Jersey because of my mom’s heart attack and her subsequent need for a quadruple bypass operation, mostly I think about all the love and support surrounding me and my family.  First and foremost, Jeff really stepped up to the plate and was super-supportive in encouraging me to be there with my mom.  I’m not sure if I know any other dads who would have volunteered to take care of two kids on their own for three weeks, much less getting them and all our stuff from a remote beach in Nicaragua, to Managua, to San Francisco and then to Houston, getting the house in San Francisco ready for our new renters, and taking care of all the shopping and logistics necessary so we could still embark on our adventure in Peru.  Also, the many friends who helped out with childcare and of course Jeff’s sister, Lauren, who was so incredibly helpful in so many ways, all made it possible for me to be in New Jersey with my family.  In New Jersey, my brothers and sisters-in-laws, nieces and nephew, our cousins, Nick, Rich, and especially Ed, made the response to the situation really feel like a team effort where everyone was trying to do whatever they could to help out.  This feeling, and the kind home health aides we were able to find for my mom made it possible for me to leave for Peru, secure in the knowledge that my mom is in great hands.  (The ease of international communication via skype and cell phones, and the existence of direct flights between Peru and Newark didn’t hurt, either.)  It was really special for me to spend so much time with my mom and despite the difficult circumstances we both enjoyed being together.  (I was also glad that Hurricane Irene chose this period to strike the northeast, so that I was there to help my parents remove the water from their basement!)  I am looking forward to going back to New Jersey in January, this time with Jeff and the girls, to spend some more time helping out and being with my family.