Settled In

Emma:
At first, coming back to the U.S.A. was sort of weird. I made many mistakes like speaking Spanish or putting toilet paper in the garbage can (you don't put it in the toilet in Latin America). I was thrilled to drink water out of a faucet! It is really nice to see friends and family and to know we would see each other again soon. However, I now miss my friends from Nicaragua and Peru!

I am in school at Fairmount Elementary. I really like Fairmount and I am happy there. I've made many really good friends at my new school. Also, I am a junior coach and help at recess. I play volleyball on the development team for the San Francisco Tremors, a competitive volley ball club. I still play guitar but now I have a different teacher named Julie. I started hip hop dance too but it's almost over and my parents said I cannot continue because we are so busy, especially since it is ski season.

I feel settled down and everything feels normal now. I am having my tenth birthday party soon and it is the first time to celebrate in the USA since I turned 7. Although I miss Peru and Nicaragua, I am happy to be home.

Jeff
I cannot believe we have been back in the USA for four months. Time sure flies. Emma wrote and typed her blog post in this edition all by herself. When she did her first post in 2010 she could barely write and I had to take dictation and edit. Same thing with Hannah. It is unbelievable how they have grown and changed.

I have been enjoying my freedom (from work) by bicycling, skiing and hanging out with friends.  However, having time to participate in our daughters' daily lives has given me the most joy. Cooking breakfast, taking them to school, and picking them up again has been a treat. Though I got to enjoy all these things overseas, it is nice to be doing them in our own home. In addition, I am volunteering in Emma and Hannah's classrooms and seeing them in action is wonderful. I cannot believe how well they have adapted to life in the USA. It has been a bit harder for me and I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the pace of life here. However, all of the open and generous people around us make the readjustment more then worth the effort. I am glad to be home.

Of course, it has not all fun and games. I have been doing consulting work and am still trying to get our house in order after being away for a few years. On top of this I am volunteering for an organization called WRAP and serving as the secretary at the Fairmount Elementary PTA. In addition to taking minutes, Secretary Jeff is trying to develop a program to encourage more interaction among the Latino and non-Latino families at the school.

Having all of this family, volunteer, and personal time has been great, but the party ends in January as I recently found work as the Chief Operating Officer of a nonprofit organization called Green For All based in Oakland. Now, all the pieces of the puzzle are in place.The adults have jobs, the children are in school, we have reconnected with our friends and family, and the house is almost unpacked. In other words, our adventures are coming to a close and our family has entered a new phase. Though there is always some sadness in transitions, our lives are full of joy and blessings and being away for so long made us appreciate how lucky we are to live in San Francisco surrounded by such wonderful friends and family.

Hannah
I feel sad and happy to be in the United States. I did not want to leave my really good friends in Peru but I am happy to see my old friends in the United States and to make new friends in my school. I already have some really good friends - Trudy, Natalia, Micah, Elsie, Ruby, Amelia, Stacy, Ella, Leslie, Brenda, and Lucia. I have also gotten to have play dates with friends from my old school - Nora, Willa, Zoe, Sam, and Helena. My school here in the United States is much easier than Peru because Peru is more advancado. We practice Spanish and now I am even better because they speak mostly Spanish at my school. I also go to gymnastics and violin lessons. I am also going to a class to help me read English better. My Dad asked me to say if it was hard or easy to come back to the USA.  I think it was in the middle.

Aileen
In August, Aileen returned to work as an teaching assistant in a special education class and continues to be una madre extraordinaria. Despite the fact that everyone always says they love the blog posts Aileen and the girls contribute to, Aileen continues to be a reluctant contributor and again failed to meet the publishing deadline. However, she promises to contribute to the next (and final) blog post in which we will share our final thoughts and perhaps reveal the meaning of life, the universe and everything.....