First Graduation of the Season

I've not done a good job of keeping up with blogging lately, but moments are speeding past that I want to document for the years to come. One of those is a big monument in our lives. Our eldest child, Damon, graduated from college.

Chad and I left Elena behind to take her Sr. IB exams and flew the 24 hours across the ocean to celebrate with Damon this great moment.  Jet lagged and bleary eyed, we circled him in hugs. I couldn't believe I was able to be there for those moments, my mom's heart was bursting with pride at how my little boy was a grown man with the the world full of possibly before him.

Music has a way of sweeping my heart away and filling me with emotion. We hunted for Damon in the lines of green caps and gowns filing into the arena to Pomp and Circumstance. Our keen eyes found him standing taller than the masses, wearing black shoes. It's funny how the shoes were the give away identifier. Being a graduate of Michigan State University, I choked on tears when  the MSU Fight Song was played several times through out the commencement. Towards the end, the arena thundered with students and parents singing with pride. Then, after speeches and diplomas were handed out, the Michigan State Alma Mater song, MSU Shadows began. I sang with pride. We now have five members of our family with green flowing through our veins–my mom, Chad's mom, Chad, myself and Damon.

Three days passed too quickly. Soon I was back on the plane with Maddie next me to join us for the summer. This will be our first summer without five keeping the house full of warmth. I know, it's part of life–the kids growing up and all–it now just seems a bit quieter around here these days.

 

Michigan Touring

Michigan is a great place to call home.  We've lived in several areas of the state and enjoyed each area.  Rivers for kayaking, woods for hiking and of course, Lake Michigan to play in, were all easy to get to from our home in Grand Rapids.  If we felt we needed to get to a big city, Chicago was only a three hour drive.  

Although our girls have traveled the world, they don't remember many of the things that make home such a special place.  With friends visiting the girls from Colombia and Russia, the timing was perfect to explore our own state.

Bright and early (at least in teenage girl time) I loaded four girls into the car and we headed from Grandma's house in Midland, to Mackinac Island.  We had great views of Mackinac Bridge and a lighthouse from the ferry.  The girls were enchanted with the quaint island where no motorized vehicles are allowed, only horses and bicycles.  We rented some tandem bikes and tried to take off.  The next few hours gave me some unique insight into my girls as they tried to navigate staying on a two person bicycle.  I learned that Maddie is more of a leader and take charge person and her friend is laid back and willing to be on for the ride.  Maddie worked best in the front so her friend never even gave it a try.  Elena is very flexible, riding easily in the back but also wanting to try the front.  This is probably the result of being the third born and having to be flexible.  Her friend, on the other hand, is a first born and although she wanted to succeed in the back, she just has too much alf a type A personality.  It was rather fun to watch the girls struggle through the riding a bike experience then hoping on my own single bike and taking off without a care in the world.  We spent the night on the Island, enjoying the quiet after the last tourist boat has floated away.  We spent a rather hazy sunset skipping stones in the Lake then swung on the swings until it was dark.

The girls found Sleeping Bear Dunes fun.  They loved running and jumping in the sand.  It was refreshing to see nature completely captivate the girls.  We could have spent all day hiking and playing but we needed to move on.

Macwood Dune Rides were a bit of a disappointment to the girls.  I think they were envisioning flying over the dunes at neck-breaking speed, but I enjoyed my hair whipping around my face as we flew up and downs the dunes.  The evening found me free to watch the sunset over Lake Michigan with the light house adding to the scene.

We wrapped up our tour with a day at Michigan Adventure.  The girls' third cousin from Finland was visiting America, so she joined us for the day.  It was so fun to watch five girls with international experience connect.  They were simply carefree teenagers for the day.  Laughter and conversation filled the air.  I don't think my girls would have done well in this situation if we didn't lead the life we do.  They would have struggled with small talk and getting to know one another if they hadn't been the new kids so often or had no idea of what the rest of the world was like.  This was clear in a conversation that happened shortly after we arrived.  The girls were busy talking as we were standing in line for a roller coaster.  The girl behind us asked our cousin where she was from.  

"Finland" she replied. 

 "Your accent is so cool.  I love it." 

At this point the stranger's friend tried to jump into the conversation.  "I'm Finish too."  This was met with awkward silence.  She was as Finish as I am–her grandparents probably also immigrated from Finland.

The conversation completely died at this point and my group went back to small talk and joking around as if they had known each other forever.  These five girls saw no difference in one another and just had fun.

I felt so lucky showing my girls and their friends our amazing state.  It was a fast and busy week, but what great memories this will provide when we are split up and in different countries this fall.

A Whirlwind Trip to the States

I'm sitting in the Detroit airport ready to go home.  By home I mean

Moscow.  In the last fifteen months it really has become that--home.

But being back in Michigan was good--really, really good.

I made this trip specifically to check out colleges with my daughter.

I had no intention on returning to the states during our two year

post, but Maddie is a senior and she has some big decisions to make

that we couldn't simply do using only the internet.  I don't know

where the time went, but here I am enjoying my last days having her

around all the time.  The girls and I were a brew of excitement only a

week ago as we sat in the Moscow airport at the beginning of this

journey.  We were laughing and giggling and talking about all the

things we would do during the week.

It hit me how far away we have been when we arrived in New York and

had a bit of time to grab a snack between flights.  We stopped at a

kiosk and all three of us stood there frozen, staring at the selection

of foods.  Finally Elena whispered "there are so many choices."  That

broke the spell and we began to marvel at all the products available.

The shock didn't stop there.  After arriving in Detroit we went to get

our rental car.  By the time we made it through the line Maddie

exclaimed at how nice everyone was.  Yes, this was in Detroit!

Russians have a reputation for being harsh, stoic people, but I also

think the barrier I create by not speaking their language adds to the

general feeling of isolation from society that we often feel.  My

wonder of America did not stop as I pulled onto the highway.  There

was so little traffic!  I could just sit back and relax as I drove.

Certainly the three lanes in my direction were busy with cars, but

after walking daily along the five lanes in each direction of bumper

to bumper traffic on the ring road just outside the embassy, this

driving was a breeze.  I had forgotten the wonderful feeling of a car

and long stretches of road!

We accomplished everything I had hoped during this trip.  We started

in Lansing with Damon where my parents joined us for the day.  It was

warm (compared to the snowy, frozen land we had left behind) and we

walked around the MSU campus enjoying the pre U of M game atmosphere.

 I happily showed the girls my old dorm room.  We splurged at The

Student Book Store on sweatshirts for all.  My mom graduated from MSU,

Chad's mom, Chad, myself and now Damon is a student.  We have a lot of

family history in this one spot.  The last MSU sweatshirt I owned was

25 years old and is long gone.  We watched the band warm up.  I sat on

the grass with my fingers buried deep in the green blades.  The fall

leaves glimmered like golden coins catching the sunlight.  An autumn

rainbow of colors floated to the ground as the breeze gently tore them

from the branches.  I have missed the red and orange colors of fall.

Moscow falls are beautiful but very yellow.  We followed the band past

Sparty before heading over to visit with a friend at a tailgating

party.  Marching bands are distinctively American.  They are energetic

and full of pomp.  Everything felt right.  The city still fits and

brings back warm memories of happy, carefree days.

I was able to see Damon's room, meet some roommates and friends, go to

church with him and get a little taste of his life at college.  He has

found a wonderful group of people to share his life with.  Now when he

mentions a name or place or activity I will have a little nugget of

information to roll around in my mind and create a picture.

Maddie wants to study American Sign Language and become an

interpreter.  She had the opportunity this week to visit college

classes, meet with academic counselors, shadow an interpreter for a

morning as she interpreted at a high school, and spend a night in a

dorm room.  We are going home confident about studying ASL.  I think

she has narrowed her decision down to two schools and just needs to

sit with the information and experiences for a bit before making a

decision.

We visited family enjoying the life of a house full of kids.  Games

came out and my girls were willingly led to floor where pieces were in

piles.  The air was filled with little voices asking questions and

small hands pulling us in different directions to get us up to speed

on their lives.  It's a busy house but I'm so glad things slowed down

for one night so we could visit.

I grabbed moments here and there to visit with friends.  The easiest

thing turned out to be meeting with a group of women for dinner.  I

only got a few minutes to catch up with each person, but the hugs

spanned the time and distance and will carry me with fond thoughts.

The laughter and spontaneous conversation will ring in my mind for

months to come.

I knew my time to shop would be limited so I came prepared with a

detailed list.  We packed lightly--even packing our carryons inside

the check through luggage so we would have lots of space.  Our first

shopping experience was squeezed between two appointments.  There was

a Walmart across the street so we ran in with my list in hand.   The

first thing that hit me was "All those silly videos about the people

of Walmart are so true."  It was a shock that I am still trying to

erase from my memory.  We did great sticking to "the list" but then we

hit the Christmas aisle.  I think it had just been created because

each item was neatly in its place.  Nothing was strewed about or out

of order.  All the fabulous new designs and products for the season

were too enticing.  The girls and I loaded up on gift tags and bags

with the comment that we would have space to squeeze it into on the

return trip home.  Thus the gluttony of shopping began for me.  I

actually did a marvelous job sticking to my list, but I simply hate to

shop this way.  There was no time to shop for my favorite item or the

best price.  The pile continued to grow uncontrollably and this

morning as I was shoving and weighing and sitting on suitcases it just

felt like my bags were vomiting my glutenous behavior of the week.

Living with a feast or famine mentality when it comes to things is

rough for me.  I want to stay balanced and content, but a one week

trip home throws me completely off kilter.  I was so relieved when the

checkin computer at the airport said I got two suitcases per person.

That was contrary to what I read online, but I was not going to point

that out to the airline.  We gladly checked our overstuffed carryons.

So now I am headed home.  I am exhausted from this whirlwind trip, but

I am deeply satisfied with how every element came together perfectly.

Camping

7-9

Returning to something I loved sheds a new light of perspective to me.  It's part of the whole "cultural shock" phase I've been going through, but in a way it's refreshing to take a new look at an old activity and decide if I want to fall in love with it again.

We headed out on a camping trip with my sister yesterday.  It's is a tradition we have had for years.  We load up the cars with all the belongings necessary to have optimal summer fun for two weeks, squeeze the kids in and drive to Ludington State Park on Lake Michigan.  Days spent here are some of my favorite memories.  The kids often reminisce about the fun we have had - camping.

The first clue that we had changed and maybe the kids had grown up a bit was when Damon, now almost 18, said "this isn't as fun as I remember it being."  The full abandon of childhood has shed it's skin and the activities of childhood no longer entertain.   

Because we have either 1- gotten rid of our stuff, 2- had it shipped to Russia or 3- it's packed away in storage in Virginia, we a going the minimalist route on this excursion and borrowing only the necessities. Because I have become more used to a more minimal style of living I couldn't get over my surprise at all the crap that campers kept pulling from their cars.  The first things to come out when new people pull in seem to be items constructed from PVC piping - games, wood holders, kayak racks, table platforms...  In what is supposed to be a get-away people bring their homes with them - including tacky yard art. Gone is the relaxation of nature with tiki torches burning, Christmas lights sparkling, and plastic floor mats spread out on your little designated piece of earth.  

Camping in this manner seems to attract the lazy of society.  I don't say anything, ever, because I would never want any of my friends to think I was talking abut them.  I'm not.  I'm talking to America as a whole.  You are fat.  Leave this blessed country for a few months and when you return you will be shocked at the size of the people who inhabit this land.  I can attest that part of the problem is that you are carrying super sized drinks of all sorts around all the time.   Marketing has worked and essential to being an American is to supersize me including my waistline.  

I had never noticed how when you car camp you move in with people you don't even know. All the drama of Suzzie and Joe is now on display for everyone within 4 campsites and the fact that Nancy's kids are out of control is now something to deal with  at all hours. 

Despite my complaining the enjoyment of camping is returning.  I'm tuning out the culture that I don't care for and enjoying the nights around a campfire, roasting marshmallows to a perfect brown perfection, squishing them between two layers of graham crackers and chocolate then taking a delicious bite. 

- Kris

How we knew we were back in America

We knew we were back in America for our first meal when:

1.  We had to wait 10 minutes to be seated.

2.  The menu was in English - I actually knew every ingredient in every dish before I ordered!  This actually became a time intensive process as I slowly read every item and and imagined every combination of flavors before deciding.  

3.  We could order our dish without sour cream and it actually came that way!

4. There was no Limonada de Coco on the menu.  I am seriously craving that drink!

5.  The wait staff was overly happy hoping for a good tip.

6.  All our food was brought at once - no one had to eat alone.

7.  The portions were huge - our whole family could have shared one meal!

8.  The check was shoved under our nose the moment the last bite of food touched our lips. Of course the disclaimer "whenever you are ready" accompanied it, but we knew they wanted to hustle us out the door.

It's good to be home!