So we’re back. What has struck me is how seamless the transition has been so far, even though we’re living with my in-laws until we get our own house back on July 1. The boys have been happy to spend their days playing board games and soccer, drawing, hanging out in the tree house my dad built for them, and torturing their uncles.
And Dan and I have been reveling in how easy things are here. Grocery shopping is no longer a brutal one-man operation that can only occur at 6 am on Saturday. The layout of the kitchen makes it possible to cook dinner and watch the baby at the same time.
We’ve been to the park and the library multiple times already.
And we bought a minivan.
If we’re going to live in the suburbs, might as well embrace it, right?
I hope this blog will continue to serve the same purpose it did while we were in Brazil (in addition to alienating previously friendly neighbors and making my students flammable, as one claimed I had done).
The purpose I’m referring to is making me see things as worthy of writing down. Noticing amusing incongruencies and small moments of grace. Looking at my surroundings with the easily surprised, delighted, and indignant eyes of a stranger in a strange land.
It’s almost as if we never left. Which makes me that much more grateful that we did.
4 comments:
"looking at my surroundings with the easily surprised, delighted, and indignant eyes of a stranger in a strange land."....what an excellent way of explaining this feeling. or, way of life, really. my time in bahia really changed the way I experience/absorb familiar surroundings, too. it's nice to have that sense of quiet wonder. welcome back to PA!
Aw, my boys, I miss them so. Soon I will also be there to bask in the convenience of having a car, parking, shopping for food and actually finding what was on my list, and not feeling like I have to take a shower as soon as I get home. But only for 3 weeks.
So happy to hear you are settling in so well. Whenever I take a trip to a different land I am always surprised how easy we have it in the U.S. Simple things such as grocery shopping like you said.
Kudo's to you for living in another land. Glad you are back to the U.S. though. I truly do hope you continue to blog. It has been grand fun reading it and seeing that amazing family of yours.
Summer
I was wondering about what happened to you ( I lost track of your blog) then I came across transitions abroad and saw that you won the first place for the writing essay 2010 congrats! and now I see you are back in the states!
I will follow now as I'm interested to read about how your kids are adjusting to the states and bilingualism.
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