Tag: Home Assignment Page 5 of 15

Those Kids

On March 13, 2014

Probably one of the most commonly asked questions we get is, “How have your kids adjusted to the States?”

Well, let’s see here.

They have grandparents who paid for gymnastics and ballet lessons and Happy Hollow passes. They have other grandparents who bought them season passes to Disneyland. And even though the agreement was that these “experiences” would replace the grandparents’ need to buy “stuff” for the grandchildren, the amount of “stuff” in their bedroom would prove otherwise.

They are on basketball and soccer teams. They go to Awana. They have bikes and scooters and most exciting of all….pajamas and jackets!

Imagine taking all the “spoiling” that’s done to your kids (by grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, etc) over a period of four years and squishing it all into one year. That pretty much sums up the kind of year they are having.

So yeah….I’d say they’ve “adjusted” just fine.

Jedi Training Academy at Disneyland

ummm…do you think he is small for his age?

But he makes up for his size with pure, unadulterated energy.

Princess Ballet. Enough said.

Swagger Girls Basketball Team–undefeated!

Getting “Princessified”

with my aunt Krista….one of many who loves to spoil them!

They will probably need to be detoxed in July. But at the end of the day, they still love Tanzania. Grace is counting the days. “Only four months until we go back!” she declared to me this morning.

She too is learning to love this two-world life.

Thankfully My Nose Did Not Actually Fall Off

By Amy Medina

On March 3, 2014

In Other

Gil has an allergy to the cold. I’m not kidding. It’s a real, live condition called Cold Urticaria. He breaks out in hives if he gets too cold and can even go into anaphylactic shock.

Shoot, I wish I had that allergy. I hate the cold.

But Gil and I spent last week in Minnesota, where they are having one of the coldest winters on record. I think I wore every article of clothing I own.

We felt like we should have had a big sign on the car while we were driving, Stay far away from us. Driver from California. Gil even made the comment, “Driving in Dar is easier than this!” And that’s saying something. Trust me.

So anyway, it’s a good thing we had plenty of people in Minnesota to keep our hearts warm.

Every time we are in Minneapolis, we visit Bernie and her family. We first met Bernie in 2001, when Gil and I came to the EFCA Office for two weeks to go to Candidate School. We left immediately afterwards to go to Tanzania for the first time. Bernie opened her home to us those weeks, and has been a friend to us ever since. I think we’ve stayed with her four other times since then. And Bernie even has a bed warmer….mmmmmm……we love staying with her!

There is also a rather large collection of HOPAC alumni attending college in Minnesota, as well as a bunch of former HOPAC staff. So….one of our former students threw us a reunion! It was wonderful and glorious and so encouraging to be with so many people we love. Some of them were even my students in 5th and 6th grade, Gil’s students in high school, and now they have graduated from college and are changing the world and stuff. We feel so old….but we are so proud!

If There Was a Good Samaritan Contest, Tanzanians Would Totally Win

By Amy Medina

On January 30, 2014

In Other

Today I went down to the courthouse. I am working on getting my children U.S. birth certificates. Enough about that. It’s long and boring.

I got to the parking lot and discovered my battery was dead. (One of the smaller members of the family was responsible for that.)

Okay. I had jumper cables. I opened my hood and stuck them on, and then looked around for someone to give me a jump.

Given the fact that asking strangers for help is probably near the top of my list of Things I Hate to Do, I had to take some deep breaths. And this is what I got:

Person #1: “Sorry, I’m too busy.” [I really just need 30 seconds….]

Person #2: “Uhhh….I just had some work done on my [very new, very large] car. Sorry.” [I just need your battery to work….]

Person #3: [Actually, this was a whole group of burly security guards.] “You should go ask the parking attendant.” [You mean, the woman sitting by herself in the booth? What the heck is she going to do for me?]

Person #4: “Sorry, I don’t know where the battery is in this car.” [You don’t know where your battery is? Uhhh…I think it’s under the hood?]

At this point, I am near tears. And ready to call Gil and make him drive the 30 minutes to give me a jump.

All I could think was, This would never happen in Tanzania.

Okay….the part about the battery dying? That would happen. In fact, it did, multiple times. But the part about no one willing to help me?

That would never happen.

Never.

No matter what part of Tanzania I might be in.

Every time I had car trouble; every time I had a flat tire (which was quite often), I would pull over and immediately be surrounded by people willing to help me. Immediately.

I remember one time, I was driving back from camp. I was driving at night (which I already hate); I had the kids in the car, and I had to cross the water on the ferry, which is about a five minute trip.

As I drove onto the ferry, I realized that I had a flat tire. I promptly totally and completely freaked out. What I am going to do? I can’t change it fast enough. The ferry will get to the other side and no one will be able to get past me; they will all be mad at me, and I’m going to be stuck on this ferry forever. And probably die! [I am prone to over-reaction.]

But four guys instantly noticed the problem. They descended upon my car and asked me if they could change the tire. And seriously, it was like being in the Indy 500. They had the tire changed and the flat one back in the car in five minutes, lickety split. I just sat there, stunned, and then drove off the ferry when it reached the other side. Who needs Triple A?

Today, I did finally find someone who took pity on me and jumped my car. He was very kind. And I’m sure you would have helped me too, wouldn’t you have?

California, you might have the better roads and the better drivers and the better law enforcement, but when it comes to kindness to strangers, Tanzania is the definite winner. I think I’d rather break down there.

This Happy Morning

By Amy Medina

On December 29, 2013

In Other

Christmas–Take Two

Seventeen of us (and four dogs) crammed into my brother and sister-in-law’s house for three days. People slept everywhere. But there was light and laughter and games and cousins and singing and a baby dressed as Santa and a whole lot of tamales. Oh yes–there were a whole lot of tamales.

A couple days later, Gil, his brother Brandon, and his sister Tabby had their first soccer league game of the season. Brandon and Tabby have agreed to drive over an hour each way, each Saturday, for the next few months so that they can play soccer with Gil. They must know Gil’s love language.

Tamale making: Getting in touch with our Hispanic side.

We all decided that we really do believe in Santa, after all.

There are so few truly perfect times in our lives, aren’t there? When no one is sick, when everything goes as planned, when everyone is happy and enjoying each other.

God gave us that perfect time these weeks–full of memories and joy and family and rest. It was a beautiful gift.

Yea, Lord we greet thee

Born this happy morning!

Jesus to thee be all glory given.

Word of the Father

Now in flesh appearing

Oh Come Let Us Adore Him!

A Whole Lot of Wonderful

By Amy Medina

On December 25, 2013

In Other

It’s been four years since I’ve been home for Christmas, and before that it was another four years.

We drove up to spend last week with my family. It was perfect.

My parents have lived in the same house since I was two, the house where I spent so many Christmases and now get to share with my kids.

We went ice skating; we went to Christmas in the Park; we went Christmas shopping. I got to spend time with old friends from high school/college, and even older friends that were my neighbors growing up.

My only brother became a Daddy for the first time, just a few weeks ago, so I got to meet Emma. She is perfect and the cutest niece in the world and she joined our family through adoption, so I’m going to make you look at her pictures even if you don’t know my brother.

We celebrated Christmas with my family yesterday–Christmas Eve, and right now we are in the car, headed back down south for Christmas, Take Two, with Gil’s family.

It was a happy, happy week.

Yes, she really is that cute. And Gil took that picture.

So it was really only about 50 degrees….even though they are dressed like Eskimos.

Our biggest task this week was to make a gingerbread house for the family competition. First time my family did this, and it will not be an annual event, due to the fact that it put the majority of the contestants in a bad mood. It’s harder than you think, this gingerbread making stuff.

Gil and I, however, mostly had a great time working on ours. Except for the actual construction of the house, when there was a lot of screaming and yelling and panicking until the thing was up and standing. After that, it was fun.

And of course, we made Narnia. Oh yes we did.

Their Mom and their Dad played with my brother and me when we were their age.