The weather has been so lovely over the past few days that we've been sleeping with our windows wide open. Because the glass slides left to right instead of bottom to top, we have also been sleeping with our blinds wide open lately. And so, this morning the bright sun and cool breeze woke me at 6:30am.
Annika and I took a walking tour of our neighborhood this morning. She biked and I walked to a new little coffee shop, where we picked up croissants and ate them in a new little park. We walked over to music class, and then home again after. On the way home from music class, she stopped at a bed of roses and smelled a flower from each bush. We walked to the drugstore, after swapping out her bike for the stroller. She fell asleep, and I kept walking.
I realized that my blog posts have been filled with worries. But I am not filled with worries about this move. I'm pretty excited. I think Jakarta will be an amazing city for carrying a camera. I think it will be full of little pockets for exploring. I think it will compare in many ways to our time in Shanghai, and I'm eager to find the similarities and the differences.
But I am not excited about the weather. A few nights ago, I checked the current weather in Jakarta. You see, I usually check the weather during the day... and so I usually see Jakarta's nighttime temps. But just for fun, I checked Jakarta's weather at midnight last night / noon Jakarta time. It was 90 degrees and felt like 101, with a chance of thundershowers.
The new weather will be an adventure all its own - I must admit, I'm pretty excited about monsoons! But I have also submitted a request for lots of days like today to finish up our time in the states.
Friday, May 23, 2014
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
The School Update
I contacted the girls' school in Jakarta, and I received a very prompt answer. Today was a good day.
This is no coincidence. Lately, I've been emailing the school or someone in the community with a question about the girls being admitted to separate campuses. It seems that I send the email overnight, and then I receive the reply in the morning. I wake refreshed and ready to face the day, and then I read the email and feel worried and confused all over again.
But last night I sent an email to the registrar at 8:15pm, and I received a reply by 8:45 in the evening. Hooray! And not only did I receive a prompt reply, but she wrote with good news. Word is that Sophia will retain her spot at the further campus, but is on the waiting list at Lilly's campus. When asked, the registrar informed me that she is #2 on the wait list. This feels like good news to us. Two is a high number at any school, but especially at an international school. Businesses can move people quickly, diplomats need to go home unexpectedly, families were waiting on word somewhere else before pulling out of their spot. It seems entirely possible that they would accept 2 kids off of the wait list.
So, here's my plan. I will pray every day that Sophia be moved to Lilly's campus. I will also continue to pray that God is preparing the perfect teacher, school and classmates for each of my girls - and that nothing get in the way of that. I'm reading over Philippians 4 this evening,
This is no coincidence. Lately, I've been emailing the school or someone in the community with a question about the girls being admitted to separate campuses. It seems that I send the email overnight, and then I receive the reply in the morning. I wake refreshed and ready to face the day, and then I read the email and feel worried and confused all over again.
But last night I sent an email to the registrar at 8:15pm, and I received a reply by 8:45 in the evening. Hooray! And not only did I receive a prompt reply, but she wrote with good news. Word is that Sophia will retain her spot at the further campus, but is on the waiting list at Lilly's campus. When asked, the registrar informed me that she is #2 on the wait list. This feels like good news to us. Two is a high number at any school, but especially at an international school. Businesses can move people quickly, diplomats need to go home unexpectedly, families were waiting on word somewhere else before pulling out of their spot. It seems entirely possible that they would accept 2 kids off of the wait list.
So, here's my plan. I will pray every day that Sophia be moved to Lilly's campus. I will also continue to pray that God is preparing the perfect teacher, school and classmates for each of my girls - and that nothing get in the way of that. I'm reading over Philippians 4 this evening,
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.Here's how I read that verse. Tell God everything that you want - the worst He can give you is His peace.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Normalizing
We hung out this afternoon with a family also on their way to Jakarta. They fly in 5 days before us.
This was exactly what I needed.
We had met this family before, and so the kids went straight into play-mode and the conversation flowed instantly. We should have done this a long time ago. Sharing my fears and frustrations about the school with someone in exactly the same boat (her son is slated to be in Sophia's class) made me feel so... normal. Discussing the traffic and the heat, wondering about when to hire a housekeeper, sharing books - spending an afternoon with them made this feel less like moving to the opposite side of the world and more like something that regular people do. She advised me to set down The Indonesia Reader, which I've been slogging my way through for months, and to pick up Twenty-Five Excursions around Jakarta. Enough dry history - lets get excited about this city! She also urged me to call the Admissions Office at the school and see if a live conversation will give me a better view of our options. And they're a Music Together family, eager to evangelize for my music classes in the fall.
It will come as no surprise to my parents or my brothers that I like to talk. I have learned over the last few years that talking truly makes me feel better. Voicing whatever fears or angers me can relieve my stress level, like puncturing a balloon. I call it normalizing, because people always identify with my troubles and feeling universal feels much less dramatic. It feels normal. But chatting about these school issues with my neighbors or my mom didn't seem to puncture my stress bubble. Chatting with the moms at our neighborhood school about our international school problems didn't make me feel normal - if anything, it heightened the drama. Connecting with a family in our same boat exactly was so relaxing. Life feels normal again.
We've got another play date scheduled for our first mutual week in Jakarta.
This was exactly what I needed.
We had met this family before, and so the kids went straight into play-mode and the conversation flowed instantly. We should have done this a long time ago. Sharing my fears and frustrations about the school with someone in exactly the same boat (her son is slated to be in Sophia's class) made me feel so... normal. Discussing the traffic and the heat, wondering about when to hire a housekeeper, sharing books - spending an afternoon with them made this feel less like moving to the opposite side of the world and more like something that regular people do. She advised me to set down The Indonesia Reader, which I've been slogging my way through for months, and to pick up Twenty-Five Excursions around Jakarta. Enough dry history - lets get excited about this city! She also urged me to call the Admissions Office at the school and see if a live conversation will give me a better view of our options. And they're a Music Together family, eager to evangelize for my music classes in the fall.
It will come as no surprise to my parents or my brothers that I like to talk. I have learned over the last few years that talking truly makes me feel better. Voicing whatever fears or angers me can relieve my stress level, like puncturing a balloon. I call it normalizing, because people always identify with my troubles and feeling universal feels much less dramatic. It feels normal. But chatting about these school issues with my neighbors or my mom didn't seem to puncture my stress bubble. Chatting with the moms at our neighborhood school about our international school problems didn't make me feel normal - if anything, it heightened the drama. Connecting with a family in our same boat exactly was so relaxing. Life feels normal again.
We've got another play date scheduled for our first mutual week in Jakarta.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
What We've Been Reading
Way back in February, I commenced Indonesia 101. I took just over a month to read an article with the history of Indonesia, and its taken me another 2 months to get halfway through The Indonesia Reader. I'll admit - its not as compelling as I expected it to be. An interesting concept, the editors pulled together historically significant pieces of writing on Indonesia. Many of these writings are centuries old, and the vast majority (at least that I have read so far) were not written for the readers' enjoyment. A comparable selection on US History would include the Mayflower Compact, treaties with American Indian tribes, maybe the Federalist papers - and still, these writings would be much older. So, I feel like the book is greatly expanding my knowledge of the country, so it is well worth the read. But its taking some time.
So, just so y'all don't think I'm not attending my studies at all, I thought I should post some of the things our girls are reading. When I built my Indonesia bookshelf, I did not limit it to books for grown-ups. In fact, one of my favorite ways of preparing the girls for a move is loading them up with books on the new place. Our two favorites have been The Dancing Pig by Judy Sierra and All About Indonesia by Linda Hibbs.
The Dancing Pig is a Balinese folktale which has captured Annika's imagination. It only just left her book rotation. You see, Annika is in that fun stage where she wants to read the same books over and over again. So I have The Dancing Pig practically memorized, and I must admit to liking the book more the more often I read it. I enjoy the characters and the clever conclusion to the book, but I'm also enjoying the little bits of culture sprinkled throughout the book.
All About Indonesia is our newest find, and the current household favorite. Its a thick book without one storyline, so its an easy one to pick up and read for only a moment or two. Each page or two will describe a different part of life in Indonesia, with lots of photos and illustrations and an engaging layout. Also, its a much easier read than the reader moving through so slowly.Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Feeling Worried
Alright, here's where we stand.
We drive away from Virginia in less than 6 weeks.
Its an easy pack-out, and so the next month and a half is primarily filled with shopping, spending time with friends, and End of School What Not. Its nice to be at this stage and feel we have enough time to do everything we want to do. In that sense, life is relaxing right now.
Sophia has a spot at school.
This is such a relief, because if she had not been offered a spot at this school, I did not know what I would do. I had no back-up plan. I was already scaring myself with the thought of homeschooling her until a spot opened up in the middle of the year. Scary. The school which accepted Lilly has also found a place for Sophia. Phew.
Sophia and Lilly have been placed at different campuses.
No more worrying about whether or not Sophia will go to school. On to worrying about Sophia and Lilly attending different schools. To be clear, they will attend the same school. The school has two different elementary campuses. One is nearer to us, and has a wonderfully dear reputation. This is Lilly's school. The other is further from us, and is the site of the recent sex abuse scandals (add that to the List of Things to Worry About). The school has a strong reputation for academics and for attracting and keeping good teachers. I am under the impression that the difference between them is the difference between Strong and Super strong. I am more worried for the girls. They derive comfort from being together, and they enjoy being members of the same community. I enjoy them being members of the same community, both sharing stories and anecdotes that build into a more cohesive picture of what life looks like inside their school. They fight like wildcats, but they also sit next to each other on the school bus. It makes me sad to think of them beginning life at a new school, alone on their journeys. Also, it would be a logistical mess for me. Not only is each campus over 35 minutes from our home, they are each probably an hour from each other. And it seems too early and too traffic congested a time in my life to have my 3 kids at 3 different schools. I am worried.
I will begin offering music classes in the fall
This is ambitious. But riding off of my success in Caracas, and knowing that beginning classes in the fall saves me some money and paperwork on the business end, it seems worth trying. I'm looking at this as a marketing term - offering one class during the week, allowing plenty of families to drop in and try the class for free, and hoping that word of mouth will add on extra classes in the winter session. But starting a business in Jakarta from Arlington is more difficult than it may seem. Well, it may seem difficult to most of you. Its more difficult than I expected it to be. Gathering data on the competition, researching location, these are all nearly impossible from abroad - but necessary for building a business plan with a budget. And this is the time for both a business plan and a budget. So, as it stands today, my budget doesn't go into the black until the spring session, and then only just barely. This has me worried, because although it would be a worthy hobby, I was hoping to run these classes as a job.
Our housing looks lovely.
We've seen photos of the inside, a floorplan, been connected to neighbors and learned a bit about the neighborhood. The commutes will be rough for everyone, but it should be a very comfortable place to live.
We keep meeting nice people.
A gal from my Bible study moved to Jakarta in January, and has been sending me lovely reports back every few weeks. A friend from Caracas connected me to her good friend in Jakarta, who has been lovely about sending info from the school and answering questions. Our social sponsor seems fabulous and connects me to other families when she can't answer a question. The web is ever growing. Besides which, Dave knows a number of people from language class who will arrive around the same time as us. I'm feeling more confident that we will be surrounded by good people during our first few weeks at post.
There is so much good, and I'm excited about what's coming up. But I'm nervous about music class, and I'm really worried about school. I pray that God is preparing the perfect place in school for each of my girls, and anyone else praying the same for them would be amazing.
We drive away from Virginia in less than 6 weeks.
Its an easy pack-out, and so the next month and a half is primarily filled with shopping, spending time with friends, and End of School What Not. Its nice to be at this stage and feel we have enough time to do everything we want to do. In that sense, life is relaxing right now.
Sophia has a spot at school.
This is such a relief, because if she had not been offered a spot at this school, I did not know what I would do. I had no back-up plan. I was already scaring myself with the thought of homeschooling her until a spot opened up in the middle of the year. Scary. The school which accepted Lilly has also found a place for Sophia. Phew.
Sophia and Lilly have been placed at different campuses.
No more worrying about whether or not Sophia will go to school. On to worrying about Sophia and Lilly attending different schools. To be clear, they will attend the same school. The school has two different elementary campuses. One is nearer to us, and has a wonderfully dear reputation. This is Lilly's school. The other is further from us, and is the site of the recent sex abuse scandals (add that to the List of Things to Worry About). The school has a strong reputation for academics and for attracting and keeping good teachers. I am under the impression that the difference between them is the difference between Strong and Super strong. I am more worried for the girls. They derive comfort from being together, and they enjoy being members of the same community. I enjoy them being members of the same community, both sharing stories and anecdotes that build into a more cohesive picture of what life looks like inside their school. They fight like wildcats, but they also sit next to each other on the school bus. It makes me sad to think of them beginning life at a new school, alone on their journeys. Also, it would be a logistical mess for me. Not only is each campus over 35 minutes from our home, they are each probably an hour from each other. And it seems too early and too traffic congested a time in my life to have my 3 kids at 3 different schools. I am worried.
I will begin offering music classes in the fall
This is ambitious. But riding off of my success in Caracas, and knowing that beginning classes in the fall saves me some money and paperwork on the business end, it seems worth trying. I'm looking at this as a marketing term - offering one class during the week, allowing plenty of families to drop in and try the class for free, and hoping that word of mouth will add on extra classes in the winter session. But starting a business in Jakarta from Arlington is more difficult than it may seem. Well, it may seem difficult to most of you. Its more difficult than I expected it to be. Gathering data on the competition, researching location, these are all nearly impossible from abroad - but necessary for building a business plan with a budget. And this is the time for both a business plan and a budget. So, as it stands today, my budget doesn't go into the black until the spring session, and then only just barely. This has me worried, because although it would be a worthy hobby, I was hoping to run these classes as a job.
Our housing looks lovely.
We've seen photos of the inside, a floorplan, been connected to neighbors and learned a bit about the neighborhood. The commutes will be rough for everyone, but it should be a very comfortable place to live.
We keep meeting nice people.
A gal from my Bible study moved to Jakarta in January, and has been sending me lovely reports back every few weeks. A friend from Caracas connected me to her good friend in Jakarta, who has been lovely about sending info from the school and answering questions. Our social sponsor seems fabulous and connects me to other families when she can't answer a question. The web is ever growing. Besides which, Dave knows a number of people from language class who will arrive around the same time as us. I'm feeling more confident that we will be surrounded by good people during our first few weeks at post.
There is so much good, and I'm excited about what's coming up. But I'm nervous about music class, and I'm really worried about school. I pray that God is preparing the perfect place in school for each of my girls, and anyone else praying the same for them would be amazing.
Thursday, May 01, 2014
Getting Excited
Okay, I admit it.
I'm getting excited about Indonesia.
We've been connected to a handful of people now, and they all seem very warm and welcoming. They all seem happy. We've received our housing assignment, and even seen a blog posting with photos of the interior. We've been reading, and both the history and the region are wildly interesting.
These are all good reasons to be excited.
But here are the two reasons I am the most excited.
#1 - A housekeeper and a driver
We have already bought a car and hired a driver. He comes very highly recommended. In fact, we were first keyed into him because a friend said I think her driver is looking for work. Do you want me to connect you? So many people have commented on how good he is. Having a driver is lovely. Traffic in Jakarta is said to be amazing - a huge time suck. Being able to amuse myself and be present with my family during the hours we spend in the car will be such a gift.
We have not yet hired a housekeeper, although we're chatting with a few folks. But we will have a housekeeper. And that means that all of the mundanity that fills up my days... well, a lot of the mundanity that fills up my days will be handed off to someone else. Sigh. I'm feeling relaxed even thinking about it.
#2 - Feeling at home again
We were cleaning up this evening, and I put the homework stuff away in the homework box. The homework box is a flimsy canvas carton that belongs on the floor near the dining room table. It holds all of the girls' workbooks, their pencil and marker boxes, and some basic art supplies. It is a poor substitute for a desk. But in a few short months, once we've moved into our new home and received all of our things, we will once again have a place for everything. We will eat off of our own dishes and find a place for all of our kitchen tools... inside the kitchen. We will have our books on the shelves, instead of in neat piles next to the bed. We will build our home rather than deal with our hotel room. Our hotel room is lovely - I've no complaints about our lodging these 8 months. But it hardly feels like home. I'm looking forward to being at home.
I'm getting excited about Indonesia.
We've been connected to a handful of people now, and they all seem very warm and welcoming. They all seem happy. We've received our housing assignment, and even seen a blog posting with photos of the interior. We've been reading, and both the history and the region are wildly interesting.
These are all good reasons to be excited.
But here are the two reasons I am the most excited.
#1 - A housekeeper and a driver
We have already bought a car and hired a driver. He comes very highly recommended. In fact, we were first keyed into him because a friend said I think her driver is looking for work. Do you want me to connect you? So many people have commented on how good he is. Having a driver is lovely. Traffic in Jakarta is said to be amazing - a huge time suck. Being able to amuse myself and be present with my family during the hours we spend in the car will be such a gift.
We have not yet hired a housekeeper, although we're chatting with a few folks. But we will have a housekeeper. And that means that all of the mundanity that fills up my days... well, a lot of the mundanity that fills up my days will be handed off to someone else. Sigh. I'm feeling relaxed even thinking about it.
#2 - Feeling at home again
We were cleaning up this evening, and I put the homework stuff away in the homework box. The homework box is a flimsy canvas carton that belongs on the floor near the dining room table. It holds all of the girls' workbooks, their pencil and marker boxes, and some basic art supplies. It is a poor substitute for a desk. But in a few short months, once we've moved into our new home and received all of our things, we will once again have a place for everything. We will eat off of our own dishes and find a place for all of our kitchen tools... inside the kitchen. We will have our books on the shelves, instead of in neat piles next to the bed. We will build our home rather than deal with our hotel room. Our hotel room is lovely - I've no complaints about our lodging these 8 months. But it hardly feels like home. I'm looking forward to being at home.
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