Idaho

The trip to Idaho would be more limited than normal due to the short duration. With less than seven days, we had to make some hard choices as who how we would spend our time. In the end, we would only be able to split time between Boise and the Magic Valley to hang out with my parents.

Kimberly

We headed to Kimberly on Sunday, arriving just in time to attend a church service where my mother plays the piano. It’s a sleepy church, though not quite as sleepy as my mother-in-law’s Presbyterian church in Indiana. The US is loaded with churches that are slowly dying or already have died. You also have a growth in mega churches. Usually when we are in Indiana, we attend the Presbyterian church service and then zip over to the cousins’ mega church about a half hour away. There’s just enough time to make it given the timing of the services. It’s quite the contrast. A quiet liturgical service with less than a dozen people in a traditional church building followed by a couple thousand-person congregation with a rather loud worship band in a massive theater.

familiar view of my mom at the piano

The former is slowly disappearing as society changes. Good riddance say some. I find it a bit sad, really. I’m a combination of my age and personality but I feel that there’s something comforting about a more traditional church. Mega churches stress me out. I see the appeal though. With economies of scale, massive institutions like that can have a major impact on supporting their local communities (if they choose to do so). They also have the resources to meet the needs of a broader spectrum of the population. They have bands and multimedia productions. Elaborate childcare facilities. Loads of activities. But it’s easier for someone to get lost in the shuffle.

We try to attend church with my mom when we're in the US, usually about every 6-12 months. Each time it seems that at least one member of the congregation has passed away in the interim. There aren’t too many young faces and the attrition puts the future of the church in question. But it was nice to reconnect with those that I know. I've known some of these people since I was a kid and they’ve been very supportive of my mom. Her piano playing days won’t last forever, but for now I think it’s as important to her as it is for them.

* * *

Pomerelle

The next morning, we were out of bed fairly early to head to the mountains to do some skiing. I was a bit torn about the idea of skiing given the short time that we would be there. It seemed a bit self-indulgent. But my parents know me well and they just assumed that's what we were going to do. I was going to try to compromise by leaving super early and trying to get back by early afternoon. As it was, we were delayed getting on the mountain due to their new registration and payment system. We eventually figured it out, but we lost a lot of time and it pushed our ski day into the late afternoon.

the same slopes where I learned to ski

Pomerelle is place where I used to ski when I was young and I hadn’t skied there since then. According to their website, it’s one of the oldest ski areas in the western US, beginning its operations in 1940. On the edge of the Magic Valley, the location of the mountain is such that it punches above its weight class when it comes to snow. It’s elevation, at 8,762 feet (2,671 m), is not incredibly high but it attracts more snow than the other Idaho ski areas.

the beauty is half the fun of skiing

With a vertical drop of only 1,002 feet (305 m), it can be a bit tedious for good skiers. You end up spending a lot of time on the lift. Thankfully, the larger lift has been upgraded since I was a kid and is considerably faster.

But for people that are learning to ski, I have never been to a better mountain. Milk run, which has kept its name since back in the day, was exactly as I remember it: wide with a gradual slope. It would be where we spent most of the day as I worked with the girls on their turns. I was curious as to how they were going to do given that they hadn’t been on skis in two years and have only been on the slopes a few times over course of their young lives. I wanted them to enjoy it even though, like many things, it becomes more enjoyable to the better you are. For better or worse, skiing is something that is important to me. It’s not necessary for it to be important for my wife and children, obviously, but it’s more fun if I can share the activity with the family.

post-ski appetizer with my mom

In the end, they all did very well. And they had tons of fun. In fact they were eager to return the next morning as well. As it worked out, we didn’t. Kinaya had a migraine during the night (something that often happens after she does a lot of exercise) and I also wanted to maximize my time with my parents. But I was so glad they enjoyed it and are keen to go again next chance they get. 

brainwashing children to root for your alma mater

* * *

Boise

Normally when we are in Idaho, we head north at some point to spend time with family up there have fun in the mountains. Given that we had less than seven days, it just wasn’t feasible. We would thus split our time between Kimberly and Boise.

I last lived in Boise about 37 years ago. The city now has little in common with the city that I lived in then. Some of the growth has been good. Some of it hasn’t. Fertile farmland has been swallowed up by strip malls and houses that all look basically the same. The growth seems to be coming faster than city planners can deal with. Depending on where you’re going, you can be faced with an endless string of annoying stoplights to get from A to B. There is a shortage of limited-access roads, parkways, etc., particularly on the western side of the city where the former country road grid isn’t capable of absorbing urban traffic. Newer areas also seem to be devoid of green spaces. Sadly, capitalism lends itself less to public good and more to private interest.

* * *

After spending a few days with my parents, we were off to the capital. There were rumors of storms brewing in various parts of the western US. To be honest, I hadn’t been tracking the weather since we arrived in the US. I’m not sure why. I often do in so far as it affects driving, running, skiing, etc. This time, the most I would do is check the temperature before I walked out the door. Clearly humans absorb more information than they need in some ways, not enough in others.

We had snow over the full hour and forty-five minute-drive. Even though Boise is lower in altitude, snow was beginning to accumulate. As we emerged from the car, it seemed magical with large flakes falling gently and the fresh white powder all around us. Before we even hauled our bags into the house, we joined in with my sister to begin playing.

Most people would find the setting magical, but for us, living in Africa, this sort of thing is even more special. As is our wont, we quickly set about making a snow sculpture of some kind. Sculpture is probably too strong of a term for what we ended up with. We began by aiming for the shape of a dragon (a nod to a theme in some books that our girls are reading). A few obstacles got in our way. One was a lack of talent. The second was that the snow stopped falling and our source material began to dwindle. The third was that the temperature began to increase and our poor dragon’s head had difficulty staying on its body. Eventually, the project was abandoned and we opted for the great indoors and a hot cup of tea.

* * *

As I mentioned, we didn’t have a great deal of time in Boise. We did fit in a couple of dinners with family. We ran errands and did our pre-travel shopping. 

sporting goods stores in the US are on another level

Soon it was time to return to Kenya. With all the travel, two weeks is rather short. But it’s better than not going at all. In some families, time with family is stressful. For me, it is grounding. It’s just the travel that can be stressful. The good news is that the travel back to Kenya wasn’t noteworthy. We made our connections and the bags all arrived intact. Mission accomplished.

Indiana

We arrived in Louisville to brisk but not unreasonably cold weather. Unlike most people, I really like the cold. Yes, I have spent nearly twenty years in Africa and so it’s a bit more of a novelty for me. But I have embraced the cold since I was a kid. Back then I would spend hours and hours outside in the cold by myself in some sort of imaginary world (usually some sort of sports world) returning to the house when hungry, to watch a game on TV or to reluctantly go to bed if it was nighttime.

Nowadays, much of my life takes place indoors. I would like to change that at some point, but that’s the way it is for now. In my work, I often take trips to the field to visit activities which involves considerable time in the dusty outdoors. When in Nairobi I try to compensate by regular runs, outdoor workouts and/or by biking to work. But it’s never cold and often quite hot. There are certainly places to go in Kenya that are cold, but Nairobi is almost never jacket weather.

As such, I try to take in the chill when I go to the US in winter. We hadn’t been for a couple years so I was readier than usual.

* * *

When we are in Indiana, the routines are generally the same. We settle into my mother-in-law's house. Jet lag is usually not a big issue heading west and we adjusted quickly. Exposure to light, avoiding naps and, for me, a good workout, help me shift my circadian rhythm.

Most evenings were spent with the cousins. We would only have a week so the schedule was a bit more packed than usual. We had done quite a bit of shopping online which reduced the need to spend time in shopping malls (though it still had to be done). There is always a slowly progressing puzzle spread out on a card table. We make pilgrimages to the local YMCA for exercise, sometime twice in a day (once for me, once with the kids). We take walks around the neighborhood. 

Unlike most of America, my mother-in-law doesn’t have a TV in her living room. I find it refreshing. I do like to watch football, but the constant need to have a game on in the background is just not there. If I want to watch a game, it’s a targeted activity on my tablet where games have been recorded and I can avoid the ads. If the family wants to watch Jeopardy or something else, there’s a small TV in the office. In short, it’s there if you want it but life is not built around it. 

* * *

Scottsburg is a rather sleepy town of about 7,400 people. If you head north from Louisville, it’s situated about a third of the way to Indianapolis. It’s mostly flat with no mountains off in the horizon. The flatness does contribute to unobstructed tornado movement. We’ve been there when there have been tornado warnings in the summer but haven’t experienced anything nearby. There was a big one several years ago that destroyed a bunch of buildings in the area (and trashed a storage unit where my wife had been keeping some of her belongings).

Christmas Eve bridge walk in Louisville

Santa squeezing in some last minute recreation on the Ohio River before the big day

The town is relatively poor and we’ve heard that there’s a significant drug problem in the area, specifically methamphetamines. It’s far enough away from Louisville that it doesn’t serve as a bedroom community so employment is mostly derived from small businesses in the area. I suspect that unemployment is quite high.

Overall, not much happens here. I suppose that’s what makes it a nice place for a short vacation, at least for me. Given where I live and what I do for a living, a small, boring American town is just what I need. However, for our kids it’s a bit different. There is a lack of stimulation, particularly if you are coming from a city of around 5 million people. They can settle in and enjoy the quiet for a while. But that only lasts so long. 

* * *

One frequent complaint at the end of the holidays is that too much time is spent shopping, preparing meals, cleaning up, doing dishes, etc. I have frequently suggested that we take the path of least resistance and combine eating out/buying prepared food with home-cooked meals. It's a bit scandalous, I admit, for a family that enjoys home-cooked meals. But when you have so little time together, there are trade-offs. This year the team relented and, shockingly, it was Subway sandwiches on Christmas Eve. It was bittersweet. The kids ate and were off and running after seven minutes. There was zero preparation and almost zero cleanup. On the flip-side, one thing I learned from my Italian ex-in-laws was the respect for the meal as an event in and of itself. From the buying of the food at all the different shops, to the preparation, to the hours spent at the table, to the cleanup, it is to be taken seriously and not just something you do in between activities. For them, activities were built around meals. For Americans, it's usually the opposite. Our compromise was to cut corners on Christmas Eve and make up for it on Christmas day with a proper Christmas dinner. 

Christmas Eve we opened gifts. When they were delivered by Santa, it was always Christmas morning. But we've become decidedly flexible with our traditions. I realize that when traditions are flexible, there's a question as to whether or not they're even traditions. As our children are growing up in a foreign country, it's nothing like what I experienced as a child. Neither is better. Just different.

Christmas day was relaxed. I went for a morning run in the chilly morning. We had the big meal, went for a walk, worked on the puzzle, etc. Nothing exciting, but quite enjoyable.

Very quickly, the week was over. We would have an early morning wake-up (3am) and we would be off to Idaho.

 

 

The French Connection

“A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it.” - Albert Einstein

 

The travel begins

The busyness of our November-December schedules abruptly came to an end as we packed our bags and headed out the door for a quick two-week trip to the US. It didn’t begin well as the taxi company mistakenly sent a small car to pick us up (rather than the van that was booked). As we stood in the evening rain, clock ticking, uncertainty about the Nairobi traffic jams awaiting us, we decided on the clown car option and stuffed ourselves and suitcases inside the best we could and off we went.

It turned out to be a minor inconvenience, but it was unnecessary. Unfortunately, it would not be the last of this journey.

We eventually caught our midnight flight to Paris. As much as I love the city, I detest flying through its airport.

Nearing midnight and waiting to board in Nairobi.

*  * *

Interestingly, I had begun a blog entry a couple months ago about how the French, generally speaking, are not great at organizing things. I realize that I have French friends that both disagree and agree with this. But it’s my perspective. I have spent enough time in France and working with French institutions to see how this plays out. I think what happens is that you have bureaucracies that make sense to insiders and, if you are accustomed to them, you don’t question them. Seeing them as an outsider can sometimes provide a helpful perspective. 

The blog was initiated by the chaotically organized parent-teacher meetings a couple months ago. Before I was able to finish it, our recent episode at Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in December brilliantly captured the essence of what I was going to say. So before recounting the dramas traveling through Paris, let me digress and set the stage with my original rant.

*  * *

The education system

I'll start with the French school system. Here is a list of the first five grades of primary school: CP, CE1, CE2, CM1 and CM2. Numbering from one to five just isn’t clear enough apparently. I realize that the desire is to provide more clarity as to what each level represents, but in most countries that's implied in the number. Anyway, that's not the biggest issue. From CM2, the numbering proceeds in reverse. From CM2 you are in 6^th, then 5^th, 4^th, 3^rd, 2^nd, 1^st and finally T (terminale). Again, if you grew up with the system, you don’t really question it. It’s obvious that advancing in your education means that number 1 is followed by the number 2, unless you are in secondary school when the number one 1 is preceded by 2.

Then there was the parent-teacher meetings. In addition to the comically unrealistic 7-minute sessions, the process began by providing parents with a document listing the rooms where the teacher will be. Another document provided the schedule of all the appointments. Why combine/simplify the information when you can make a scavenger hunt out of something that everyone is taking time out of their schedules to do. 

There are so many small things that come up where you think, this is a different way of thinking.

* * *

CDG

If you’ve traveled through Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport, then I don’t really need to say anything more. You’re already aware. If you haven’t, give yourself some time if you are transferring there.

It starts out easy enough. You have three terminals: 1, 2 and 3. Most of the action happens in terminal 2, which is subdivided as 2A through 2G. But that’s where things start to get a bit crazy.

For example, 2B, 2D and 2F are in the same building. A weary traveler would think that they could take their rollie on a short walk from terminal 2A to terminal 2B. Nope. 2A, 2C and 2E are in a separate building. 2G is off on its own in yet another building. Terminal 2E for some reason has K gates (not 2K, just K) and there are some gates in two other buildings called L and M. Where do the labels K, L and M come from? No one knows. Why are they located between 2E and 2G? I have asked French friends these questions and they either shrug their shoulders or laugh or both. But if the departures board says you are leaving from a K gate for example, there is no intuitive way to know that it will be in 2E.

I assume that it’s like Las Vegas where they intentionally design things to be confusing to make you so tired of trying to find the exit, you stop and rest up at the craps table. Maybe CDG is trying to make it so complicated that you give up, miss your connecting flight, buy expensive food and stay in a hotel.

These are not obscure examples. This is the country’s school system. It is the country’s main airport. These are prominent institutions. And I have loads of other examples.

* * *

Back to our travels...

I joked about this with my family while we were navigating our way though CDG after arriving there from Nairobi. Silly me. The airport would soon take its revenge.

After meeting up with a friend of ours for a cappuccino and a croissant in our departure terminal, we made our way to the boarding area. The gate didn’t have a jet bridge so we painstakingly, and slowly, boarded buses to get to the airplane. It does seem odd that they wouldn’t be set up better for a major flight from France to the US but who am I to complain.

The bus dropped us off at a stairwell which would allow us to climb up to a jet bridge and board the plane. While we were making our way down the aisle to our seats, we heard the flight attendant announce that the plane we were boarding was heading to Boston. We were heading to Detroit. Chaos ensued. The bus had taken about 50 passengers to the wrong plane.

Confused, we were told to disembark but we weren’t allowed to leave the bridge. Stuck in limbo, we stood and waited for more information. At this point, all hope of making our connecting flight in Detroit was dashed.

We were tired due to lack of sleep during the previous night flight and as the wait went on and on (with no place to sit), Kinaya broke down in tears. Airport staff kept talking on their radios, but no information was forthcoming. Thankfully, their conversations were in French so I could track what was being said. They seemed to be as confused as we were.

The longest I've ever been stuck on a jet bridge.

Eventually another bus came to retrieve us. We made our way back down the stairs with our carry-ons and squeezed into a single bus. We were then told the brutal news that we would need to be taken back to the terminal, rather than our airplane, and be subjected to security all over again given international aviation rules regarding passengers who have disembarked from an aircraft.

I don’t fully understand the rule since we had just gone through security and, though we walked onto the airplane, we hadn’t traveled on it. We boarded for less than two minutes and we hadn’t even sat down. Technically, we did disembark though. The disorganization of CDG was comical, though no one was laughing.

Eventually the bus began moving. I was sick to my stomach at the thought of heading back to the terminal and going through security all over again, after all the delays and mess so far. It’s that feeling of helplessness when you’re subjected to the consequences of peoples’ ineptitude and you can’t do anything about it. This may have been the worst treatment my wife and I have experienced since we had to spend the night on the floor of the airport in Amsterdam in December 2010 (while Priya was pregnant). To be fair, in Amsterdam there was snow.

After driving for about two minutes, the bus stopped. We didn’t move for some time and I began to wonder if someone was making a decision about whether we would indeed need to return to the terminal or if they felt that we had been punished enough and they were going to take us straight to our airplane. Apparently I wasn’t the only one. Rather than turning left towards the terminal, the bus made a right turn and a somewhat muted cheer could be heard as we believed that we were finally heading to the aircraft.

Our assumption was correct and soon we were finally boarding the correct plane. We filed past all of the angry and frustrated passengers who had been sitting and waiting this whole time for our group to eventually find our way to the plane. I don’t blame them. I would be angry if I were them, though I wasn’t sure how much they were told about what had happened to us.

* * *

The flight was pleasantly uneventful. Initially, my Delta app showed that we were automatically re-booked on a flight the next morning, which meant we would need to spend the night in Detroit. I had mixed feelings about that. While I didn’t want to waste a night in a hotel given how short out vacation would be, I also knew that we were going to be exhausted and a bed, sooner rather than later, was also appealing. Over the course of the flight, I noticed on the app that our flight changed again to a “new” flight late that evening. The good news was that we would likely make it to Louisville without needing a hotel. The bad news was that we would have yet another flight and a long layover in Detroit waiting for it.

*  * *

I love France. It’s an amazing country where I have had many, many fond memories. You just can’t be good at everything.