Scottsburg

The long drive to Scottsburg was pleasantly uneventful. Our rental car was bumped up to a Mercedes Benz due to some sort of mistake on the part of the rental company. Other than the lack of much-needed luggage space, we didn’t complain.

Like our time with Kathy, our time in Indiana has a similar low-key feel to it. However, with two middle school-aged girls, we do need to keep them occupied. We don’t want them sitting around on screens all day so we do our best to get them out and doing things. Priya and I both have regular, vigorous early morning workout routines, but the girls don’t. So it’s a matter of being intentional about activities, particularly when they are not around kids their own age.

playing hoops at the Y; I didn't teach her that form

The other challenge we would have is that both of our girls have July birthdays. Their peers in Nairobi generally have their birthday events with friends. Our kids are always traveling with family this time of year. One year, when they were younger, we had a birthday party for them in June so that they could invite their friends. It was nice, but we still ended up having the birthday party expectations when the actual days came around. In any case, this year we allowed them to choose what they wanted to do (within reason) and it worked out okay. For Kiran’s birthday, she was fortunately with a new friend roughly her own age so that was a nice bonus. Kinaya was with the cousins and we went to this place called Activate, a technology-infused “active gaming experience” as they call it. We did it last year and it’s pretty cool. 

birthday girl

 

* * *

Another challenge to our attempts to keep the kids active is the fact that July saw the convergence of Wimbledon, the Tour de France and the Olympics. My attention to Wimbledon has waned a bit in recent years as some of the stars that I'm more familiar with have faded into the past. When I lived in Switzerland, I was gripped every year by the French Open and Wimbledon. I was playing a lot of tennis then and my friends were all into tennis as well. I still enjoy it but not quite as passionately as back in the day.

cheering on England

The Tour de France is a bit the same, in a way. When I was doing a lot of cycling, triathlons and so forth, I was closely tracking pro cycling, and the Tour was the ultimate event. The past few years I’ve found it more of a challenge to keep up with it. I still watch but not as closely.

ice cream in historic Madison, Indiana

The Olympics, on the other hand, seems to continue to get more interesting. Granted, it comes every four years (or two if you count the Winter Games), so, like the World Cup, has more of a draw to it. Most people we met while in the US this year were either watching or at least tracking what was going on. The US did pretty well this year so I suppose that helps in garnering attention.

My mother-in-law is not a huge TV person as compared to most Americans. She has a smallish TV tucked away in her office. We would either crowd around the small screen or, if convenient, I would pull out her projector and show the games on a sizeable wall projection. It actually worked pretty well.

* * *

barbecuing in muggy southern Indiana

Otherwise, we had a couple of barbecues, played mini-golf and went to dinner a few times. There’s a place called Derby Dinner which we’ve been to a few times. It’s sort of a theater in the round (or square in this case). They have a buffet dinner which is pretty good. It sort of has the feel and smell of a church potluck. Maybe it's the scent of old people perfumes and baked ham. The crowd is dominated by senior citizens and they are very White. I'm not used to being around either in large numbers, but it’s unfortunate that other demographics don’t partake. In any case, the actors are mostly local and the performances are always great. Or maybe it’s just my impression since I’m inching towards being a senior citizen…

watching "Annie"

I also tend to do a few chores while I’m there. I enjoy gardening since I don’t have a garden of my own. The kids helped out a bit but it was a bit hot and muggy. When my mother-in-law first moved in, I spent quite a bit of time taming the growth that was encroaching from the adjacent woods. I ended up with a nasty bout of poison ivy rash all over my lower legs and feet. Since then, I’ve been careful to avoid the stuff. Until this year. Unfortunately, it’s not the kind of thing you necessarily notice right away. In fact, I didn’t see the first signs of rash until about two days later. I ended up with rash on my left arm and right hand that stayed with me for the next several weeks. Dumb. At least the girls avoided it.

reflecting on dad's strange inability to avoid poison ivy

St. Paul

At long last, we were off on our vacation. Other than one day over Christmas, I hadn’t taken a leave day since last August. It’s not ideal planning when it comes to vacation days but that’s just how it worked out. I won’t be repeating that this coming fiscal year. 

* * *

Our route to the US was similar to what it normally is. Often when traveling during the summer, we stop in the Netherlands to see friends for a couple of days. This year it didn’t work out and we carried directly to Minneapolis/St. Paul where we stay with our friend Kathy for a couple of days. She usually is subjected to the effects of our jet lag but, at least heading east to west, we tend to get over it relatively quickly.

We arrived to perfect weather and we took advantage of it. We did get some downpours here and there but we quite enjoy that as well. We were told that there had been some record-setting precipitation and a considerable amount of flooding. We would see evidence of it throughout the time that we were there.

lots of flooding

* * *

Staying with Kathy is wonderfully low-key. Though we usually do some sort of activity each day, it’s normally just a time to relax, chat and unwind at the start of the holiday. In the wintertime, we often spend time out in the snow, regardless of the temperature. In the summer, it’s croquet in the front yard, walks around the neighborhood, occasionally attending some sort of outdoor music event. This year we tried something a bit different.

nice urban location for a ballpark

In the past we’ve discussed the idea of attending a baseball game but it hasn’t ever worked out. It’s not that we’re baseball fans. My family, having grown up outside the US, know very little about the sport. We did attend a minor league game in Louisville a few years ago, but that’s it. They don’t know the rules and it was more about the social outing with family.

This year, the schedule worked out such that we were able to catch a St. Paul Saints AAA game. Though the major league team, the Minnesota Twins, are just next door in Minneapolis, a minor league game has its own appeal. In addition to being logistically easier and cheaper, it’s a lot of fun. Minor league teams don’t have the draw of famous athletes so they compensate by throwing a lot of energy into entertainment. There’s always something going on (sometimes too much) and I get the impression that a lot of people who attend don’t really watch much baseball at all. They sit and chat, eat snacks, enjoy the frequent games and so forth that are inserted between every half inning. They see baseball but they don’t really watch it.

happened to catch this photo of the first home run of the game

* * *

After a couple of days, it was time to load up and head to southern Indiana. Though we normally would do this by airplane, the last couple of years we have opted to drive to save a bit of money. It’s not ideal, but it’s okay. While we don’t mind having an American road trip, the nearly ten-hour drive wears me out. It was compounded by the fact that we would be following this drive with another drive of about the same distance when we would go to North Carolina. And back. And then back to St. Paul. Over 50 hours of driving during the three weeks that we were there. Ugh. Likely won’t do that again.

End of School Year Events

In addition to my travels to and around Somalia, the end of the school year always brings loads of activities and events that pack the calendar. The trick for me is always trying to participate in as much as possible, all the while navigating competing work priorities. Increasing activity on both sides creates schedule tensions.

Overall it worked out pretty well. I did miss a few things on both sides but, in the end, I think I was able to have meaningful participation in that which was most important.

 

Cross Country

One event that the school has each year is the cross-country competition, or “cross” as the French call it. Most kids don’t do much training outside their normal physical education classes. The few that do generally finish ahead of the rest.

 

Though I was an athlete in my youth, I do my best to avoid imposing it on my kids. It’s up to them to be drawn to it or not. Admittedly, cross country running wasn’t a big draw for me when I was young. Team sports were the big attraction. Running came to me later in life and it’s something I still do. Maybe, as time passes, it will catch on with my girls. Who knows. For now, we push them to exercise every day. It’s up to them what they do.

For now they are reasonably athletically inclined even without much dedication. Kinaya competed in June and finished fifth, a respectable placing given how little she did to prepare. The French school isn’t a hotbed for sports and as a result, there isn’t much peer pressure to excel as you would likely find in other schools. I remember a similar atmosphere at the school where I taught in Switzerland. Academic pressures? Indeed. Athletics? Not so much.

 

Karura

Nairobi is blessed with a large, forested area within the city limits. As more and more of the city’s trees are being sacrificed due to development (very much the case in our neighborhood), this area seems to be well protected so far. I fear that greed and corruption will continue to eat away at the trees around the city, but Karura Forest remains a sanctuary. 

dirty waterfall, fallen branches everywhere due to the storms

Though it’s in the city, it’s on the other side from where we live. We went more frequently when the girls were younger but less in the past couple of years. It’s our fault as well. We get busy with things and don’t always prioritize it. Nonetheless, we did spend some time there prior to our vacation. Every time we go, I’m reminded how noisy and dirty our neighborhood is. It’s such a contrast to escape to such a green and peaceful area. Hopefully, post-vacation we’ll make it more of a priority.

Performances

Given the rich cultural environment and support for the arts in France, generally speaking, one would think that French schooling overseas would reflect this richness. Alas, this is not the case. As with athletics, the school puts forth a rather dismal effort in these areas as well. Those students that are proficient in ballet, theater, singing, etc. tend to participate in clubs outside the school. 

Kiran on stage

 As with cross-country, when the school hosts an event, you get a mix of talented kids who have obtained these skills outside, or others that just show up and try to avoid cringe-worthy performances. Could this affect our school choice going forward? Possibly.  There are many things to like about the place. It’s just that as the girls are well into middle school, these gaps are beginning to loom larger.

 

End of year party

This is something that I think is done pretty well. On one of the last Saturdays of the school year, the school hosts an all-day party on the campus. It’s a mix of lots of activities and there are usually some good food options. Music. They have draft beer on tap and wine by the glass. Kids run wild with their friends. It’s generally a really nice atmosphere.

everyone talking at the same time

When we arrived in Nairobi seven years ago, the school was much more open and parents would hang out more with each other, often when picking up the kids. As security has become tighter, the campus is more complicated to access. As a result, the community spirit isn’t what it used to be. It’s unfortunate given the richness of the cultures that feed into a school like this. Events like this help foster these interactions but they don’t happen very often.

Kiran and her bestie