I'm on lunch break at work (day 2) and thought I would try to write a bit for the three--excuse me, four of you---that we know follow us on here.
It's been a little over a week since we got here and things are slowly coming together. It didn't help that the movers just brought our "house" (stuff) yesterday--August 9, after picking up July 29. We've been "surviving" on air mattresses (or, more often, blankets on the floor, all in the same room) and two 7-inch portable DVD players with movies from Red Box. And even the kids are a little sick of eating out. Last night, I cooked pasta with sauce (from a jar, but it was a start) with veggie Italian sausage, and I haven't been so grateful for even an easy homecooked meal in a long time. This is despite cooking on an electric stove, which I'm not at all a big fan of, but it'll do.
I can't speak for my whole family, but this whole move still feels a bit...out of body. And I'm already at work (as of yesterday), catching up on the most immediate tasks at hand, but part of me still feels like it's somewhere else, or watching this whole experience unfold. Maybe it's not really knowing anyone, maybe it's living in a semi-gated community with no sidewalks, maybe it's driving almost everywhere (even more than in Chicago), maybe it's the uncertainty of where it all leads, or not having the things that look like "us" in place just yet...who knows. I think it just takes time, especially after driving for two days and then trying to get our house in order (literally). It's little things that make up a "real" life, like finding our favorite restaurants, and a good barber, and getting kids into activities they can partipate in with some longevity, and gradually experiencing our social network expand, one friend at a time. In a way, it's like being children, open to infinite possibilities...except with bills and kids of our own.
(As an aside, this place is veeerrry different when it comes to getting around. They don't seem to feel the need to mark all their streets in an obvious fashion, leaving us "come-ya's" wondering where the $%^&! we are every once in a while. We keep asking ourselves, "is this the right street?" as we travel throughout the Charleston Metro Area).
On a different note, we went to the beach the morning of our first full day here (last Monday) and spent nearly two hours in the sun and of course the waves, and the idea that the ocean is within a five-minute drive became very real...of course, we haven't been back since due to a jellyfish warning...but it's still there! Also took the kids to one of two rec centers with pools nearby and they were able to swim for a good hour and half, until everyone was called out of the pool because of a pending thunderstorm. Stopped at a local old-fashioned ice cream shop on the way home and both Osayende and Aniyah were unable to finish their double scoops. Score one for real ice cream (so says the semi-vegan, but at least they know for next time how much they can handle).
Speaking of handling...without going into too much detail, I would say Aniyah's proven to be a bit more flexible than Osayende, whose position moved to the "I don't wanna go" column just prior to leaving, so he's had his sullen moments. In general, he tends to share my skeptical side and tends to have a harder time with the unknown by nature, whereas Aniyah is a bit more adventurous. In general, watching the two of them together with no one else but each other has shown me that I have two strong-willed individuals who both are very capable of standing up for themselves and speaking up for what they want, which is a tremendous gift for anyone.
Our job in this new phase of life is let them be strong in a way that makes them better people and makes the most out of their greatest qualities. I think, I hope, that will happen.
Once they're actually sleeping in their own rooms again.
~TL
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