Our three weeks at home were a whirlwind of activities. We hosted a party, went to a party, shopped, contacted property managers and insurance companies, toured storage facilities, and celebrated Christmas. We also spent a lot of time thinking that it was really cold. It was a vacation where we really enjoyed the people that make our lives so rich.
I will admit that it felt really good to drive again and regain a feeling of independence. Both Gina and I managed to navigate through the streets of Tacoma with out using any of our Nigerian driving skills: no honking, cutting people off, or running through police barricades. Although it seemed like the only places we really drove to were fast food restaurants and Target. I am convinced that if the Tacoma School District ever stops sending teachers to Lagos, the yearly sales total of the Tacoma Target will drop substantially. Emily and Jacob seemed to believe that a day without McDonald’s is like a day in Lagos, and, I will admit to more than one trip through a Taco Bell as we were out and about.
It is not as if we have done without anything in Lagos. We have lived quite nicely, however, when we were presented with multiple grocery stores, bookstores, and sporting good stores it is amazing how many things we truly needed. I had thought that the main expense of this Christmas vacation would be the flight home. The stack of debit card receipts stuffed in the calendar proved me wrong. Very, very, wrong.
It was especially good to watch Emily and Jacob catch up with their friends. My worry was that the time away would create some awkward moments for them as they tried to reconnect with their friends. They both jumped right back into the mix. In fact, we were quite proud of Emily. She took some of the African art we had collected into what might have been her class at Washington-Hoyt, and she talked with her old classmates for a half an hour. Her confidence certainly got a boost when she appeared at the door and was greeted with cheers of “Emily! Emily is here!” Jacob was able to put his newfound love of soccer to work on New Year’s Eve. He spent the night playing soccer with his gang of friends in Jana’s front yard.
Once the fun of the holidays passed it was time to get to work. Preparing to leave this time was a test of all our organizational skills. We had a list of things we needed to bring back as well as organizing our house into two piles: what we could live without for the next couple of years, and what we would want to have access to next summer. For Gina and I that wasn’t too hard of a task, but it required a lot of tough decisions for Emily and Jacob. Can you imagine how hard it would be to decide which of your 73 stuffed animals you will need next summer? Which Matchbox car is worthy of space in the suitcase and which one can be garaged until we are home for good? We all survived the process, although Thursday night before we headed back to Lagos there were frantic phone calls to the moving and storage company in attempts to save Jacob’s valuables: a blanket, two stuffed lambs, and a stuffed bear.
It was difficult to pull out of the driveway Thursday night, knowing that we would not be back in our house again.
Once again, we all braved some very difficult goodbyes at the airport, on front door steps, and in cold dark driveways. Those last few minutes with people that are so much a part of our lives are achingly difficult. Yet, there would be no goodbyes without the support of family and friends. Their love and encouragement have allowed us to take this great adventure.
The flight to Amsterdam was uneventful. We left on time arrived on time, and managed to leave nothing on the plane. We killed several hours in the airport, and Emily and Jacob managed one more order of Chicken nuggets. The flight from Amsterdam to Lagos was long and uncomfortable. I managed to get the worse seat on the plane. A big metal box on the floor in front of me that limited my legroom and a teenage girl next to me that looked on me as a personal pillow. The other part of the uncomfortable feeling might just be that there was no fear of the unknown this time. We all knew what we were going back too.
We arrived back to the compound at 10 pm Saturday night and we were exhausted. We unpacked a little and tried to stay awake a bit longer to get our bodies set to the new time zone. The plan worked for Gina and I. The kids need more time to reset. During the first week back, Jacob fell asleep at the dinner table three times, and was up and ready to go to school at 4:20 in the morning four days that week. Next time, we will break the return flight up a bit more. It was just way to ugly.
Now it is the end of January and we are back to weekly tennis lessons, cub scouts, choir, and hundreds of other activities. The first weekend home we played in a softball tournament all day Saturday. Something neither one of has done in a long time and we certainly felt it Sunday morning. We have been to a College night party complete with drinking games, a shrimp feed that left us with stuffed bellies and big smiles, and a celebration of Kansas statehood. Gina hosted book club night for the compound ladies that is really just a long wine fortified happy hour. We are deep into planning a spring vacation that includes a cruise down the Nile River.
Lagos is not really home, but it certainly gives me something to blog about.
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