A year and counting...

In the last week we passed the 1 year mark for having moved into Arandis. I asked our kids to reflect on the year and their new lives in writing. I didn't give them many parameters so that they would write with honesty and so it would be their own work and not mine. Here is what they wrote (in no particular order):

"I like to play with my friends and I like to go to Sunday School. I like to paint and I like Arandis - it is fun (daddy's note: she's being positive, because she is frequently bored...). Playing with new friends like Nadine and Chandre are really fun. I like to go to school and learn different things like reading, science, English, and math. I like them all and I also like break/recess. I also like to go to Swakop and other places. And we also like to go to the shops and buy things."

- Jessa, age 10

"My life in Arandis has been different from what I was used to in America. I have to walk every where instead of driving every where because the town is so small. The shops are small and don't have too much in them. Even though I miss America very much I can sometimes have a lot of fun. I often find myself comparing Arandis to Virginia. The food, culture, language, and many others are different but I love how every one gets along.

I go to dance twice a week so that's something to do. I also help in the school library Thursday mornings and then sometimes help my mom teach art. I look forward to some Friday nights when they play movies at the town hall and sell snacks. This happens maybe once a month and is very cheap. I also like concerts when we dance on stage.

Even after a year here I still sometimes get laughed at. I have learned to ignore it but I don't really forget it easily. I am glad that there are at least some Americans here. It makes me feel like I can relate to some people. I have some good friends who - I hope - like me for who I am.

At this time, I don't know if I'd rather go back or stay here. I have grown to love this place despite the heat and other differences. I miss America but also love it here. I know if I went back I really wouldn't feel the same. So, in conclusion, my life here in Arandis is interesting and different but I like it. I think I could call it home."

-Ashlan, age 12

"What I will not forget (about Arandis) is when we had to give Jumpy (a dog) back to the SPCA because he was really nice and cute (daddy's note: yeah, and he peed all over the house, and went into neighbors' houses and did the same. He was at risk of being put down by people around here who don't have patience for that kind of stuff if we kept him). Sometimes he was annoying... Kailey an Ashlan will say he was all the time. I really liked him but Jessa was in love with him. Happy (our other dog, who we still have) and Jumpy played with each other every morning. Sometimes they got in fights but it ended alright. But that is what I will never forget (about my first year here)."

-Josiah, age 7

"The past year has been like none of the others. Finally, after spending almost a decade in Northern Virginia surrounding by the same culture, same people, and the same terrain, I've experienced life in a completely different way. Last year I faced my greatest struggles ever. Nothing was the same. I had to face a new culture alone. English was a foreign language to most people. The place was new. The people were new. The food was new. Altogether, it made life a challenge.

I struggled to find comfort in a place I didn't know (Even after having our own home, it didn't feel like home). I asked God why things had to be so difficult more than a few times. But I never really got a direct answer. I remember hearing Him ask, "do you trust me?" But I didn't understand. From my point of view I was a helpless girl facing extreme emotional struggles. Having no one to walk with me through the difficulties (daddy's note: she means 'no one except her stodgy, mean, old parents'), I was turning to God asking "What happened to 'the righteous receiving God's blessings'?"

What I didn't realize for months was that He WAS the blessing. By separating from everything I find comfort in, I had nothing to do but find comfort in Him. I began to depend on Him for my needs. And now, when I'm in His presence, I feel completely emotionally satisfied. I might never find a permanent place of comfort on this earth, but at least God is here to walk me through it all."

-Kailey, age 13