We had a sendoff dinner for Naomi before college at a Japanese restaurant. I put together sort of a care package with cards and gifts for her to open at different times throughout the year, like when she had an exam, when she felt sick, or when she missed home. I knew she wasn't going to be that far away, but it's still a transition and a new experience to be living and studying away from home.
Manny and I moved Naomi into her freshman dorm a week before school. She opted for the cheapest housing, as she wanted to save some money. That came with its challenges, though it wasn't all bad. Not having AC sounds like a first world problem, but the way her room was, including having building hot water pipes running adjacent to her bed, the heat was just trapped in. The fan didn't help that much (I would still recommend the oscillating Woozoo fan for dorms). I gagged almost every time I visited due to the permeating putrid smell of her building.
On a positive note, she was placed in a double instead of a triple, so she had more room and didn't have to end up bunking. She also had private bathrooms on her floor instead of communal bathrooms, which was nice, though there were only two on her floor, and one always had a broken or clogged toilet. Another plus was being close to the main dining commons. The food was unpredictable. The good stuff was often gone before she got there, and sometimes the mystery entrees were an amalgamation of ingredients presented as exotic cuisine. There was one staff worker whose cooking was really good, and she and her friend from the dorm looked forward to when he was there.
Naomi has always preferred in-person interaction, and it wasn't as easy to make friends in the commons as it was in our day. Many of the students were just on their devices, kind of like what you see these days with adults at Starbucks. She also goes to a college where many students commute, which is another reason students may not find it easy to hang out, so to speak, but by the end of the year she had found clubs and made new friends from her classes, including her new roommates for this year.
Isaac also started that month with the first day of fifth grade. I took him to a trampoline park to blow off some steam. We also chased a meteor shower one evening, driving around to several stops for almost two hours before finally seeing the shooting stars...from our driveway when we got home.😄 Isaac needed to get out for drives a lot. I suspect he will be like me once he does learn to drive, as I find it relaxing to drive (except when there's traffic).
Lucas's online school starts after Labor Day, but we kicked off the homeschool year, and our return to the Christian homeschooling group, with a picnic and sports group game. I believe about 40-50 families attended. It's a pretty large group, and two other families from my church are in the group. There are very few homeschoolers at my church, but everyone is very gracious about the choices families make. In previous churches I either was told that everyone should homeschool or was told that homeschooling isn't a good idea. At least now I never feel pressured either way. Just seeing Lucas finally getting to play with other kids again melted my heart. Would love prayers for him to find meaningful friendships.
