Easter

Easter Sunday we all woke up early for sunrise services at Faith Lutheran Church in Valders. The kids dressed in their Sunday clothes and walked over to the church. It was a bit chilly, but the wind made it seem much colder. Faith Lutheran has a unique Easter service.  Every year, they allow the high school students in the congregation to perform skits or sing songs instead of doing a normal worship service. This year, the students did a skit about the commercialization of the holiday (the Easter bunny, candy, etc...). It was actually quite funny, although I don't think the Thai kids understood many of the jokes. The people in church also sang some songs and had the little kids do a noisy little parade.  I'm not sure what the Thai kids thought about it, but it certain was different from a Thai Buddhist temple!

After services, we ate breakfast in the basement of the church. Lin sat with her host family while the rest of us enjoyed scrambled eggs, ham, donuts and candy. When we walked back to the house, the weather was much warmer, and the sky was bright and clear. The perfect weather for saying good-bye to their friends and meeting the host families.

The first to get picked up was Lin.  The Brills drove over from church and picked her up. She seemed quite happy and excited, so I think she'll do fine. Tomorrow she will get to go to school and ride a school bus, what an exciting adventure! Next to go was Fern. Although she was meeting the Konens for the first time, she had already skyped with them quite a bit online, so she wasn't nervous at all. Our tight-knit little group was getting smaller. We had a lot of adventures over the past few days and conquered many challenges, so the kids were a little sad to part ways, but they were also very excited to take this next big step.  The Larsons came next to pick up Jean.  He's really improved and opened up a lot since the beginning of the trip, so I think they will have a great time together.

Finally, the Kupskys came to pick up Jane.  She looked very excited and nervous when she left with them, and in fact later on we received a phone call that the tears had already started.  That's a part of this trip too, and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a few more tears from the other students as well.  This is a big adjustment for the kids, and some handle it better than others. Things almost always smooth out after a few days, but the first night in a new house full of strangers away from all their friends and family can be a bit scary. It's important for parents to be supportive, but they also have to be wary of feeding into inappropriate displays of emotion. A few encouraging words and a focus on the positive aspects of the trip are all that's usually needed to cure homesickness. For the kids, they should push themselves to keep busy and involved with their host families. That will help them fight away the blues. It won't be easy, but after all, that's the whole point of trips like this one. Overcoming challenges, maturing and growing, and expanding one's mind to include new possibilities are all essential aspects of this trip, and each child will handle the experience differently. However, in the end, the overall experience is always a positive one. Important lessons are learned and confidence is improved, even if the way is a little bumpy at first.

After Jane left, Erng was the only one remaining in the house, and so she got a big introduction to the American lifestyle! My older sister and her husband brought five of their six kids over, and my older brother brought two of his four kids over, so we had a very full house! Lots of loud Americans joking and eating and playing... I think Erng was a little bit overwhelmed by it all. However, she handled it like a trooper, and mingled in with the other kids very well.  She showed my nephew Ben how to make bubbles with her bubble sticks and hunted for Easter eggs with Bryce, Cole, Ben and Tim. Easter egg hunts are an American tradition. I'm not sure if Erng understood why we were looking for eggs in the yard, in fact, I bet she was thinking, "If you wanted to find these eggs, why didn't you just keep them in the refrigerator where they belonged, instead of scattering them around the backyard?", but she found her eggs anyway, so good for her!

When the noisy Americans in my family got a bit too much for Erng, she curled up in a chair and read her favorite book. I'm glad that she didn't retreat to her bedroom, that's a good sign. It's OK for the kids to take a break, because listening to everyone rapidly speaking English can be very tiring, especially if they don't get any of the jokes or understand any of the references. However, it's also important that they stay out of their room and be available and willing to participate with the rest of the family. Burying the nose in an iPhone game while at the dinner table or while people are trying to talk to them isn't a good thing, but taking a few minutes to re-energize is perfectly OK. It's all about finding a balance between too much and too little interaction with their host families. Too little interaction can lead to homesickness and an uncomfortable and awkward relationship with their hosts. Too much interaction can lead to stress and cultural burnout.  Since each child and each host family are different, finding that balance is something that they need to work out for themselves.  Usually all that's needed is the right attitude and a bit of common sense. However, if things don't improve that's where I step in. Dealing with the more severe cases of culture shock and homesickness is one of the reasons I come along on these trips.

So Erng took a little time out to read her book, but she also made herself available to participate as well. When it was time to hunt Easter eggs, she put the book down and went outside even though she had no clue what she was supposed to do or why she was doing it. When Ben invited her to play a game of pool on his tablet computer, she put her book down and let him teach her how to play the game, and then she would read her book again while it was his turn to play.

Tomorrow is Erng's first day at school, so we're all very excited for her. It's going to be a big adventure for her, but she's got the right attitude and a strong spirit, so I think she'll do just fine.

Good luck to all the students and their host families! I hope the next two weeks are a rewarding experience for you all!