Erng's First Day

I'm a little bit behind on these updates because I've been a bit sick the past few days. Nothing serious, just a little bit of jetlag which has been giving me some headaches and insomnia.  Oh well, hopefully I can catch up tonight and then I'll be able to get a decent night's rest!

Monday was Erng's first day of school. Patty and I took her to Valders Middle School and dropped her off with her principal. She looked a bit nervous and scared, but she's a strong girl, so we knew she would be OK. She's in the 8th grade and her teacher is Ms. Peggy Kiel.

After school, Erng came home and played some Risk with Patty, my nephew Ben, and I. She started the game controlling "Siam", but eventually I kicked her out and took control of the country.  Thailand is mine now, muwhahahah!  Ben got a little too excited about the game. He kept trying to defend North America from Patty, but eventually she took control of the Eastern United States, so now Wisconsin belongs to Patty!

It was a long day for Erng, and she had a few tears as she talked to friends and family at the end of the day. That's usually when the kids feel the most homesick. They'll be just fine all day long, but once they are alone in their bedrooms in a strange house, that's when they start to miss their family.

The best thing their parents can do is to keep the conversation focused on all the positive things their child did that day, and to avoid talking about the things their child is missing.  For example, asking "What is your host-buddy like at school?" is a good way to stay positive. Even if the child's comments are negative (they might like their buddy just fine, but they might be reacting emotionally to homesickness and so their comments might focus on negative things), the parents can still reply with positive encouragement.  However, it's not a good idea to say things like, "The other kids aren't homesick, so why are you?", or "We're eating your favorite food right now, wish you could join us...", or "We will go to Hua Hin for Songkran, it'll be so much fun! Too bad you can't come with us!"  Saying things like that will only increase anxiety or prolong homesickness.

Fortunately, all the children seem to be adjusting well, and in spite of a few tears, they are happy and enjoying their big American adventure!