It's 10a.m. and I took Jonathon's underarm temperature. 40C isn't good axillary, it converts to 104F. But adding the extra 1 to 1.8 degrees to get an "actual" temp means he is extremely hot. He's a bit lethargic, but still up, drinking water and watching TV. I'm glad today was a scheduled Stay Home day to do the last of the cleaning up and suitcase packing along with a trip to ISM. The housekeeper is here so Jonathon can stay home and nap this afternoon while Nicholas and I are out.
**
Now at 4:30, after his fever being controlled by Motrin most of the day, it has shot up again to 40.6C orally, which equals 105F. I'd wanted to let the fever run its course for a bit, but that's plain too hot for anyone. He's going to get another dose of Motrin now instead of waiting until bedtime. While his head and chest are burning up, his hands are feet are cool to the touch. I wish I knew what was going on with him besides yet another virus. Fevers are so general, alone they are indicative of nothing but "illness".
Wednesday, February 9, 2005
Tuesday, February 8, 2005
I enjoy keeping this blog
I enjoy keeping this blog, not only to keep for all eternity for my children to read about their experiences overseas (many of which they'd completely forget if I didn't take thousands of pictures and painstakingly write about every sniffle and elephant ride) but also because it seems to be a help to people round the world. Those who consider the Foreign Service life, those who want to move to Manila, those who want to travel with their kids, it's all good.
For our Embassy newsletter I wrote an article about our trip to New Zealand last summer, with all the kids of course. It was travel article and parental encouragement all in one. And if you're curious to read it, you can do so here:
http://www.aafsw.org Click on Articles and Advice, Dispatches, then You Brought Them With You? (2/05)
For our Embassy newsletter I wrote an article about our trip to New Zealand last summer, with all the kids of course. It was travel article and parental encouragement all in one. And if you're curious to read it, you can do so here:
http://www.aafsw.org Click on Articles and Advice, Dispatches, then You Brought Them With You? (2/05)
Wrapping Up
Jonathon came down with a fever of 103 at preschool. Needless to say my afternoon plans just changed from a stop at the grocery store followed by packing and massive clearing, cleaning and purging to keeping the house quiet and making sure he gets his medicine and rest.
Last night he woke crying around 9 p.m. and when a regular trip to the toilet didn't calm him down I figured something was up. But when he's incoherent and crying and rolling in bed not wanting to be held there's not much to do but sit for a bit and rub his back. It seemed to help and he finally fell back into a deep sleep around 10. Obviously something is wrong because he's napping now and burning up. I'm glad I planned tomorrow as an at-home day for the boys. We'll be going to ISM in the afternoon to have little going away parties for the girls. The boys will have a going away party next Wednesday at Club Lunch with their AmeriKids friends.
Nicholas has been very sweet with his sick brother, sharing stickers and saying he didn't want to go to Katie's house since Jonathon was sick. He just wanted to come home and watch a movie. A quiet movie so it doesn't wake Jonathon. He really is a sweetheart.
In other news, Faure Gnassingbe' was sworn in as President of Togo and the constitution has been changed to allow him to complete his father's "term" through 2008. The African Union is not at all pleased with what's going on in Lome', calling it a military coup. An emergency summit will be held in Niger to discuss what options are available for getting Togo back on the road to democracy. It's interesting reading the replublicoftogo site to see the view from the ground, or at least from the mouthpiece of the Togolese government. They lambast the foreign media's portrayal of the change in government and say that everything is hunkydorey.
Read it all here. I have included a translation of my own, PURELY for my own practice. If you want to know what it -really- says, ask a Frenchman. :
http://www.republicoftogo.com/fr/news/news.asp?rubID=1&srubID=1&themeID=1&newsID=9174
Putsch militaire, coup d’état civil, monarchie, népotisme. Les médias étrangers tirent à boulet rouge sur le Togo. Sur le terrain, la situation est un peu différente.
[Military takeover, civil coup, monarchy, nepotism. The foreign medias have shot (a red ball? bullseye?) on Togo. On the ground, the situation is a little different.]
« On comprend la réaction de la communauté internationale » explique un proche de l’entourage du nouveau chef de l’Etat, Faure Gnassingbé. « Elle a pu être choquée par les procédés utilisés quelques heures après le décès du président Eyadéma, mais il y avait urgence ».
["We understand the reaction of the international community" explained a close member of the new Chief of State's entourage. "They are perhaps stunned/outaged/shocked by the procedures used several hours after the death of President Eyadema, but there was an urgency."]
Non seulement urgence mais vide constitutionnel car le président de l’Assemblée nationale était en Europe. Il fallait faire vite pour éviter que le vide ne s’installe.
[Not just urgency but a constitutional void as the president of the national Assembly was in Europe. It had to be done quickly to avoid having the void take hold.]
Et contrairement a ce qu’indiquent depuis samedi radios et télévisions étrangères, Fambaré Natchaba Ouattara, le président du Parlement, n’a pas été empêché de rentrer à Lomé, c’est lui qui a pris la décision de rester à Cotonou. D’où sa destitution intervenue dimanche soir.
[And contrary to what has been indicated since Saturday on the foreign radio and television, the president of the Parliament was not forbidden to reenter Lome', it was he who made the decision to stay in Cotonou. ?....? Sunday night]
En moins de 24 heures, l’ordre constitutionnel a été rétabli au Togo. Réunis en session extraordinaire, les députés ont élu Faure Gnassingbé au perchoir lui donnant ainsi la possibilité d’accéder à la magistrature suprême comme le prévoit la constitution.
[In less than 24 hours, constitutional order was reestablished in Togo. Reunited in an extaordinay session, the members had chosen Faure Gnassingbe' to... hmmm, it means something like they wanted to give him the position of the speaker to allow him to follow the constitutional provisions of rising to the presidency. I cannot wrap my brain around the actual word translations though.]
La solution d’urgence utilisée quelques minutes après le décès du président Gnassingbé Eyadema aura duré donc duré moins de 24 heures.
[The emergency solution implemented minutes after the death of President Eyadema lasted, then lasted less than 24 hours.]
Mais pour les médias étrangers, Français notamment, toujours prompts à accabler le Togo, ce qui vient de se dérouler à Lomé n’est autre qu’un putsch militaire, un putsch civil, un coup de force constitutionnel. Dynastie, monarchie, népotisme, voila, entre autres, les expressions récurrentes utilisées par les journaux, radios et TV pour décrire ce qui se passe au Togo.
[But for foreign medias, notably France, always ready to condemn Togo, what came to unroll Lome' was nothing more than a military takover, a constitutional coup. Dynasty, monarchy, nepotism, there among others, the recurring expressions used by journalists, radio and TV to describe what happened in Togo.
L’oscar de la désinformation revient sans doute à Radio France Internationale (RFI). « Cette radio ne respecte même pas la mémoire d’un disparu », s’étonne Pitang Tchalla, le ministre de la Communication.
[The oscar of disinformation goes without a doubt to Radio France International. "That station doesn't respect the memory of the departed" said Tchalla, Communications minister.]
« RFI s’est lancée dans une campagne de désinformation et de déstabilisation » dénonce M. Tchalla.
["RFI has launched a campaign of disinformation and destabilization" denounced Mr. Tchalla]
Il est vrai que depuis l’annonce de la mort du président Eyadema samedi soir, la radio française diffusant vers l’Afrique offre une large tribune aux opposants de tout poil, politiciens, journalistes, « experts » du Togo, historiens de l’Afrique de l’ouest, etc…
Ses tranches d’information depuis 24 heures n’ont pas accordé la moindre place à un responsable politique togolais susceptible d’exprimer une opinion contradictoire.
[It's true that since the announcement of the death of President Eyadema Saturday night, French radio is spreading around Africa, offering a large soapbox to opposition (something about hair??), politicians, journalists, "experts" on Togo, West Africa historians, etc. These slices of infomation over 24 hours should not be accorded the merest place in responsible Togolese politics (what does the rest of that sentence mean?)]
« Où est l’équilibre en matière de traitement de l’information ? » se demande Pitang Tchalla.
["Where is the equality in material and treatment of information?" asked Tchalla.]
La mauvaise connaissance ou tout simplement l’absence d’information sur les réalités togolaises conduisent les médias étrangers à écrire un peu n’importe quoi. A cela s’ajoute un parti pris évident de la part de certains journalistes qui ne voyaient en Eyadema qu’un horrible dictateur et qui considèrent son fils comme le dépositaire de pratiques condamnables.
[The bad information or simply the absence of information on the realities of Togo leads the foreign media to write what is untrue. This adds a party take evident on the part of certain journalists who did not see in Eyadema anything but a horrible dictator and who consider his son an agent of condemnable practices.]
Les jours qui viennent démontreront la faiblesse de leur analyse.
Enfin, on signalera que les capacités d’investigation de la presse sont étrangement limitées. Aucun journaliste ne s’est vraiment intéressé à l’ancien président de l’Assemblée nationale, présenté à l’étranger comme une sorte de martyr bloqué derrière les barbelés de la frontière. Il aurait été intéressant pour les lecteurs de connaître sa vision politique du Togo.
[The coming days will demonstrate the faults in their analysis. Finally, it signals that the investigation capacities of the press are strangely limited. Many journalists aren't really interested in the old National Assembly president, presented to the foreign community as a sort of martyr stuck behind the fences at the border. They are more interested in realizing their own political visions for Togo.]
Quand il était à l’Assemblée, il exposait volontiers son programme à ses visiteurs. Non à la dictature de l’Europe, non au dialogue avec l’opposition.
[When we was in the Assembly he voluntarily exposed his programs to visitors. not to the Euopean dictator, nor in dialogue with the opposition]
La communauté internationale étai-elle prête à avaliser ce discours. Sans doute pas.
[Is the international community ready to support this discussion? Without a doubt not.]
We wait with bated breath. And can I say my brain hurts from that pathetic attempt at translation? As far as I know Ian is learning French this summer no matter what, so it's good practice for me. But practice is all it is and it's exhausting.
Last night he woke crying around 9 p.m. and when a regular trip to the toilet didn't calm him down I figured something was up. But when he's incoherent and crying and rolling in bed not wanting to be held there's not much to do but sit for a bit and rub his back. It seemed to help and he finally fell back into a deep sleep around 10. Obviously something is wrong because he's napping now and burning up. I'm glad I planned tomorrow as an at-home day for the boys. We'll be going to ISM in the afternoon to have little going away parties for the girls. The boys will have a going away party next Wednesday at Club Lunch with their AmeriKids friends.
Nicholas has been very sweet with his sick brother, sharing stickers and saying he didn't want to go to Katie's house since Jonathon was sick. He just wanted to come home and watch a movie. A quiet movie so it doesn't wake Jonathon. He really is a sweetheart.
In other news, Faure Gnassingbe' was sworn in as President of Togo and the constitution has been changed to allow him to complete his father's "term" through 2008. The African Union is not at all pleased with what's going on in Lome', calling it a military coup. An emergency summit will be held in Niger to discuss what options are available for getting Togo back on the road to democracy. It's interesting reading the replublicoftogo site to see the view from the ground, or at least from the mouthpiece of the Togolese government. They lambast the foreign media's portrayal of the change in government and say that everything is hunkydorey.
Read it all here. I have included a translation of my own, PURELY for my own practice. If you want to know what it -really- says, ask a Frenchman. :
http://www.republicoftogo.com/fr/news/news.asp?rubID=1&srubID=1&themeID=1&newsID=9174
Putsch militaire, coup d’état civil, monarchie, népotisme. Les médias étrangers tirent à boulet rouge sur le Togo. Sur le terrain, la situation est un peu différente.
[Military takeover, civil coup, monarchy, nepotism. The foreign medias have shot (a red ball? bullseye?) on Togo. On the ground, the situation is a little different.]
« On comprend la réaction de la communauté internationale » explique un proche de l’entourage du nouveau chef de l’Etat, Faure Gnassingbé. « Elle a pu être choquée par les procédés utilisés quelques heures après le décès du président Eyadéma, mais il y avait urgence ».
["We understand the reaction of the international community" explained a close member of the new Chief of State's entourage. "They are perhaps stunned/outaged/shocked by the procedures used several hours after the death of President Eyadema, but there was an urgency."]
Non seulement urgence mais vide constitutionnel car le président de l’Assemblée nationale était en Europe. Il fallait faire vite pour éviter que le vide ne s’installe.
[Not just urgency but a constitutional void as the president of the national Assembly was in Europe. It had to be done quickly to avoid having the void take hold.]
Et contrairement a ce qu’indiquent depuis samedi radios et télévisions étrangères, Fambaré Natchaba Ouattara, le président du Parlement, n’a pas été empêché de rentrer à Lomé, c’est lui qui a pris la décision de rester à Cotonou. D’où sa destitution intervenue dimanche soir.
[And contrary to what has been indicated since Saturday on the foreign radio and television, the president of the Parliament was not forbidden to reenter Lome', it was he who made the decision to stay in Cotonou. ?....? Sunday night]
En moins de 24 heures, l’ordre constitutionnel a été rétabli au Togo. Réunis en session extraordinaire, les députés ont élu Faure Gnassingbé au perchoir lui donnant ainsi la possibilité d’accéder à la magistrature suprême comme le prévoit la constitution.
[In less than 24 hours, constitutional order was reestablished in Togo. Reunited in an extaordinay session, the members had chosen Faure Gnassingbe' to... hmmm, it means something like they wanted to give him the position of the speaker to allow him to follow the constitutional provisions of rising to the presidency. I cannot wrap my brain around the actual word translations though.]
La solution d’urgence utilisée quelques minutes après le décès du président Gnassingbé Eyadema aura duré donc duré moins de 24 heures.
[The emergency solution implemented minutes after the death of President Eyadema lasted, then lasted less than 24 hours.]
Mais pour les médias étrangers, Français notamment, toujours prompts à accabler le Togo, ce qui vient de se dérouler à Lomé n’est autre qu’un putsch militaire, un putsch civil, un coup de force constitutionnel. Dynastie, monarchie, népotisme, voila, entre autres, les expressions récurrentes utilisées par les journaux, radios et TV pour décrire ce qui se passe au Togo.
[But for foreign medias, notably France, always ready to condemn Togo, what came to unroll Lome' was nothing more than a military takover, a constitutional coup. Dynasty, monarchy, nepotism, there among others, the recurring expressions used by journalists, radio and TV to describe what happened in Togo.
L’oscar de la désinformation revient sans doute à Radio France Internationale (RFI). « Cette radio ne respecte même pas la mémoire d’un disparu », s’étonne Pitang Tchalla, le ministre de la Communication.
[The oscar of disinformation goes without a doubt to Radio France International. "That station doesn't respect the memory of the departed" said Tchalla, Communications minister.]
« RFI s’est lancée dans une campagne de désinformation et de déstabilisation » dénonce M. Tchalla.
["RFI has launched a campaign of disinformation and destabilization" denounced Mr. Tchalla]
Il est vrai que depuis l’annonce de la mort du président Eyadema samedi soir, la radio française diffusant vers l’Afrique offre une large tribune aux opposants de tout poil, politiciens, journalistes, « experts » du Togo, historiens de l’Afrique de l’ouest, etc…
Ses tranches d’information depuis 24 heures n’ont pas accordé la moindre place à un responsable politique togolais susceptible d’exprimer une opinion contradictoire.
[It's true that since the announcement of the death of President Eyadema Saturday night, French radio is spreading around Africa, offering a large soapbox to opposition (something about hair??), politicians, journalists, "experts" on Togo, West Africa historians, etc. These slices of infomation over 24 hours should not be accorded the merest place in responsible Togolese politics (what does the rest of that sentence mean?)]
« Où est l’équilibre en matière de traitement de l’information ? » se demande Pitang Tchalla.
["Where is the equality in material and treatment of information?" asked Tchalla.]
La mauvaise connaissance ou tout simplement l’absence d’information sur les réalités togolaises conduisent les médias étrangers à écrire un peu n’importe quoi. A cela s’ajoute un parti pris évident de la part de certains journalistes qui ne voyaient en Eyadema qu’un horrible dictateur et qui considèrent son fils comme le dépositaire de pratiques condamnables.
[The bad information or simply the absence of information on the realities of Togo leads the foreign media to write what is untrue. This adds a party take evident on the part of certain journalists who did not see in Eyadema anything but a horrible dictator and who consider his son an agent of condemnable practices.]
Les jours qui viennent démontreront la faiblesse de leur analyse.
Enfin, on signalera que les capacités d’investigation de la presse sont étrangement limitées. Aucun journaliste ne s’est vraiment intéressé à l’ancien président de l’Assemblée nationale, présenté à l’étranger comme une sorte de martyr bloqué derrière les barbelés de la frontière. Il aurait été intéressant pour les lecteurs de connaître sa vision politique du Togo.
[The coming days will demonstrate the faults in their analysis. Finally, it signals that the investigation capacities of the press are strangely limited. Many journalists aren't really interested in the old National Assembly president, presented to the foreign community as a sort of martyr stuck behind the fences at the border. They are more interested in realizing their own political visions for Togo.]
Quand il était à l’Assemblée, il exposait volontiers son programme à ses visiteurs. Non à la dictature de l’Europe, non au dialogue avec l’opposition.
[When we was in the Assembly he voluntarily exposed his programs to visitors. not to the Euopean dictator, nor in dialogue with the opposition]
La communauté internationale étai-elle prête à avaliser ce discours. Sans doute pas.
[Is the international community ready to support this discussion? Without a doubt not.]
We wait with bated breath. And can I say my brain hurts from that pathetic attempt at translation? As far as I know Ian is learning French this summer no matter what, so it's good practice for me. But practice is all it is and it's exhausting.
Sunday, February 6, 2005
Good Sunday Afternoon
Our party went very well yesterday. We didn't do much planning aside from hiring the Mongolian Grill to cater and buying enough drinks to water an army.
We'd invited about 100 people to celebrate the departure of three JFSOs from post in the next 3 weeks. We extended the party to include Katherine's 9th birthday and it also (for us) was for the departure of Ryan and Laura on the 19th for a trip home and for Amy who's being medvac'd home to deliver her baby too. We were glad to see so many friendly faces gathered together and were especially pleased that the Ambassador came and stayed for several hours, along with the DCM.
Our home was the venue for several reasons. We wanted it here, our home is spacious and as we opened the party to entire families (of course!) the playground next door was perfect for 20+ kids to run around. The caterer was wonderful. They arrived at 1 p.m. to set up and provided everything we'd need. Originally eight 10-seat tables complete with tableclothes, goblets, silverware and slipcovered chairs with candles and beautiful floral arrangements in the center... we cut it down to seven tables because the eighth really crowded our indoor space. We ended with 2 tables indoors and five on the patio and along the covered driveway. Folks arrived in tshirts, jeans and sandals and felt out of place. They shouldn't have! The whole point was a relaxed get-together with friends just to enjoy an evening. Just because there were tablecloths shouldn't have worried anyone, they came with the package. But next time we know to ask what sort of decorative set-up is standard and perhaps we can request something more fitting.
People poured in, the grills (actually giant woks) roared to life, food was eaten, kids ran everywhere without becoming a nuisance, and if what our guests said was true, everyone had a wonderful time. Many asked us about the bar we'd purchased in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We knew we wanted to clear our the alcohol we've been holding on to for a long while so we'd put it all out only to discover at the end that, much like the loaves and fishes, we had more alcohol at the end than we'd started with. Our guests were very generous. We talked a lot about New Zealand, about Togo (one guest did his second tour in Togo back in its heyday) and about our time in Manila. Since we'll be in NoVA for so long we'll see many people over the summer. And if not this summer, then at another post or another time in DC. Again, a wonderful thing about this sort of life is that even though we leave so many people behind, and so often, it is never "goodbye" but only "until next time".
We had ordered our own desserts to complement the flan and tapioca in the standard menu, a couple cakes from the Pastelleria at San Antonio Plaza and a birthday cake from Goldilocks for Katherine. The round chocolate layer cake was a huge hit with the adults and the birthday cake disappeared with all the kids around. On the Pastelleria cakes we'd asked them to print Bon Voyage, Hasta la Vista and well, I don't have Arabic script, but what translated to Goodbye in Arabic. All the cakes were eaten before the writing was even noticed! That's OK, I didn't mind. We did call everyone together and sing a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday to an extremely blushed Katherine. She wasn't expecting that and it made her happy.
The party started at 4, most people had arrived by 5 and several tables worth stayed until 9. From my perspective it was a huge success as we were both relaxed, the kids were busy, the house was loud and full and neither of us had a headache at the end of it. I did have to bully Ian into eating something while the woks were hot but aside from that, it was perfect. Even better, I did no cleaning up after, the caterers and housekeeper did it all.
Have I even explained what a Mongolian barbeque is? Fresh and raw foods are layed out and each person gets a bowl and fills it with a variety of foodstuffs. A sauce menu at the end lets you choose the kind of flavor you'd like and one of the staff spoons in a scoop of this and that (you know, soy sauce, brown sugar, mongolian sauce, chopped garlic, etc). Then it's off to the wok where the chef tosses everything onto the sizzling pan, cooks it up and puts it into a clean bowl. Grab some chopsticks and you're off and eating. It's a perfect menu for those who want something extremely flavorful or for what most kids wanted, a bowl of plain rice.
We bid farewell to the last of our guests and then dealt with the sleepover girls which I already wrote about. It was our first foray into a party larger than a small dinner party and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. Not to say all large parties are like that and I know that when we throw representational affairs it will be drastically different, but we took the safe road of surrounding ourselves with friends and we're so glad we did.
We felt like quite the adults.
We'd invited about 100 people to celebrate the departure of three JFSOs from post in the next 3 weeks. We extended the party to include Katherine's 9th birthday and it also (for us) was for the departure of Ryan and Laura on the 19th for a trip home and for Amy who's being medvac'd home to deliver her baby too. We were glad to see so many friendly faces gathered together and were especially pleased that the Ambassador came and stayed for several hours, along with the DCM.
Our home was the venue for several reasons. We wanted it here, our home is spacious and as we opened the party to entire families (of course!) the playground next door was perfect for 20+ kids to run around. The caterer was wonderful. They arrived at 1 p.m. to set up and provided everything we'd need. Originally eight 10-seat tables complete with tableclothes, goblets, silverware and slipcovered chairs with candles and beautiful floral arrangements in the center... we cut it down to seven tables because the eighth really crowded our indoor space. We ended with 2 tables indoors and five on the patio and along the covered driveway. Folks arrived in tshirts, jeans and sandals and felt out of place. They shouldn't have! The whole point was a relaxed get-together with friends just to enjoy an evening. Just because there were tablecloths shouldn't have worried anyone, they came with the package. But next time we know to ask what sort of decorative set-up is standard and perhaps we can request something more fitting.
People poured in, the grills (actually giant woks) roared to life, food was eaten, kids ran everywhere without becoming a nuisance, and if what our guests said was true, everyone had a wonderful time. Many asked us about the bar we'd purchased in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We knew we wanted to clear our the alcohol we've been holding on to for a long while so we'd put it all out only to discover at the end that, much like the loaves and fishes, we had more alcohol at the end than we'd started with. Our guests were very generous. We talked a lot about New Zealand, about Togo (one guest did his second tour in Togo back in its heyday) and about our time in Manila. Since we'll be in NoVA for so long we'll see many people over the summer. And if not this summer, then at another post or another time in DC. Again, a wonderful thing about this sort of life is that even though we leave so many people behind, and so often, it is never "goodbye" but only "until next time".
We had ordered our own desserts to complement the flan and tapioca in the standard menu, a couple cakes from the Pastelleria at San Antonio Plaza and a birthday cake from Goldilocks for Katherine. The round chocolate layer cake was a huge hit with the adults and the birthday cake disappeared with all the kids around. On the Pastelleria cakes we'd asked them to print Bon Voyage, Hasta la Vista and well, I don't have Arabic script, but what translated to Goodbye in Arabic. All the cakes were eaten before the writing was even noticed! That's OK, I didn't mind. We did call everyone together and sing a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday to an extremely blushed Katherine. She wasn't expecting that and it made her happy.
The party started at 4, most people had arrived by 5 and several tables worth stayed until 9. From my perspective it was a huge success as we were both relaxed, the kids were busy, the house was loud and full and neither of us had a headache at the end of it. I did have to bully Ian into eating something while the woks were hot but aside from that, it was perfect. Even better, I did no cleaning up after, the caterers and housekeeper did it all.
Have I even explained what a Mongolian barbeque is? Fresh and raw foods are layed out and each person gets a bowl and fills it with a variety of foodstuffs. A sauce menu at the end lets you choose the kind of flavor you'd like and one of the staff spoons in a scoop of this and that (you know, soy sauce, brown sugar, mongolian sauce, chopped garlic, etc). Then it's off to the wok where the chef tosses everything onto the sizzling pan, cooks it up and puts it into a clean bowl. Grab some chopsticks and you're off and eating. It's a perfect menu for those who want something extremely flavorful or for what most kids wanted, a bowl of plain rice.
We bid farewell to the last of our guests and then dealt with the sleepover girls which I already wrote about. It was our first foray into a party larger than a small dinner party and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. Not to say all large parties are like that and I know that when we throw representational affairs it will be drastically different, but we took the safe road of surrounding ourselves with friends and we're so glad we did.
We felt like quite the adults.
Saturday, February 5, 2005
The President of Togo has died.
"Prime Minister Koffi Sama, reading out the government statement on national radio, said that to ensure security, Togo was closing its land, sea and air borders until further notice."
-swissinfo.org
and
"According to Togo's constitution, the speaker of parliament, Fanbare Tchaba, succeeds the president in the event of his death. It was not immediately clear why the constitutional procedure was not followed."
-CNN.com
Constitutionally, elections are to be held within 60 days.
The military has chosen his son, Faure', as acting president. Um....
We -may- not be hailing from Togo at the end of the year. We'll let you know.
-swissinfo.org
and
"According to Togo's constitution, the speaker of parliament, Fanbare Tchaba, succeeds the president in the event of his death. It was not immediately clear why the constitutional procedure was not followed."
-CNN.com
Constitutionally, elections are to be held within 60 days.
The military has chosen his son, Faure', as acting president. Um....
We -may- not be hailing from Togo at the end of the year. We'll let you know.
Happy Birthday, sweetheart
What a mix of highs and lows. And what a day overall.
Katherine is finally sleeping peacefully in her bed. She has turned 9, had friends over, blown up balloons, eaten cake, opened presents, laughed and giggled and played.
Unfortunately, (most of) her friends she invited to sleep over are in the den watching Ella Enchanted. I had just dozed off as the girls finished watching a movie when Rebecca came in saying one of the girls was homesick and Katherine was crying. The friend went home and Katherine moved to her own bed to collect herself. The rest of the girls weren't sleepy yet. So here we are.
It's nearly 2 a.m. and it's time for shut eye. Goodnight.
Katherine is finally sleeping peacefully in her bed. She has turned 9, had friends over, blown up balloons, eaten cake, opened presents, laughed and giggled and played.
Unfortunately, (most of) her friends she invited to sleep over are in the den watching Ella Enchanted. I had just dozed off as the girls finished watching a movie when Rebecca came in saying one of the girls was homesick and Katherine was crying. The friend went home and Katherine moved to her own bed to collect herself. The rest of the girls weren't sleepy yet. So here we are.
It's nearly 2 a.m. and it's time for shut eye. Goodnight.
Tuesday, February 1, 2005
Greeting from the month of February
Forgive me for any typos, I'm reduced to using Ian's laptop for everything. The packers came yesterday and took the PC.
So our 900 pounds of... stuff (I'd be hard-pressed to tell you anything we shipped aside from the PC, clothes and uh... some games I think) have been packed and are out of the house. The house suddenly feels much lighter, freer of said stuff. We backed up the computer info and aside from irreplaceable photos for scrapbooking I don't think we'd actually miss anything. Says a lot for what we deem important.
The rest of our stuff will get packed up on the 10th, and then we live out of suitcases for a week.
I spoke with Rebecca's teacher today and had a minute with Katherine's teacher. Of course the AmeriKids teachers know. Each of the kids is reacting differently to the impending changes. Katherine is internalizing as she does most issues. She's feeling sick and is on the verge of tears sometimes. Rebecca hasn't mentioned anything to her friends. Her teacher has tried to draw her out, but she doesn't want to discuss it in class. Nicholas has stated many times how much he'll miss Katie. Jonathon had a rough morning yesterday with some tears over the move. He doesn't know anything but Manila. We left the States when he was 18mo and he doesn't remember anything about "home". Of course we'll all get through it. Conflicting emotions are part of the deal and I'm trying to keep things normal but it's hard with items disappearing into boxes and suitcases.
For myself, the hardest part is when friends mention missing us when we're gone. I'm trying not to think about it too much, but we have the easier side leaving to familiar ground while leaving a small hole at post for those finishing up their tours. Even while we're slowly checking out, I'm still involved in some things between the movers and preparing for our party.
Many folks seem to find it odd that we're still around. "Aren't you leaving soon?" is the most frequent greeting at the moment.
Yes, we are, but we're not gone yet. Sixteen more days.
In other news, Nicholas's rash is finally just about gone. He came home from preschool last Thursday with pink cheeks and over the next 24 hours I took him to the doctor for the rash had spread to him chin, his exposed chest at his collar and along the underside of his forearms. It looked like a reaction to grass or some other topical problem but I didn't ignore the possibility of a food reaction. The med unit prescribed benadryl which i agreed with, but over the next 24 hours the rash became worse and spread all over his back and his cheeks were red from the irritation and his chin bothered him. Aside from keeping his skin clean and giving benadryl there was nothing else I could figure. He said he didn't roll in the grass at playtime and that he didn't eat anything different, so I can only come up with an environmental reaction, but to what I do not know. Aside from where it spread on his back it was only on exposed areas and not on his legs at all. Yesterday it looked much better and today it seems to be almost gone and he says it doesn't hurt anymore. Just another log in the Weird Things Kids Get files. We'll tack on Rebecca's fluke vomiting in the middle of the night last night too. All of Kristine's kids were sick over the past 5 days and something is going around Amerikids, so who knows what we'll be facing the next few days. As long as its all done before Saturday. Please.
So our 900 pounds of... stuff (I'd be hard-pressed to tell you anything we shipped aside from the PC, clothes and uh... some games I think) have been packed and are out of the house. The house suddenly feels much lighter, freer of said stuff. We backed up the computer info and aside from irreplaceable photos for scrapbooking I don't think we'd actually miss anything. Says a lot for what we deem important.
The rest of our stuff will get packed up on the 10th, and then we live out of suitcases for a week.
I spoke with Rebecca's teacher today and had a minute with Katherine's teacher. Of course the AmeriKids teachers know. Each of the kids is reacting differently to the impending changes. Katherine is internalizing as she does most issues. She's feeling sick and is on the verge of tears sometimes. Rebecca hasn't mentioned anything to her friends. Her teacher has tried to draw her out, but she doesn't want to discuss it in class. Nicholas has stated many times how much he'll miss Katie. Jonathon had a rough morning yesterday with some tears over the move. He doesn't know anything but Manila. We left the States when he was 18mo and he doesn't remember anything about "home". Of course we'll all get through it. Conflicting emotions are part of the deal and I'm trying to keep things normal but it's hard with items disappearing into boxes and suitcases.
For myself, the hardest part is when friends mention missing us when we're gone. I'm trying not to think about it too much, but we have the easier side leaving to familiar ground while leaving a small hole at post for those finishing up their tours. Even while we're slowly checking out, I'm still involved in some things between the movers and preparing for our party.
Many folks seem to find it odd that we're still around. "Aren't you leaving soon?" is the most frequent greeting at the moment.
Yes, we are, but we're not gone yet. Sixteen more days.
In other news, Nicholas's rash is finally just about gone. He came home from preschool last Thursday with pink cheeks and over the next 24 hours I took him to the doctor for the rash had spread to him chin, his exposed chest at his collar and along the underside of his forearms. It looked like a reaction to grass or some other topical problem but I didn't ignore the possibility of a food reaction. The med unit prescribed benadryl which i agreed with, but over the next 24 hours the rash became worse and spread all over his back and his cheeks were red from the irritation and his chin bothered him. Aside from keeping his skin clean and giving benadryl there was nothing else I could figure. He said he didn't roll in the grass at playtime and that he didn't eat anything different, so I can only come up with an environmental reaction, but to what I do not know. Aside from where it spread on his back it was only on exposed areas and not on his legs at all. Yesterday it looked much better and today it seems to be almost gone and he says it doesn't hurt anymore. Just another log in the Weird Things Kids Get files. We'll tack on Rebecca's fluke vomiting in the middle of the night last night too. All of Kristine's kids were sick over the past 5 days and something is going around Amerikids, so who knows what we'll be facing the next few days. As long as its all done before Saturday. Please.
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