Here in North Carolina school starts on August 27 and Pat, Yerik and I have talked a lot about schools, clubs etc. Pat and I went to school, Jordan High School in Durham, even before Yerik came to live with us to register him. Yerik and I went to visit with the councelor and see if he could get in the senior, grade 12, year and take the SAT, National tests necessary for US College applications.

Last week we heard that he was accepted for the senior class and we were all very happy, because Yerik, when he goes back the Kazakhstan can then apply for one of the State scholarships to come over to the US again and study at a College/University here, before going back and set out to be one of the leaders of his country. This is what the FLEX program(Future Leader Exchange set up by the US State Department)  is all about.

He and Pat went over the classes Mr. Turner, his counselor, and Yerik had choosen. They made some minor changes and yesterday we attended the "new student orientation" at Jordan. I think it finally sunk in with Yerik that this would be a whole different ballgame of what he was used to! There are nearly 2000 students at Jordan and classes are from 07:30 till 2:30PM (14:30). Yerik was used to boarding school (Monday-Saturday 5PM(17:00)) and was used to go to bed between 11PM(23:00) and midnight. Here he'll have to go to bed/lights out at 10PM(22:00)

There was some discussion as to when he would start his SAT prep-classes and the guys thought "the sooner the better". Mom ofcourse vetoed that! I just could see problems at the horizon if he'd do that. I reasoned with both of them that Yerik had first to adjust to a completely different schedule. Classes here are 90minutes long, he has to get up at 05:30, because he has to be at the bus stop at 06:35. He will have to make an effort in his classes the first weeks to understand everything, although his English is real good. He has to get his "feel" around school, if possible get some friends, join a club, as is common here in the US. So I want to give him at least a month before getting him involved in extra curriculum classes like prep SAT classes, because the first few weeks he'll be exhausetd. Luckily they both realized that my reasoning wasn't that stupid although I'm just a mere woman!!

I know Yerik is apprehensive about school, but also very anxious to get started. He often retreats to his room and studies from the SAT book he has as he was doing last night when I came in to say goodnight. He's a young man with a vision and like the Nike slogan says "he goes for it!"

Monday when I come home from work I start my new life as a Mom of an American high school kid.Make breakfast for Pat and Yerik, prepare bag-lunches for the two of them, see Yerik off and then go to bed and sleep!! Once I was in Yerik's shoes, 40years ago, and now I'm on the other side. I think it helps me to understand the worries and problems that an exchange student may have/erncounter and that's why I'm glad to also be a Liaison for AFS. My liaison student is Sebastian from Argentina and is living with the Staples family not far from where we live here in Durham. He goes with host brother Jay to Riverside High School and I've had my first meeting with him.

I already had a meeting with the family and after seeing Sebastian yesterday and another meeting with the family I feel that he's settling in quite nicely. A liaison has a monthly meeting with the student separate from his host family, one everyone together, a separate one with the sibling(s) and one with the parents. This way everyone can talk freely and if there are any problems they can be straightened out right at the root before it becomes a BIG problem. A liaison is there for all of them 24/7 in case opf emergencies.

Yerik has a liaison as well, but unfortunately we haven't seen or spoken to her yet.

 

About the house, well I already said to Pat that it will be my St. Nicolaas present, being the day (Dec.5) when kids in Holland get their presents opposed to Dec.25, X-mas, when the ones in the UK and US get theirs. It seems like a never ending story. Half of the kitchen ceiling is gone in order to put plumbing work in for the upstairs. Check out the latest pictures under House Renovations.

The windows on the second floor are in now, so little by little things are getting done, although the second floor is still one big open space!

I hope they will start putting the floors in next week, then put up the walls and get going!!!

 

The only extravagance Pat and I allowed us in this whole renovation thing is a steamshower/yacuzzi unit and guess what....? This is bringing us problems, at least the plumber makes problems. Not up to North Carolina standards, and it's differetn from what he's seen in these units etc. The electrician doesn't see any problems form his side, but we need to get the plumber on our side to put the unit in and convince the inspection people that all is OK! Pat will be on the phone with the west coast where the unit is from and get some more info to convince our hesitant plumber. Y'all keep your fingers crossed, you hear!!!

 

This afternoon Pat and Yerik will be playing frisbee in the sideyard where the barn is to get Yerik ready for an Ultimate Frisbee Game here at the park. Pat is doing great, The guys are going to the gym 3x a week (thanks Yerik for making Dad go!!) and as today play frisbee, run Pat run, in the yard.

Today I explicitly told them to do it in the side yard, because Saturday I found them playing right next to the front fence?!?! When I got outside to tell them not to play there I didn't see Pat and ofcourse that what I was afraid of had happened. Well not exactly, but could have.

Pat was out in the street to get the frisbee! I told them that by playing there there was a good possibility that the frisbee would hit a car's windshield and we would have a car drive up onto our front porch and worse into our livingroom. Ofcourse since we're renovating and the carpenters are here anyway that would have a quick fix, but I don't want to be liable for the driver of the car!

So yes the guys also saw my logic in that one as well and promised me to do it in the side yard from now on. I'm just waiting for their next bright idea. Oh yes I nearly forgot, talking about bright ideas! Pat and Yerik were hanging up a towel ring in Yerik's bathroom, well I don't care that Yerik is over 6feet, but when he's gone other people have to be able to put that towel back on the ring so please lower it!!! They looked at me if they saw water burning, but yes they did put the towel ring in a more conventional/convenient place.

 

This is all for now, I still have to write my report on Sebastian and the Staples for the AFS, go grocery shopping, to the bank and get i8n touch of a counselor at the Durham School of Art in my function as AFS volunteer! Hey, I on my day off today!!

 

Margit