Oh yes...the kids!

Some of you have asked me how our kids are doing with this trip.  So I guess I should stop being an ego maniac about all my thoughts and observations and fill you in about our foursome.

Our kids have adjusted fantastically to life in another country.  Especially thrilled to be here are Noel and Godebo, who have made fast friends with the Stoscher boys, Jamie and Steven.  They get along swimmingly, and can be found most days playing Monopoly, Capture the Flag, soccer or a number of other games.  Many times we add two Albanian boys to the mix, Samuel and Joseph, whose parents have brought them up to speak both English and Albanian.

Bereket sometimes integrates into the boys' games, but her preference is to play with some of the local girls, such as Rysa and Esther.  These girls don't speak any English, but this bothers Bereket not at all.  She just takes them by the hand and goes off to swing on the swings or ride the teeter-totter in the Stoscher's playground.

Isabel has enjoyed getting to know the Stosher girls, Abi and Beka.  However she's also fine hanging out with the grownups, which has always been her way.  Like our boys, she survived a week of camp here in Erseka and was very proud of herself for making the best of it despite the fact that she had a few awkward moments with some of the Albanian campers, like when her roommates decided it would be fun to take pictures of her while she was sleeping.  Isabel is the quintissential good sport, and she handled it all with grace and good humor.

There have been so many great moments for our kids, but also hard ones.  Godebo and Bereket have endured endless strangers -- both kids and adults -- staring at them and touching their hair without asking.  As you can imagine, they don't get too many dark-skinned folk around here.  Campers and even counselors, even complete strangers, have taken pictures of them or with them.  And lately, local adults have taken to rushing from their stores or coffee-spots to give Godebo a high-five, for some reason.  I'm not sure if they think that's what black Americans do...high five all the time???  We try to help Godebo deal with the awkward moments by telling him he's "famous like Justin Bieber."  It helps to laugh about it.

Albanian kids can be hard on each other.  They are very competitive and knock each other around a bit more than the average American kids, or at least the kids I've known.  The longer we're here, the more our children have had to deal with this, like having their hats knocked off their heads or having kids mock them.  It's not all the Albanian kids, but some.  And the Stoschers tell us one reason for such behavior is difficult home lives, so we must be sympathetic.  Luckily, this has had the effect of bonding our four children together, as they defend one another.  They feel strong when they're united.

Here are a few photos of our kids enjoying one another, and the simple things in life: taking walks, picking wild strawberries and savoring the sunset.