"And you're taking the kids?"

Maybe we should have thought about it more.  Maybe we should have considered the reasons behind the question posed to us over and over as we told people about our upcoming trip.  But we didn't; in fact it didn't even cross our minds.  Of course, we were going to take the kids.  Even at the end, an American grandmother we met in Rome said "well they must be tired by now, poor kids", after learning we had just dragged them half way around the world.

We are home now, after almost 7 weeks abroad, home sweet home. We are fighting through the jet lag and the laundry, and processing what just happened- which in a nutshell was a trip of a lifetime.  That phrase does bother me, just a little, because we have every intention that this will be the first trip of a lifetime for these kids, not the only.


We asked way too much of these kids, time and again, and they consistently exceeded our expectations.  They flew dozens of hours, were driven just as many, were dragged on and off of crowded buses, through train stations, and had long waits in airports; they walked more miles than they ever wanted to, were woken up at ungodly hours, kept up far too late, been bored out of their minds at times, and completely overstimulated at others.  They were the only kids around the vast majority of time, perhaps because South African schools were in session, and perhaps because their parents are crazy- who does this stuff?  Close encounters with wild animals, sharks, and zip lines, not to mention taking up residence in "the crime capital of the world"... some might call it irresponsible and risky.  But we were hoping to plant a seed; for a life of excitement, curiosity, awareness, living in the moment, and enjoying this beautiful world and its' creatures.  We thank our lucky stars that we came home safely, without incident, and with our mission accomplished.


There were many moments when the pits in our stomachs couldn't be ignored, and we thought we just might have pushed them too far.  Our first "morning" in Switzerland, which was really about midnight to our bodies, we dragged Maggie out of bed for breakfast and she vomited on the hotel lobby floor out of sheer exhaustion. But she rallied, we walked all over Lucerne that day and even took a boat trip; she was excited to see where we were, and not about to go back to bed.  Ian, at least twice, looked up at us with profound fear in his eyes saying "do I have to??"- and he did, he loved it, and was glad he had found his courage.  During the week when Maggie had a fever of 103 we sat in the urgent care in a foreign country with foreign viruses and parasites with our first, and only, pangs of homesickness.  During the 5 days of her fever, which was ultimately called the flu after all more exotic etiologies had been ruled out, Ian had to entertain himself at home on the guest house grounds- and he did, without a whine.  During tense driving in harrowing situations with the GPS going haywire during Johannesburg rush hour, the kids heard "SHHHHH! We REALLY need to concentrate right now", and they sat quietly and patiently while we navigated a situation.  Despite these moments, and there were plenty of them, the kids did not complain.  They did not beg for TV, or familiar food, or to go home, or anything.  They missed their friends, but they understood that they would see them soon enough. They were completely, totally, and fully present on this journey.

They have each grown so much in six short weeks.  Ian, our resident picky eater, has declared "pap" (grits, polenta, ugali... maize meal) and split pea soup delicious, and has tried (and loved!) more new foods than in all of his life.  Maggie, our "I'm bored" girl, has learned to entertain herself on the longest of journeys and has overcome fearful situations that brought her to tears.  They have both heard heavy and heartbreaking stories of animal and human suffering, have asked the most poignant of questions, and astonished us with their level of understanding and acceptance.  They had no idea what they were getting into when they stepped on to that first overnight flight- how could they? They also had no idea what they were capable of, but now they do.

They have grown, matured, gained confidence and skills, patience, perspective, insight and gratitude. They are proud of their accomplishments, and that is the greatest gift of this big journey.  That, and the fact that they have discovered they can be the best of friends.  At home it might be easy to think your friends are cooler than your sibling; but when you are stuck with each other for weeks on end, perspective changes.  They fought, they needed their space at times, but they have never had such an opportunity to bond, and they did just that.  Ian and Maggie stepped up to this challenge, on every level, and we are so proud of them.

So yes, we took the kids.  Of course we did- anyone who knows them knows that they are not the kind to be left behind.  Maybe these apples don't fall far from their trees, or maybe it is our own selfish desire to have them with us and have our adventures too.  But we wouldn't have had it any other way.