Sunday, August 1, 2010

Blasts!

The summer just flew by. We walked into our apartment here in Doha last night and the first thing we did was sweep the floors, vacuum carpets, and wash sheets. Dead flies were everywhere. Every surface was dotted with the carcasses of small little flies. I guess if the apartment goes untouched for 2.5 months and flies breed in our humid shower it's bound to happen. We even found a little white lizard scurrying around our front room floor. When we first came here last year there was a lizard too. It took us a few days to catch it but eventually we did. We have yet to catch this one.

Our summer was a series of blasts. One blast after another until the blasts kind of blended in with real life and started to seem ordinary. Jonathan and I are blasted out and I think the kids are too. We did so many fun things this summer that we'll remember forever but it sure is nice to sit down and breathe for a while. It's so nice to put clothes away and know that they will be in and out of there for at least 9.5 months. It's so nice to cook the same old meals in "your" kitchen. It's also really nice to know that no one will knock on your door for at least 45 days so you don't really have to move the unpacked suitcases out of the entry way for another few weeks. You can just be messy and never get out of your pajamas for a really long time. sigh.

Our life has sort of formed itself now. We go away during the school year and then return for the summers. I think it's the perfect way to live. Our family and friends don't get bored or annoyed with us in the states and abroad we can focus on our goals and work our butts off doing all the unfun stuff. It presents sort of a problem for our family though. When we come to the states for the summer not everyone is in "vacation" mode like we are. It's like we're standing on the starting line of a race waiting for the shot to go off. Once we hit American soil we start running and we don't stop until we leave again. This year that meant that I ate way too much Baja Fresh. So much that I don't know if I will ever eat there again. I got my fill of See's chocolates. I spent just enough time outdoors doing outdoorsy things with the kids. I saw way too much of my childhood and felt "nostalgia" for the first time. Well, maybe not the first time. But the first time that I realized that I'm getting old.

Hector is the only one up right now and I don't think he has any intentions of falling asleep soon. I guess I'll go check what's on TV. Bye!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Glad you made it back safely. I know what you mean about no one else being on vacation mode. I was all excited to see all my family on the 24th and was surprised that no one had planned a get together. So I went a head and planned one. Well, the response I got from everyone was "I think we'll do our own thing cuz we have had so many family things already this month." I wanted to shout, "ya, but I leave in two days and I'm trying to get a whole years worth of family things in before I leave." I'm sure they're glad to have me gone for a bit :)
When does school start? Antalya doesn't go back for another month.

Christine said...

We start in mid September, after Ramadan. Thank goodness we can go to a pool I can throw the kids in when I go stir crazy.