Dear ECS: Dada Faster!!!

Hey honey, how are you doing?  It has been a fun month, one with a lot of changes and even more on the way.  They haven’t always been super easy for you, but through it all you have been a joy.  I am amazed at how flexible you are, sleeping in different places and times and time zones.  That is hard on you, no doubt, but you are such a trooper, able to bring joy and love to wherever you happen to be in the moment.

Our family highlight for the last month was defiantly our trip out to the Bay area.  Mom and I lived there year ago, and I call it my America nirvana.  The combination of superb outdoor access and the great culture are unmatched.  Plus we have so many amazing friends, you got to play with lots of fellow kiddos. Lots and lots of kiddos.  You played on the Bay, at the beach in Santa Cruz, in the redwoods, in the Berkley hills and all over the City.  What a 2 weeks.

One of my favorite memories of the trip is the inspiration of the title of this post.  We were driving back from the coast, seeing the elephant seals at Ano Nuevo State Park.  I was driving on this steep mountain road, with crazy turns through the redwoods. You would hold of your hands, like on a roller coaster, and yell “Dada Faster!” Over and over you turned the drive, which could be tedious, into a ride.  Why not have fun, right? And that is a characteristic that you bring to so much of life. 

The other big thing for this month was moving, from our joyous home in Northern Virginia to our dear friends S+S (and R+A).  You have traded the floor to ceiling high rise views for Dude (the dog) and your beloved friends.  It is a party all the time, you get to be play all the time.  We all get to play all the time. 

This transition portends the bigger one that is coming for the Korol family.  In less than two weeks, we are on our way to Africa.  Addis here we come!  We have been working towards this move for what feels like a year.  It has been more than a year since we learned it would be our next city.  I am glad that all that work and prep is going to be coming to fruition.  There will be some bumps along the road, switching continents can’t be flawless no matter how much foresight goes into the move.  But, your mom and I a) have done everything we think is important and b) will do everything we need to care for you in this move. 

It has been a great month and we will write next from Addis!

Love,

dad