Dear ECS: Where will we go after Addis?

Dear ECS,

Hey sweetie, it has been too long since I wrote to you.  Sorry about that, life has been a bit more challenging than usual.  In good news, we have finally got everything sorted out for for where our next city will be in this big, bountiful world - Cairo, which is super exciting for the Korol's and i will get into below. 

Oh so thankfully, the last weeks and months have not been harder for you.  You continue to grow by leaps and bounds, both psychically and mentally.  Right now, coming up on your fourth birthday, you are tall, strong, energetic, and effervescent.  

But much more important, you are so clever, quick and joyful.  If I had to describe you in one word right now, it would be joyful.  Taking delight in all of your life’s adventures, be it ballet class, French school, exploring castles, or chilling at home with your friends, nannies, and parents.  Or snuggling your mom and dad.   I like that last one quite a bit.  

I have counted on your boundless energy as pick me up, both from afar and back home in Addis.   You see, your dad has been pretty sick these last few weeks.  I somehow contracted the mumps, or a virus very similar, more than a month ago.   This has led to painful swollen lymph nodes, salivary glands, fevers, extreme weakness and fatigue, and generally feeling pretty bad for weeks on end.  Uggh.  Not something I would wish on anyone. 

And truth be told, I am not a good sick person.  So much of what makes me ticks come from movement and exercise and feeling my best self physically and mentally.  Right now, I am just not there, and it really bums me out.  Your mom is great about trying, nay demanding, that I pick myself out of moping and focus on getting better and the not too distant future (crossing my fingers) when I will be back to being the strong and healthy dad you are used to, when I can give myself fully and unbridled to our play, just like you do every moment you are awake.  

One thing that has been super helpful getting through this period, which has taken place both with me in the US (so great seeing so many loved ones, despite the health issues) at the start (which was a mind bender for the health system dealing with a virus that affects less than 500 people a year in the US) and then back in Addis, is some great Elle videos, pictures and play time.   This is an aspect of parenting that I did not understand until you joined our family about four years ago – that your kids could and would be a salve in tough times.  That watching your daughter’s ballet class would be more joyful and healing than anything you can do for yourself. 

Right not, it is going to be a bit more time before I feel myself.  How long?  I don’t know, but I think it should be several days and hopefully less than a week.  In the scale of health scares and challenges, mine is not bad.  We have loved ones dealing with much worse things as I write this, and everyone reading this can say the same. 

Since I have been spending many orders of magnitude more time in bed, I have gotten to do a lot of thinking as we wind down our time in Addis and move on to our next adventure.  Which I don’t think we have shared on this forum, for a variety of reasons. 

Thankfully, I am able to write that we will be moving to Cairo, Egypt in August.  Yes!  Your mom and I are very excited about the move, and having dear friends already working at the embassy there makes us even more excited.  Plus our magical trip to Cairo and Alexandria in September has us really energized about our next step: http://livingthekoroldream.blogspot.com/2018/10/dear-ecs-it-has-been-minute.html. 

 …..so we are moving to the big city on the Nile, with immense history, lots of cool modern culture (the Chili Peppers just played the Pyramids a few weeks ago, for example), and great nature on our doorstep. 

The adventure continues.

love,

dad