Dear ECS – Our new home

Dear ECS, 

During the last weeks of our time in the U.S., you kept asking about our “new house.”  You knew we were heading to a place with more stability and permanence than we had enjoyed over the last several months in the U.S.  Always a perceptive one, even at a tender two years old. 

And now we are in our new home.  Mom just put you down for the night in your room.  Before that we had a  really delicious Ethiopian meal prepared of dry chicken tibs, rice, salad, green beans and a veggie medley by one of your lovely nannies.  You ate rice and mangoes.  Just like you have a great time pretty much wherever you find yourself here in Addis, and beyond. 

It has been really nice to settle into our “new house” here in Addis.  It is a big one, with a vibe that a buddy said was a little 80’s Miami Vice vibe.  Our house is high -- in terms of elevation.  It sits at about 8,500 feet above sea level.  For a big, bustling city, we lucked out to have a house that is very quiet since it is several hundred yards off the nearest busy street. 

We also look out over rooftops and greenery from our porches to a degree that we could never have anticipated prior to arriving.   Then there is the big and beautiful yard, with a mix of horticulture.  It has flowers, a nascent garden that is fighting the good fight against the rainy season, large palms and a nice stretch of manicured grass for you to run around.  You also have really taken to the big driveway, most of the days I have come home from work and you have been playing in the yard, pushing your mini car around the driveway or getting pushed around while talking on the phone.  I let the talking and driving slide thus far, since it brings you so much joy. 

Another nice part of our “new home” is its proximity to our work.  Mom and I have about a 10 minute ride to work in the morning and maybe 15 minutes on the way home.  For this city, that is right down the street.  This means more time to play with you.  We have even run home from work an evening or two a week thus far, which is liberating. 

Other than those runs, which skew towards the utilitarian based on the hustle and bustle of the streets to get home, we are actually well set up for urban running in our neighborhood.  The older streets in our neighborhood are these old cobblestone gems, winding throughout the hillside.  Yesterday your mom and I went for a run during your nap that took us along a number of these streets up to a beautiful orthodox church with a commanding view of the entire Addis valley.  Along the way, kids ran with and laughed at us, we chugged through a post wedding party and a few feet from a large black cow grazing in a muddy field.  All from our house.

You enjoyed the hustle and bustle of seemingly inexhaustible and innumerable loved ones in the US prior to moving here to Addis. But, and I am almost assuredly biased, you are thriving in your “new home.”  Your vocabulary and speech is astounding, and your development has continued at such an arresting pace for weeks on end.  You are wickedly funny and take great joy in telling a good joke.  You are laughing so much – and to be fair it helps having an inflated multi-stage kiddie pool with a mini slide in your living room.  

love,

dad

Dear ECS: Yeah I did it – awesome!

Dear ECS,

I write this from our new house, quite a world away from our old houses in DC and Nassau.  Your mom is putting you down for the night, and we are hoping that the jet lag is all the way through your system and you can sleep the whole night through.   You are settling in well in our new home and city, enjoying the spacious house, the pretty yard and our nascent adventures in our new city, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 

The title of this post comes from the phrase you would say with glee each time our flight landed on our journey to Addis.  “Yeah I did it – awesome!”  And it was honey.

Overall, we had quite a journey, as you and I first flew via Vegas and got to spend a few days with your grandparents and aunt in the Vegas heat.  Mom went direct to Addis to start the settling process and be sure that your care ecosystem was sustainable and nurturing. 

In Vegas, it was so cute to see you playing happily in the kiddie pool that one of the Babas set up for you (thanks mom!) to beat the heat.  The heat was pretty intense, topping out at 116 degrees on one of the days we were visiting.  Whoa.

Then it was on to Frankfurt, which was a pretty long red eye.  Fun! I had hoped you might sleep a bit more than you did, but the allure of the plane and the frog movie (Shrek) on repeat trumped exhaustion.  It is a good movie, so I have to give you that.  We landed in Frankfurt and took the train to the main train station and checked into the hotel, where we both took a very needed nap before heading out to do a bit of a walkabout around the centre.  A walkabout is a Korol family tradition, meandering through cities with no real plan and just being open to what we see and want to explore some more. 

This walkabout had us meander down to the Main River.  You were so happy to be outside of the airport bubble and amongst real places and real people, running along the trails and playing.  We stopped for some ice cream for you and a coffee for me.  We listened to a street musician play beatific classical music on the violin.   We ate some delicious EU berries and fruit, sun kissed and organic that we picked out from a nearby farmer’s market.  You even managed to find a playground with a big slide at a school; your playground-dar is strong to very strong.

After a nice night of sleep, it was back to the airport and on to our last flight to our new home.  Amusingly enough, this flight stops in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for an hour and half to drop off people and refuel.  We were at the back of the plane and felt the Saudi heat when the galley was restocked – it was reminiscent of our short Vegas visit, I would guess within five or so degrees either way.  

From Jeddah, it was a short 2-hour flight to Ethiopia to reunite with mom.  It is hard to say who was happier for the reunion, suffice to say both of you were thrilled to see each other.   It took me a few days to recover from the travels and adjust to the time zone, and you took a few more days.   Mom and I even did some googling to suss out advice about toddlers and time zones.   Big surprise, there were conflicting opinions online.  But your happiness has been a total constant as we adjust to the new environment and altitude (8k above sea level).   

Honestly, this trip was a pretty grueling 5 days, but also a trip with lots of love and excitement and laughing and cuddles.  I treasured being with you and so focused on your happiness while solo parenting.  Overall, our time in DC was very special because I got to spend so much time with you, between the morning routine and afternoons after my class.  With my job here in Addis there just won’t be as much time.  Which is a bummer, but very expected and normal.  So this trip was a great coda for that time in our family journey and in your life.   Yeah we did it – awesome!

love,

dad

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

Dear ECS: Happy Birthday!

A most joyous happy birthday to you Elle!  You have enjoyed what has been more like a couple of weeks of happy birthdays, starting with a joint mini petting zoo party in DC and going all the way to the handmade cake from your Aunt Rachel.  You loved every minute of all the parties and presents and most importantly -the love. 

It has been a great month, for example you have gotten to see all of your cousins whether in DC or Utah.  You have gotten to see all your grandparents too, which is such a treat.  You took a Duke reunion trip to Austin and got to play with a bunch of other kids.  And the last week in Utah, where I wrote this.   So much family and getting to be outside in the fantastic weather and beautiful mountains.

Birthdays can be a reflective time, and what I have learned with your first two is that the reflection is turned up quite a few notches when it is your child’s birthday.  As a result, I have been thinking quite a bit about the last year, what a great year it has been with you.  We have made a move from The Bahamas back to the DC , where you attended ‘school’ for the first time and learned so much, and now we are on the cusp of the move to Addis.  Lots of movement in the Korol household, per the norm.  And you have thrived so much in that movement and adventure.  You are brave and strong and oh so happy.  You bring your joy everywhere you go and make people so happy to be with you. 

When you turned one a year ago with your block party in Nassau, I was so relieved.  Relieved that you were healthy, and growing and happy.  Relieved that your mom and I had made it through the year.  Relieved that you were stronger and more resilient.   Relieved.

And now we are here, your age has doubled and your development over that year has been astounding.  This year, instead of being relieved, my reflection are all about joy.  This year, you have had personality and verve the whole time, and you aren’t so fragile.  In fact at this point, you sometimes seem more resilient that your dad. 

So now you have turned 2 and today is also about looking forward.  Thinking about where we will be and what you will be doing in a year is hard, but not because I want to keep you in your joyous state forever.  No, it is hard because you have made such incredible strides and growth over the last year that projecting where you will go is just too hard.  As a proud dad, I almost think you might be applying for college or something grand in a year.  But thankfully, we have quite a few years of exploring and joy between now and then. 

Love,

dad