Sorry it's been so long since I posted. My mind has been a mess since Loren was back in May, after our fight. Work was crazy, and getting ready to go back to Canada was taking up a lot of brain space. I did write a couple posts but they were such rants, I didn't post them.
I took Ben to Ghana with me in May and once again school couldn't come up with his homework in advance so they did it for him - definitely changing schools. He had a lot of fun with Steve's kids. School ended mid-June. Ben ranked 3rd in his class (of 10) with a score of 8.5/10. He was pretty bored, he had no incentive to work since he could get good marks without doing anything - not even showing up apparently.
The trip to Canada was long and challenging. It was fantastic to see so many people. I miss my friends the most. I even saw some friends and family I haven't seen in several years. At the end I saw more than 150 people so you can imagine, there wasn't a lot of time for resting. By the end, I was exhausted. Benny is sad since he will be staying an extra 6 weeks. I hope that works out. I pray for his safety and for him to make good choices, as there are different challenges and dangers to being there, than in Burkina. At 8 (and a half) he's still a little boy in some ways, many ways really. I am grateful for him to have the opportunity to be in both countries. There are many pluses to each. When he is in Burkina I don't worry so much about bullying, pedophiles, lack of exercise, body image issues, etc. The other thing that doesn't happen in Burkina is the separation of "cool" kids and "geeks". Kids will chose to hang out with whoever they hang out with based on interests of course but there isn't the same kind of "cliquey-ness" if that's a word..
There wasn't much time for Ben and I to spend together either. We did some stuff but mostly I was running about as was he, going to camp, doing kid stuff with Gramma etc. and seeing his friends. I will miss him a lot.
When I get back I will need the time to sort a few things out. I have to get him into a better school so I will be spending a fair bit of time trying to sort that out and really doing my homework this time. I didn't have a car last year and Loren wasn't always available. Also I think he's starting to realize that whatever his philosophy was in terms of schooling, it has changed when he realized what his son was not getting in the way of education. The other things I want to do are start finding some extra curricular stuff. I have found tennis courts, and swimming pools so I will be getting him out for those things. There is even a golf course but I suspect it's just one large sand trap. They aren't exactly environmentally friendly to start with but are worse in a stressed enviroment such as in Burkina as opposed to Canada. I want to find him some other structured activities and hopefully a church.
I am at Charles de Gaulle airport, sitting next to a dog who is wearing a diaper. I guess that's better than being in cargo.
I have a lot of travel over the next couple months. I have the rest of the week off, then will get back to work hopefully finding the office still standing and not broke when I get back. I have a stack of stuff to organize and do. Then in August Patrick is coming and we'll be travelling around to the various mine sites together. Basically several days of drinking and driving - yes we have a DD. I will be bringing much gravol and ibuprofen.
No I don't have a forward plan - will write when I have one.
Gotta run - flight leaving shortly.
