April and May Flew

Just three more weeks until we leave for the States, 9 more days of school, and 9 days total til Karol and Jason arrive. Whew, time has flown and continues to fly by. So much going on these days.

Here are photos from April that may or may not have been in the other blog:



In addition to getting ready for visitors and the 7 weeks we'll be traveling around seeing friends and family back in the States, I have been preoccupied with closing up my first year as Vice-Chair of the Parent Teacher Organization at HIS and planning for the next year as Chair. Taking on this role last year was not something I did lightly, but it has been more work and more of a learning and growing experience than I could have imagined. I expect next year to be even more challenging. It's weird having a mildly political position in which there was no election and to feel so vulnerable to disappointing many, while at the same time knowing I will be held responsible for a lot and have some influence as a parent representative. Hope I can do some good and not offend too many people!

At the same time, my two consultancy experiences remind me that I need and should do paid, professional work. Ah, finding the work/life balance - I'll spare you. Bottom line: ideal scenario for now is part-time paid employment that is challenging, provides opportunities for me to learn about and support Zimbabwe, and generates some income.

So with an August job search on the horizon, I have been taking steps to build an incredible PTO team, the likes of which have never been seen! To delegate...that is the goal! Advice?

Mom's Month

Mom and I spent many months  preparing for her to come to Zimbabwe. Now she's already back in the U.S., and I see I'll be on a trans-Atlantic flight in just a month myself.

It really was something different having her here. I have had few opportunities to share my life abroad with friends and family back home, and it is always such a trippy, amazing time - to bridge the old world with the new. Home and history meets the unknown world in which I live. Some of the best times were just talking over a glass of wine by the fire after the kids were asleep.

Nothing beats having your loving mom to spend time with your kids.