Thursday, November 6, 2008

BIG NEWS! WE'RE HAVING A......16 year old!!

So last night I'm just trying to get through my 15 hour teaching day. My last lesson was running late and Alex nervously starts to tell me that he has interesting news. I'm like "Alex, come on man, spit it out! I gotta teach in like a minute!" I'm thinking he's about to tell me he needs to stay in Maui longer than expected for work. But instead, he tells me that there is a 16 year old Pakistani Muslim foreign exchange student who desperately needs a home or she's sent back to Pakistan and she would need to move in by Sunday. My jaw drops. My student's at the door. I calmly (and nervously) smile and say "Honey, can we talk over dinner?"
So we talk till midnight. And after sleeping on it, this decision seems like a good idea and meant to be. So today we made phone calls, filled out forms, and talked with the director and figured all our questions and concerns out. Concerns being, #1 there is a major reason we don't have little Jessie and Alex Juniors running around. We both work 15 hour days almost every day. I'm not kidding. We don't have an eating schedule, and I'm lucky if I can scramble to find something semi edible to cram down our throats at the end of a long exhausting day. Most host families have children, and hence are already in the zone for schedule and routine and structure. I'm 28, and hardly old enough or qualified to be a parental figure to a 16 year old. Yes I'm a teacher and my day is constantly filled with energetic excited children whom I teach, discipline, and love. But I get my hug quota filled for the day and they go home to someone else. I won't be able to guarantee driving because of my crazy schedule.
But after expressing all these concerns, something just clicked. It was around 1pm today I felt this calming peace about the whole situation. I have always found it a great significance that Alex and I both have adopted Korean sisters. We both grew up in multi cultural homes. I know one day we are meant to adopt an international baby. And giving Tehmiyat (that is her name) a safe, comfortable, caring household for the next 6 months and learning about her culture and religion seems like something Alex and I would find ourselves doing. And to freak him out even more, I told him "Yeah Honey, great idea!! And if I get used to having a child in the household and miss her when she leaves in May, maybe that means we are ready for children!" And that made HIS jaw drop!
Oh, and the director needed me to e-mail a picture of the 2 of us. I couldn't find a SINGLE picture where Alex isn't making a funny face or just staring blankly at the camera looking like a stoic serial killer; I found lots of great ones of me WITHOUT Alex in the picture; And I couldn't find a single picture WITHOUT the 2 of us holding a glass of wine.

3 comments:

Jenny said...

Hey the best parents (or foster parents or host family parents) ALWAYS need a glass of wine!

That's so exciting (and crazy and impressive) all at the same time.

(by the by, I'd love to talk International adoption with you...someday...we've always thought about it too...). Good luck with your teenager! (AHH! that's crazy!)

Bookwerme said...

Sounds like (another) adventure ahead!

Amanda said...

Very Cool Jessie! I'm sure it will be very exciting for all of you. And as with any situation - things have a way of getting tweaked to work out. :) Keep us posted on the adventure!

what about any of your wedding pictures? or are those too old now for that process?