Housewarming

Yesterday I had a Housewarming Party to celebrate being all moved in to my new place.  It has been 7 weeks since I moved in and a lot of household work has been done in that time- purchasing furniture and rugs, hanging art and curtains and deciding where all my decorative items will go.  It has been a team effort with special help from my parents especially!  Friday night I did a thorough cleaning of the house, along with some serious food prep, and here is the house all ready for guests:

I had decided to have the party as a brunch from 10am-12:30pm so there were lots of egg dishes, baked  goods and Halloween treats.  Below are some guests enjoying the food spread!

There were about 25 people who came- a  mix of family, old friends, new friends, coworkers, new neighbors and people from church.  It was a meeting of many worlds and everyone did a great job introducing themselves and getting to know each other.  One special thing was my Aunt Janna from Arizona was in town and was able to be there.  She is an interior decorator and gave my place her approval so I guess it means the house is looking good!

Aunt Janna with Jen and Bethany

Other party guests- Kyle, Brady and Rob

Everyone brought very thoughtful gifts- ranging from bottles of wine, kitchen items, candles, a plant and gift certificates to local shops.  Here I am opening up some gifts:

Teresa keeping track of my gifts with presents spread out behind her

I am definitely feeling good about being pretty much set with all I need.  Today I will be figuring out where to store my new items and maybe doing a little kitchen rearranging, while also keeping track of the impending hurricane/ tropical storm.

In some ways it is hard to believe I have only been in this place for about 2 months, and I am grateful that everyday is feels more like mine.  Having the party yesterday was a fun way for people to see my new home and now it truly feels "warmed".  

A Walk in the Park?

This morning I took a walk in the park near my house.  All the pictures are from this morning- it is really looking and feeling like fall!  The above picture was probably the most spectacular tree.  

I was thinking about the past months and how so much has happened- in a lot of ways my transition from Uganda has been somewhat easy- getting a job quickly, finding a place to live, having some transition time, getting to be near friends and family.  I was also thinking, though, how it has still been overwhelming and tiring- so many decisions to make and things to learn.  It feels like I am still figuring out my new life in many ways.  

The "steps to repatriation" I posted about a month ago also came with some steps for surviving to thriving in repatriating.  I posted them below (originally from the site expatwomen.com) and thought I would write after each one how I think I am doing on that step (my thoughts are in orange)...

From Surviving To Thriving

Here are my five tips to help move you from surviving to thriving as a repatriate:

1.	Follow Your Joy. If there was ever a time to take care of yourself, it is now. Each day, ask yourself what will bring you joy and do it. Your joy path shall be sacred and nothing shall hinder you from fulfilling it each day. It can be as simple as spending five quiet moments in silence, taking a walk or calling a friend, but you must set aside time for this as a non-negotiable. I have been trying to do these things- even the things they suggest: talking to friends, taking a walk (like today!), having some silence.  It is sometimes hard to know how to fit these things in with the responsibilities of work and life but it is good to be reminded.  I have still been reading a lot, especially before bed, so that has been a carry over from my Uganda life.
2.	Pace of Grace. Maintain a pace that is sustainable as you acclimate to your new surroundings. Do not go chasing after the wind. You may have an unlimited number of choices for entertainment and activities, but withhold from signing up for everything until you have your bearings secure. Be an observer while you settle-in. Rest. Be easy on yourself and on others in your family. This seems to relate to #1, and it is interesting because this is what I always told students in debrief- give yourself and others some grace.  Some things I have just put off- such as changing my state residency- until I feel more settled, and some things I have said no to, but discerning the necessary from the filler can be hard.  And it is so true about choices for entertainment, that is fun but also overwhelming!  I do sometimes miss how special things could be in Uganda- a specific food or activity could be such a treat where here things are available all the time.  I would say this one is probably a constant process.
3.	Refuge. Regardless of whether you are single or have a family, you need to have a refuge to return to. Create a sacred center within the context of a physical or emotional/spiritual place to be your refuge or resting place. Getting my own place pretty quickly has helped with this one.  Since work is full of wall to wall people all the time, I really appreciate having a "refuge" to come home to.
4.	Make Local Connections. A clever strategy whether you move home or abroad, is to always befriend at least one local person, find one local place and find one local activity where you can connect locally to help you during your first year. Focus on finding at least one of each when you repatriate: you can always add more later. This one I am working on- I have found my favorite coffee shop, a church within walking distance and joined a Bible study.  I am still getting to know both Wilmington and the town where I work, and mostly enjoying that process.  It is a lot of new people, though, and a lot of names and stories to learn.
5.	One Year. Prepare yourself. lf for at least a one-year adjustment period. It may take longer, but the one-year mark is a good opportunity to reevaluate what else you might need to make your new home, truly feel like home. Good to know!  Right now it feels like I should be all settled but it is helpful to be reminded that I'll be experiencing new things all year long.

Birthday

Last weekend I celebrated my 33rd birthday.  It happened to be during my 10 year college reunion/ Homecoming which meant I was in Boston for the weekend, not a bad place to be!  I already posted some pictures on FB so here is one picture of the chapel where I spent many hours of my time in college:

Gordon chapel

 It was a great weekend of friends, family, reminiscing and catching up.  And birthday celebrations!

I realized during this birthday how living in Uganda changed my perspective on getting older.  Generally, in America we don't want to age or look older.  People are hesitant to share their age and it is considered rude to ask.  In Uganda the attitude was more of- Thank the Lord I have made it this far!  What a blessing to receive another year of life!  I think this is partly because the average life span for Ugandans is 54 (I just looked that up, but might have guessed younger).  Also, with life often feeling more precarious and less in control, it does feel like the work of God to survive traveling on the roads, tropical illnesses, etc.   So I am feeling very blessed to have made it to 33 and hope to look forward to getting older and never complaining about aging.

One plus of being Stateside for this birthday was getting to celebrate with my family for the first time in 5 years.  I have always liked having a fall birthday and appreciated that it actually felt like fall this weekend when we celebrated.  Part of our time was outside around this ceramic stove (direct from Maine):

Aiden and the fire

 Then we had a great meal and birthday celebration.  Overall, it was a fun birthday week- thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes.

Family

Also, a quick house update from this weekend.  I had bought a set of table and chairs the day I moved in and had been wanting to re-cover the seats.  It seemed like a daunting project to me, but thanks to my sister-in-law and fabric.com, it looks great!  After celebrating my birthday we got out the staple gun and fabric and covered the seats, below is the before and after:

I put the seats back on yesterday and am very pleased with how it turned out!  It still feels like there are a lot of small things to do in the house, but it feels good to complete a project and see a pretty big difference.