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| Just dropped off our home study packet- all 79 pages! |
To say that our family has a lot going on at the current time might be a bit of an understatement. I'll begin with a recap of our adoption progress. Since I last wrote, we have turned in the 79 pages of home study materials necessary to prove that we are physically, financially, and emotionally capable of adding to our brood. Matt and I both had to write the equivalent of a very short book detailing our upbringing (there was literally a section for each part of our lives- elementary, high school, college, etc), our parenting philosophy, how we are going to address the inevitable racism that will rear its ugly head in our transracial family, how we will address loss and separation issues, etc. We even had to write about our sex life. No lie. It was emotionally exhausting, and I was soooooo happy to hand it all over to our agency.
In the past several months we have had a couples interview and individual interviews with our social worker. She has visited our home, hung out with the kids, and met the dogs. We've shown her the gun safe, the locked medicine closet, and the room that will one day house our sweet new addition. Our kids love her, and she has been incredibly easy to visit with and work alongside. The truth is that these social workers want these kids to find homes. She did not run her fingers over the baseboard checking for dust. As we all know, dust happens while families are making memories. Her job is to ensure that this child will come home to a safe, loving environment. She masterfully worked in questions about discipline while speaking with our children. It was an easy conversation, and she helped address some of our kids' questions and concerns, as well. Grant's number one concern is that his younger brother or sister will not be able to speak the same language. He seemed calmed by our social worker's assurance that children pick up a second language very quickly. Grant will also get a crash course in language immersion in just a few short months.
Yep. We have some OTHER big news.
The entire Bowler family is (temporarily) pulling up roots to live in Paderno del Grappa, Italy, about an hour west of Venice at the base of the Dolomite Mountains (part of the Alps). Matt is going on sabbatical from Oklahoma State University in January, and will be teaching at CIMBA, the Consortium of Universities for International Studies. He will teach leadership and management courses there, as well as work on research for OSU. We will remain in Europe for the entire spring semester. Anna will study dance at Scuola di Danza Elena e Lucia Pegorari. I will be homeschooling/unschooling (a term I've recently learned more about that seems to align better with our schooling plans). Grant's first question was, "Will we go on any field trips?" I burst out laughing and responded, "Buddy, it's going to be one huge field trip!"
We will visit the glass blowers in Venice and learn the science behind their art. We will lie on our backs and gaze at Michelangelo's brushstrokes in the Sistine Chapel. We will visit Auschwitz and learn about those dark days in history, while also learning about atrocities still happening around the world. We will climb the winding stairs to Anne Frank's attic in Amsterdam. We will visit what remains of the Berlin wall. We will study the famous flying buttresses of Notre Dame, and learn about the gypsy outcasts who beg at the base of the Eiffel Tower. We will visit the Mamertine Prison in Rome, where Paul wrote 2 Timothy. Grant loves Claude Monet, so we will visit Monet's gardens in Giverny. We will swim in the Mediterranean. We will visit one of the parfumeries in Paris, and learn about the staggering salaries paid to those with a discerning sense of smell. We will keep journals and convert money. The list goes on and on... We will learn so much more than we ever imagined. All of us.
I visited Europe for the first time at the age of 21. Though I studied French for years and years, it was Italy that captured my heart. The towering cypresses of Tuscany, the free-flowing wine, the lingering meals. Something about this laidback lifestyle where family took precedence over hurried living greatly appealed to me. I threw my coins in the Trevi Fountain in Rome, and made the customary wish to return to the city. I am thrilled beyond words over this opportunity for our entire family. The professors and students are encouraged to travel, and are thus given several four day weekends and a ten day spring break. We will sometimes be travelling alongside students. I am excited by the prospect of being a "mom-away-from-home" for these American students. We will be living on campus in housing alongside other professors' families. We will be given a car, but are only a 15 minute walk from the next larger village and its celebrated Sunday markets. We will primarily bike and walk within our own village and neighboring villages.
But what about our adoption? Our social worker is actually super excited about our trip. The waiting involved in international adoption is the hardest part. Even if we received a referral today, it would still probably be a year before we could bring our little sweetie home. We are nearing a point where our home study is almost complete and we will gather any additional items to mail our dossier to our prospective country. We are still leaning heavily toward Haiti, although China is still an option. The wait time for China is the shortest, but there is something about Haiti that pulls at our hearts, despite the hints of racism we have already encountered. Please keep us in your prayers during this crazy, but exciting time. We are eagerly anticipating the ways in which God will use this trip to prepare our hearts for our little one and leave a lasting impression on our children.
