The one year mark

Alison and I have made it our mission to try as many different coffee shops and acai bowls that we can.  We love how there are unique little shops everywhere you turn, especially when they're close to some shopping or the ocean.

This is just one perk of San Diego and I'm thankful every day that I get to live here.  This past year has been full of joy, healing and peace.  

So I was surprised, when life started to feel a little less joyful and peaceful.  Discontentment was knocking at my door and I was so confused.  How could I be complaining about a place that I love and that I longed to be in for a long time?  And then I realized what it was; we've been here a year.  I get the same feeling at the one year mark every time we move and we've done it enough times now that I can recognize it.

You see, there's this cycle that we go through.  When you first get to a new place, life is chaotic and unsettled.  Time is consumed with just getting the basics set up and trying to get kids to feel settled in their new spaces.  We tend to move in really quickly, but this is still a good two to three months of life.  Then you have space and energy to start building your new life.  Hope fills your soul as you search for what this life will look like.  You look at churches and sport groups and co-ops.  You try new restaurants and explore new parks.  It's exciting to gather information and explore what potentially could be your life.  And then at the year mark, you realize that you've done all the exploring that can be done and what is your life, is what it will be.  The acquaintances you have, will be the people in your life.  The routines you've slid into, those will continue.  It is what it is.  The hope and excitement diminish and you have to settle into a year of that life.  

What hits me hardest is friendships.  Anyone we meet after this point, probably won't want to let us in their life as we can no longer say "We'll be here for 3 years".  Unfortunately for me, friendships are important and it makes living this transient military life seem overwhelming.

 

A smooth start

Just a boring picture to soak up real life.

I was recovering from Covid and trying to be a normal human on the couch (instead of comatose in my bed) and Alison had just gotten home from school.  She made herself a pbj, just like a daughter of mine should, and got some love from Maya.  She told me about her day and I realized just how perfect her story was as a follow up to the last post.

She said that they have a quiz once a week and this week, the girl next to her asked her for the answers.  She said that she didn't need to give her the answers because it was an open book quiz.  The girl still didn't get it.  Alison pointed to the book and told her all the answers were right in front of her.  Even with an open book quiz, she said that most of the students were complaining about the quizzes and how they were bringing their grades down.  

She said, "Mom, I was worried that I wouldn't know things and I did not need to worry!  Most of the other students don't know basic things.  They don't know how to use the computer lab to type up papers or how to answer an essay questions in 500 words or how to find answers in a book!"

We talked about why this may be.  Was it Mira Costa?  Was it because this is an intro class that everyone has to take?  Was it public school kids? Or did they just not care and if so, why were they even there?

First of all, I'm thankful that this first class has erased her fears of failing and proven to her that she really does have what it takes to succeed.  Even though some of the classes are easy for her, I'm thankful for a smooth transition into college.

Second of all, it's made me think even more about American education.  I'm baffled quite frankly.

Homeschooling is in the minority and is mostly looked down upon, while public school is accepted and thought of as the norm.  Society questions whether my kids are "smart" because they don't have 30 other peers to compare themselves to, while they assume public school kids are super smart because they take AP classes.  Even more so, we assume that private school students are the elite.  Then all these students come together in college and some show up unable to find answers in a book.  What is happening?  What is happening all these years of 8 hour days and homework in the evenings???  How is that equating being unable to type essays and pass quizzes? 

On another aspect, I'm confused why it's insanely hard to get into college and then people are going into great debt for their education, to go to a class that is full of students unable to learn the material.