It was good to be in Loita. Yes, Byron spent a lot of the time working but living by a campfire meant that good things were built in. Good things like zebra, waterbuck, duikers, bushbuck and dik dik around our tents at night. Good things like 5 elephants displaying their indignation and mistrust as we pulled back into camp one evening.
In all the years we lived there, I never saw a single one of the Loita herd. Byron and the boys stalked them on foot but I was always home with a baby :-) I saw the damage they did to trees and the mounds of grassy dropping they left on the trails, but I never got to view them. They are skittish and wary up there and they melt away into the trees. Our large visitors skirted the clearing that night, but trumpeted from the cover of forest several times as we ate our dinner under the stars.
One of the surreal things about returning to Loita is that Andre has a satellite connection to the internet from the house we built back in the 90's. Because we needed to make sure we would receive any news that might suddenly arrive from the school in Kenya that Colin hadn't gotten into, I would drive the 20 minutes over to the house most days to quickly collect mail.
On Thursday there was news. And that's when everything changed.
The filled-to-capacity 10th grade class had settled and shuffled and Karen, the Director of Admissions, had managed to work out how to make room for a few more students. Colin was in.
I remember that I cried as I read the mail to everyone.
Curtailing our time in Loita by a couple of days, we headed down to Narok, across the Rift Valley and up to Kijabe on Sunday. Because we had come prepared for a last minute opening, we had a duffle bag of Colin's things already neatly labeled and ready to go. We moved him into his room, made his bed, and met the family that hosts that dorm. Next morning, bright and early, Colin jumped into 10th grade. He was a week late and it's been a scramble to catch up. I guess God thought a week in Loita with the family was more important for Colin than the first 5 days of classes :-)
So this has been quite an emotional week all the way around. Leaving a high school graduate at college is one thing. Leaving a 15 year old at boarding school is another. I don't mind letting the whole world know that we all cried as we left him after lunch on his first day of classes.
All of us feel really peaceful and positive about this new development. We can see God's hand in it and there are so many good things to embrace about being at a good school with great sports and lots of friends to be made all around. Still, we can't help being pretty much a mess. We're thankful that Colin will be home for at least a month after every 3 up there.
Less than 5 weeks now till he's home for a four day weekend. You can bet your last dollar we're counting the days :-)
8 comments:
feel for you leaving your 15 year old. My 15 year old (who you met at the 24/7 conference in Southampton) has started college a year early. It is only 8 miles up the road and she catches the bus every day in and back but still..... It was a sudden end to home school and a big change.
know its not like leaving one at boarding school but .....
XX
Wow I had a feeling you were going to post today:) Loita sounds like it was a lot of fun.I am glad! I am happy Colin got into that school, is it not the one Chase is in too?
I bet you will all miss him, he is so good to have around I miss you all so much. Tell Mr. B there is not one day that I am not making coffee in the morning that I do not think of him and oatmeal is a new favorite at my house, no time for chai though and I really need to get a toaster I miss toast and fried eggs=) Tell Josephine and Eva I haven't made ugali I'm cuz I am really freaked out it will stick to the pan:P
Well Love you I will msg you on FB
Kisses portuguese style
Thanks for the empathy, Diane. Change is change!
Tehur, hello :-) Yes, I should have made that clear. Colin is with Chase. They are in different dorms and different grades but they do have Swahili 2 together in the middle of the day. So happy for them to have each other! xx
Countless times we made that drive from Loita to Narok and on to Kijabe. The separation is hard, but my fondest memories and best friends all came out of those years. I'll be praying for all of you as you adjust.
So glad he made it in...we were praying that he would and he and Chase can be together.
oh Lisa, this has been on our minds and in our prayers for so long... and to read your update brought a tender combination of joy and sadness. God is so good, His timing perfect and his blessings with purpose. I pray for Him to hold you close, as only our Father can do to a sweet Mothers heart. We are praying along side of you, with thankfulness for His PERFECT TIMING! (I too, am thankful Colin had those days in Loita with you.... my my, how time has flown since he was a toddler in those wonderful grassy hills chasing moths and lizards...) *sigh...
much love!
Jill
Lisa: I know what it is like to have to let go of your son too soon, for what seems like ages; luckily, somehow God gave us the ability as mothers to keep loving through all the pain, and gives us good people to surround us in our time of need. I am so glad that you have that! Big hugs to you and Byron. :-)
My heart understands this new transition you've found. Those were some of the very best and very worst memories our family shared but we all agree...we wouldn't have traded those days for another way. It's part of our journey.
You are in my prayers...
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