It's been a hectic stretch. We have all been in our new schools now for a week--Alex in 3rd grade, Claire and I in Russian language. For me, the four days of classes thus far (that's five hours of class time each day, for those of you counting) have been a huge challenge, but a gratifying one. It's been a hell of a long time since I exercised my brain as much as this, and it sort of shows. I find myself tongue-tied in class a lot.

It’s hard to believe that it’s September already. Time truly flies.

To be honest, I have been in a daze throughout this whole thing—feeling as if I were on vacation, and any day now I’ll be headed back “Home.” There have been so many different changes, each of which would be jarring in itself—give away the dog and the cat, give away so much stuff, quit our jobs, leave the house, set up in a corporate short term housing complex that feels like a resort (complete with pool and exercise room), put our house on the market—the accumulation just seems so unreal.

OK, so last Sunday, I was at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, listening to the summer minister, Rebekah Montgomery, preach about the subject of Black Lives Matter. It was a moving sermon that reminded me of how very far America and the world has to go to become a place where everyone has the chance to reach their innate potential.

Last week, Alex and I went to Vermont to visit family and had a great time seeing folks there. Now that we've returned, there's a two week window before everyone starts school. Alex will go into 3rd grade, Claire and I will begin Russian language training. For what it's worth, Claire and I will likely be in different classes, which is good. I think I'd quickly develop an inferiority complex trying to compete with her!

And now, we begin to settle in. Everyone has arrived at their destinations (Brazil, DC), and the routines are building.

We know where we are headed (Tashkent, Uzbekistan, FYI), and when (May 2016).

We know where Alex will go to school this year (Thomas Jefferson Elementary) and probably next (Tashkent International School).

We know that Claire and I will take Russian, and what other classes Claire will take (still trying to figure out for me, though). Other specifics for me (both now and in Tashkent) are still sketchy.