The Blustery Day

So, Saturday the reality kind of set in ... Daniela feels isolated, homesick and frustrated.  She talked to her chaperone twice that day (thank the good Lord for Dace (pronounced "Dachay").  She wants to go home to Latvia NOW, TODAY.  We gave her her space but there were some tough moments.  Tears and anger and frustration and fear were changing it up in an instant. As if it wasn't tough enough being a teenager, imagine being a teen in a country where you don't speak the language and you can't be with your friends.

We slogged through it. Lots of sullenness, homesickness, feeling alone, language barriers (she doesn't speak any English and is resisting) coupled with teenage daughter angst and you get the picture. We've been shopping with her twice without so much as a pair of socks purchased. We figured out she likes jellybeans and wants to visit with her friend Jevgenija. Big pouting when we said "not today". Then came the scowl and storming off to her room when I caught her on Latvia social media and told her the rules prohibit that (but she already knew that - she was ticked that she got caught).

As weird as it may seem, it was comforting to see that many of our host-family friends were posting similar things Saturday.  Being able to talk and laugh about what we and others are going through is a blessing beyond description.  Eileen and I consider ourselves blessed beyond what words can describe for the wonderful friends God has put in our lives!  Thank you to ALL of our friends across the country who are on this marvelous adventure with us.

We spent the afternoon assuring her that we were not angry with her and that we admire her courage for coming to America.  We let her have her time alone to process all of this and eventually she came downstairs with a smile on her face.  She played a little with Angel and had dinner with us.  Thank God for Peter and his gusto for food.  His eating habits never cease to amuse Daniela!!

After dinner, she went upstairs to her room and fell asleep.  Eileen and I processed the days events.  We agreed it was important to be consistent and loving.  We need to be patient and give her time to adjust and never give up on loving her.  

This morning I heard Daniela quietly come downstairs and then go back up to her room.  When I came downstairs I noticed that the bag of Starbursts was gone. :-)

Daniela is a lovely young woman and we are honored to have her as part of our family.