Roadside attractions- Minnesotans style

This is so Minnesotan, it makes me laugh. 

I'm hoping to visit some soon.

:)Amy

Full Circle: A True Fairytale

This article was just published in my neighborhood newspaper.  It's been good to remember other seasons and adventures.

Once upon a time, a 16 year old girl named Amy was invited by her friend to host Christie, a 16 year old from Guatemala.  Amy’s parents said yes and Christie lived in their home for 12 weeks, changing their lives forever.  Amy’s family had so much fun with Christie that they invited Alitza to come and stay for a school year.  Amy eventually journeyed to Guatemala and reunited with both her friends.  She also lived with three families in Costa Rica and another in Nicaragua.  She lived with a Hispanic family and an African American family in Chicago and with a family in the Sikh community in Vancouver.  She attended Hmong festivals and a Sikh wedding, an auspicious Chinese birthday in Costa Rica and a church service in the mountains of Guatemala.  She rode packed mini vans and super speed buses on hairpin curves.  She paddled across tropical rivers to a rainforest “farm” and harvested bananas with a machete and oranges with her own hands under the eye of a bull.  She studied Islam for year, touring a mosque and receiving hospitality over tea from a Muslim family.  As she journeyed, when the people heard she was a teacher, she received offers from two communities to build her a school and a home if she would come and teach their daughters to read.  She went home and studied teaching English as a Second Language, determined to only teach people who wanted to learn.  She welcomed children and families from Russia and the Republic of Georgia and Nepal and people of no land and no country at all.  Later she taught adults from Somalia and the Sudan and Ivory Coast and Laos.  For some she had the honor of being their first teacher ever, teaching them to read and to write their names as mothers and grandmothers.  She married and moved into an exciting neighborhood in South Minneapolis where she could raise her kids among people from all over the world.  Then one spring, she heard that 15 French kids wanted to come and visit Minneapolis.  She wanted to share the richness she’d enjoyed with her kids and her community.  Coming full circle from host sister and traveler to welcoming mother, she accepted the challenge to find 15 families who want to open their homes and their hearts like her family had all those years before. 

You have the chance to join this story and become a host family for a French boy or girl age 14-17, from July 9-30, 2011.  The kids are coming for an immersion experience in English and American culture and want to join in with whatever their host family is doing this summer- chores, daily routines, church, bike riding, grilling, park trips-whatever a Minneapolis family is about.  My mom and I are planning activities for them on Tuesdays and Thursdays including Youth Farm, Lake Calhoun, Mall of America, and more.  Painter Park is our central meeting place for orientation, the Welcome Ice Cream Social, the adventures, and Goodbye Potluck. 

Write yourself into the story and contact:

Amy Reisdorf,

Job update

Good news!  After several months, the long awaited full-time position for Tim at A&P Construction starts Monday.  He's already begun visiting sites and is adjusting to the new work pace.  He was hired over several insiders and I'm particularly proud of him for his conscientious, hard work as a consultant these last couple years which are now paying off.

I am recruiting host families for French exchange students and my group size just doubled on Monday.  I'm out 3-4 nights/week doing home visits.  The plan for July when the kids are here is coming together nicely and I'm expecting a good summer.

I also just accepted a job as the food buyer for Youth Farm, Anjali's favorite program.  I will be responsible to order and deliver food for 600 meals/week during the 8 week program.  My minivan is going to be put to good use. 

We're wrapping up homeschool in May and are looking forward to a change of pace.

A bit of craziness

This last 5 days has been action-packed.  Highlights, if I can rightly call them that, include:

Thursday- having a flat tire
Friday- Mark has stomach flu and furnace goes out and stays out
Monday- Anjali has stomach flu

Tire's fixed.
Mark feels fine after 3 bad hours.
Furnace scheduled to be fixed today.
Anjali on mend.

I used to pack my life tight and be crazed by the unexpected but I'm learning.  I hadn't overscheduled, I changed the plans I had, and I'm tired with my humor intact- not crazed.

Today is Mark and Anjali Day

Today, Anjali and Mark were superstars.  I had a job interview and they played stunningly well throughout.  We shoe-shopped and they each liked the first pair.  The van, which Tim calls Traveler, got a flat tire, and the kids waited for 1 1/2 hours through all the attempts at repair.  Then Mark sat patiently while I got my haircut. 
Superstars.

I wished I had my camera today when both of them were sitting on the steps of the house adjacent to Traveler, balloons on strings from the Shoe Zoo tied to their wrists, pink and blue straining in the breeze while the kids sat in the sunshine.  Beautiful.

Thanks, Mark.  Thanks, Anjali.  I'm very proud of you both!

Transitions

We are making lots of changes these days. 

First, our old computer was on the fritz so I was delayed in blogging lately.  I'm finally getting all my logins and passwords back in order so we should be back in action here.

Second, Tim's jobs are still in transition.  He was going to start March 1, then April 1, and is still working under the old system at A&P until he gets the word.  Also, his Saturdays at Fed Ex have been routinely running 12 hours and he finally was just given permission to train in some help.  He started training another guy yesterday and hopefully should be able to reduce his Saturday work load.  We are very grateful that he still has jobs.

Third, I got a part-time job coordinating home stays for French exchange students this summer.  After a rocky start recruiting, things are well underway.  My mom is going to be my assistant which is great, especially since she's more organized and more knowledgeable than I am.  We're planning lots of fun outings and I'm really enjoying my time with prospective host families.  Interesting bunch. 

Fourth, Youth Farm starts again this week.  Anjali loves this group and this is her top priority for the summer. She's anticipating starting garden clean-up and cooking classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  What a fabulous group and since I really can't afford to volunteer again this year, I'm trying for a paid position.  I've applied for a 10/hr/week position for the summer working as the food buyer for them and hope to get a call to interview.   

Fifth, homeschool is shifting a bit.  My mom has kindly agreed to teach Anjali writing as she will be retiring from public school teaching this June.  Mark is doing math with Tim, Starfall phonics on the computer, and lots of stories with me.  We're guessing he might start learning to read this summer or fall.  I'm hoping to finish the homeschool year by the end of May. 

We'll keep you posted!

Amy's new job

This afternoon I accepted a part-time position as a Homestay Coordinator from now through the end of July.  A group of 15 French students and a chaperon will be coming to Minneapolis in July.  I am looking for 16 host families and two back-ups who would like to host a French teen for 3 weeks.  I'll be doing training, planning outings and parties, and working with interesting families and teens.  This should be fun!

If you're interested in being a host family or know someone who might, here's the website for Compass USA.