Football.

It's the sport of kings.....better than diamond rings....FOOT-BALL.
Well, the kid is doing it, and if I do say so myself, he is looking very Kewl in his uniform.  We went to his first ever American Football game last night and it was against CB West.  Quite the formidable opponent, but the kids did great.  They ended up losing, but like he said, "they had some great plays."  After the first quarter they put up a heck of a fight.  I think the score ended up being 42-36.  (We left at end of third)

He came home last night after intently watching the game....he didn't look in the stands once for us.....and said "I get this game now."  Bright boy.  He is now learning what it really means to play American Football.  Things like:  1. No talking on the bus after a loss.  2. The smell of the locker room. 3. The smell of the bus. 4. Labor Day shot because coach called a practice from 7:30am-6pm on Monday.  (My fury over this last one is palpable and the string of commentary in my head will remain there)

I, on the other hand was meeting the parents in the stands.  Apparently I will be a great volunteer, I am quite young and should start having children, and I should join the boosters.  All suggestions within an hour of talking to the absolutely FABULOUS mom who was sitting next to me.  It was fun and overwhelming and a little to "pro-establishment", but this is what we do for our kids, right?  Now, PTA meetings (do they really have those or was it just the Harper Valley?)  not sure if I can stomach that. I have a tendency to be unfiltered when it comes to nonsense and my fear of being ostracized within a week of school starting because of my gums flapping is a real threat.  So, I will leave that to these pages.


On to weekend #2, Day 9.  I am starting the laundry and washing his uniform as I type.  We have now shifted from feeding the beast to washing the clothes.  We had a 10pm stop off at the grocery store to re-load on Pop-Tarts, a new found obsession.

Makin Breakfast

Simple things in life are often right in front of us, but because we are so pre-occupied we miss the chance to embrace them.  The neatest thing has happened between our guy and me.   I have found the greatest joy making him breakfast.  He has grown a penchant for pancakes and now french toast.   It is the sweetest thing in the world to ask him what he wants and the glint in his eye when he says french toast or pancakes. We chat while I cook and he sits at the bar.  It has become our own little routine.   He savors every bite, its a joy to watch.  We chat about stuff.  Nothing earth shattering or important, just stuff.  With school starting, these moments will probably be limited to weekends, but I will take them, we only have him for 10 months.

He has been here a full week now and it keeps getting better.

He dresses for his first American Football game tonight, at all places....CB West.  I can't imagine what a rush it will be to run out on the field with all the fans, cheerleaders, and other players.  He has only been practicing two days and he still seems to love it.  What a kid.  The fact that he is on the sidelines means no valium for me, but I can't wait to see him all suited up.   I REALLY wish I had a longer lense on my camera to capture him as best as I can.  I will be that complete moron parent cheering and taking pictures......gotta capture these first moments....lest we forget the sweetness of them.

And From The Depths, The Teenager Emerges.....

@80+ texts per day
Football practice that starts off with, "Can't you drink beer legally over there?"
Texting through an entire Union Soccer match
The eating has begun

Well, Football practice began yesterday and for all of my trepidation, the kid did great.  He apparently is going to play defense and get to "kick the quarterback's ass"  I can live with that.  I have to hand it to this kid, that takes some serious cajones to go our for American Football when you think the quarterback is the receiver.

Since his cell phone is an appendage, I informed him they have to stay in his locker all day at school. Then I really handed out the beat down.  No cell phone during school (8 hours), then 3 hours of football practice, which brings us to after 6pm, then homework.  His face said it all.  This unlimited texting thing is unheard of in Germany, so now that he and his friends (other exchange students, who all have the same carriers) have this option, it is an obsession.  He speaks three languages a day. Russian to his family, German Texting and English to the rest of us.  I find it amazing quite frankly.  I am still in awe of this kid and his spirit, but he is so 17.  I have roast in the oven now so it we can just heat it up tonight to feed the beast when he gets home from practice.  ME?  ROAST?  really?

And so the new routine begins, practice, taxi service, actually thinking about dinner and all the rest that comes with having a 17 year old boy in your house.  Heaven help me.

The Letter......

Exchange students have to write a "Host Family" letter.  This letter helps the host families decide which child would hopefully be the right fit for their family. My heart melted away when I read his letter, he had me at "But the USA was always just a "dream." But soon my dream will come true."  I had fallen for this kid, he was to be our host son.

 A day before our guy arrived, I was set up to Skype with our guy and we were exchanging Skype accounts.  His screenname comes over and it has the word "kill" in it.  NICE, I have now signed on to house a very tall psycho from Germany.   Moments of panic set in, and obviously I am still the crazy (verruckt) one in the house.  I do crazy really well.......

But all of this got me thinking prior to his arrival.  What if these kids are so bright that they BS their way through their letters just to get out of their country for a year.   I know I would.  Through our 5 days together so far, I picked up on some inconsistencies between his letter and what we talk about.  Like for instance,  "At Saturday, we go to the cinema or to the swimming bath."  SCREEEEEECH........  cinema: yes, swimming baths: no.  I asked him flat out if he liked swimming because he said so in his letter.  <crickets> <blank stare> uh-oh.

 We burst out laughing and I asked him if he was BS'ing his way through his letter.  Apparently the idea for swimming baths came off the internet and Google translator.  As did " So at home I am more a help than a load."   His "card playing" every Friday night, yeah, Poker with his buddies.  I am waiting for the ascot and cigar to come out soon.  I truly love this boy and know we could not have had made a better decision in our lives to welcome him into our home and our family.

Host Family Rule Book

To be a host family, there are multiple orientations we had to attend, plus home visits, monthly phone calls, etc.  There is even a handbook to follow to help you transition your student as they come to America for the first time.    We never actually read the handbook until this morning, 96 hours into our "adventures in exchange studenting"

Chapter IV: Welcome to the USA.

The First Hours:

"Meeting you is the moment of truth.  It is an experience that few will ever forget."  Yeah, who can forget to people opening up a six foot sign with your name plastered across it screaming through the doors, YO! GET OVAH HEAH!  They gotta learn to tawk philly soon.

Plan some face to face time before you head home.  "Why don't you go outside and get the stink blown off ya while I wait for the bags to finally get delivered to the baggy-go-round."

"Do not invite guests over to your house the first day, give your child a chance to just rest or sleep if that is most appropriate to his or her state of health or mind"    So, going to a Diner, Philly, Pig Roast and New York in 48 hours doesn't qualify as a chance to sleep or contribute to a healthy state of mind?"  Uh-oh.

The First Few Days:

"He or she might enjoy making maps of the area."  Putting him on his bike to find his high school after being there once and getting a phone call, "Uh Monica, I think I am lost."  (true story, happened this afternoon)

Students will not know when and where they can do things. Not our kid, he starts American Football on Thursday, he hasn't a clue how to play.  He knows he can't get hit in the back.  This is gonna be good.  I might have to find some Valium to survive the season.

Minor physical upsets sometimes occur because of the big changes in the student's life.  Like a banged up head from slamming it into the drop ceiling the entire time he is running on the treadmill in the basement.  We just gave him a helmet, all is well again.

Stay tuned as we learn what else we are doin wrong as first time parents.

Moments to Remember

I guess with any teenager, there are moments that you want to hold on to because the time goes by to quickly.  Probably fewer with teenagers given the hormones et al, that comes along with them.  Well, with the teen in our house, there have been many wonderful moments already, and I know there will be many more.  In an effort to preserve these times,  I am going to keep a running list here of those gems I want to keep in my pocket to pull out every once in a while to make me smile.

1. Getting out of the car for the first time at our house and hearing crickets and locusts, I hope these never lose their entertainment value.
2. Seeing a skyscraper and having your hold world view change in a moment.
3. Walking up the steps at Penn Station to come out to NYC and seeing it for the first time.
4. Sitting in Times Square so that you can take in all of the sights and smells and people.  Something so big takes some time to absorb.
5. Laughing and gawking at a grey squirrel, after all they are red bushy tail little menaces in Germany.
6. Trying Doritos, and double stacking "American Cookies" Oreos for the first time.
7. Chocolate Chip Pancakes Anytime of day!!!
8. Eating a real American sirloin steak @ Hard Rock Cafe New York.
9. Trying to teach your hopeless host mom a few words a day in German or Russian without her bursting out in laughter.
10. Going to the first real pig roast and barbecue, eating multiple sandwiches and every salad available.
11. Iced Tea and Fresh Lemonade.
12. Eating a Hot Dog and Churro for the first time at Costco.
13. Ordering Spanish Fries with Jalapeno's @ Copa then learning he and his friends tried to eat a jar of Jalapeno's when the were young:  outcome, not so good.
......and these were all in the first 96 hours.....

14. Seeing a real baseball for the first time and blurting out "I have never held a baseball!" 
15. Trying to teach your host mom strategy playing chess.
16. Unlimited Texting.
17. First Football Game
18. POP-TARTS
19. Real grilled hamburgers with yellow mustard
20. Not going out first in that Russian card game you taught your host parents, OH, you mean your host mother went out before you?  Thwap!
21. Virginia eating and/or moving your things. backpacks, shoes, socks, sleeping bags.....the list goes on and on.....
22. Your first lost sock in the wash.
23. Blueberry pancakes.
24. Log Cabin Syrup
25. Dexter Addiction
26. Waiting to finally see the elusive chipmunk on the front step.
27. Seeing an Armadillo getting swept out the door and having no idea what it was.
28. Twinkies
29. Pink Snowballs
30. Its fitting this is 30, because on Sept 30th, you got your host mom out to the door to NYC for burgers. Spacibo.
31.Shopping Day for hoodies, trying to commit suicide with a stiletto.
32. Trying on your suit for the first time and taking your host mom's breath away.
33. Condos.
34. TastyKake
35. Brighton Beach
36. Valencia Orange Juice, I wish I had stock.

Skyscrapers, Skype and Pancakes

They say when you take a child to Disney World, you see it through their eyes and it changes everything. Host a wide eyed exchange student and you will feel the same way about your backyard, your front door, your guest bedroom, your car........

We were loaded up in the car last night and decided to take 76 home so he could see the city skyline. His jaw dropped and he blurted out, "I have never seen a skyscraper in my life!" My first thought was, 10 months is not enough time.

This morning was yet another mini adventure. He came walking downstairs with his laptop, on it was his cousin from Russia, then his grandparents and his aunts. It was like the clown car at the circus, relatives kept coming to the screen and crowding in, waving smiling and all talking at once. Of course, they were all speaking Russian and the only thing I could get out was dos vedanya which means, "Until I see you again comrade" REALLY? I slinked away and made a pot of tea.

I took him to an American Diner to get pancakes, but we were too late, so sandwiches it was. He looked at me and said, "Do you think we could go to Philadelphia today?" Within 30 mins we were on a train to center city.

I started him off small...the Reading Terminal Market ;), a cannoli was a must, so to Termini we went! From there we wandered throughout the markets, through old city, to the liberty bell, independence hall and South Street. We sat at Copa for a while and the owner asked him if he wanted a Margarita, I smirked and informed him he was merely 17. We watched what is always a freak show on South Street, regardless of the hour and talked about stuff.

We started to talk about things like, beer, curfews, drugs & school. He really is a cool kid with a good head on his shoulders. He will be a wonderful influence on Tony and I, keeping us in line and in good footing. We decided we would work on the rules together and figure it out as we go along, PHEW! This whole mothering thing is a tough balance, but I am kinda lucky with this kid that has simply made our lives that much better! We haven't had the whole "girl" talk yet, but it hasn't even been 24 hours!

So far, so good!