Kevin here.
I had a couple of friends ask me recently (via Skype, of course) about whether or not we've had time to reflect and think about this trip, what we've learned, etc. And if we've been able to achieve all of the things we had hoped to achieve when we first decided to take this trip.
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| Our last night in Paris, after dinner. |
The first thing that comes to mind is to say that it's early yet. What I mean is that I think that we will be reflecting on this trip and taking things from it for many weeks, months, and years in the future. I anticipate that our kids will not draw certain lessons from our time here in Europe as a family until they have families of their own. They will remember things and be formed by things that we can't know or anticipate right now. And that's fine with us. It's how things work.
But there are a few things we know now that I think we can speak of.
First… we've learned that our kids really do get along pretty well and genuinely like each other. You never know on a trip like this what kind of heretofore hidden family dynamic will reveal itself. I mean… seriously… 11 weeks in Europe is a whole lot of family time. And that's on top of a year of homeschooling! It coulda been ugly.
But it's gone really, really well. I don't mean to imply that it's been all rainbows and unicorns. It hasn't been. More than once Kelly and I have wondered what the penalty for child abandonment was in Europe. But thankfully those times have been the exception, rather than the rule. Our family has been tight. And we've had a blast together. We'll see what the teen years hold for us, but we're off to a good start.
We've also learned that we are very much a family of home-bodies. That might sound a bit odd in that we're away from home for almost 3 months in Europe. But what it means to us is that we like to have a lot of down-time built into our travel. We're not go-go-go people, from morning to night. We can do that -- and have. But it's not the way we enjoy a place. We prefer to do something like what we've done in Paris: we stay for a longer period of time, see things at a slower pace, eat and relax, enjoy letting it all sink in. It costs more to do it that way. But, for us, it's a better investment. London wore us out a bit I think because we tried to do so much every day. In Paris, we've felt less like tourists on the run and more like people (I hesitate to say residents, because we aren't really) who are more invested in the city.
We've learned that Anna needs snacks throughout the day. Our 8-year old girl on an empty stomach does not make for a smooth day for anyone.
Blogging. We've learned that blogging takes a tremendous amount of effort. It's been worth it to keep friends and family in the loop and to document and share our experiences on this big trip. But.. I'm not so sure we'll do it next time. We might enjoy our next trip even more without it.
But what about some of the other things I mentioned in the previous blog post on why we did this? Did we get those things that we hoped to get? Well... yes and no.
Family time? Yeah, we got loads of that. At least all of us together. Kelly and I -- just us two -- had only a few opportunities for deeper, sustained conversation. That was partly due to my work schedule. But what we did have was really good.
Homeschooling opportunities? Oh, man. Out. The. Wazoo. We did all kinds of things in Scotland, London, Chipping Campden, Normandy, and Paris that just reeked of history, science, and art. This was one of our biggest goals. And it was achieved. And then some.
Rest? Well... yes, but not as much as we were hoping. We were exceedingly busy in Scotland and London, too much so really. Chipping Campden and Paris have been much slower, more relaxed. We've still been busy, but the time was marked by slower-paced days. That's why we've enjoyed those places the most, I think.
Vision? Healing? Direction? Well... some. We have some ideas, things God might be doing, directions he might be leading. But not as much as we were hoping. But, I'm not sure we really knew what we were hoping to get, honestly. Besides, we had full days. Many were spent out-and-about during the mornings and afternoons. Then I would come back to the apartment to work until late at night. That kind of schedule -- necessary, though it was -- doesn't lend itself to much time of reading and reflection. If I have one regret, it is that. But I'm not sure what we could have done differently.
So, I think some of that -- the reflection, the healing, the vision -- will come in time, as we return to our friendships, to our family, to our community. I think that's really where vision, healing, and direction come from anyway. There's revealing, informative power in the ordinary of life, as well as in the big events. I think there is more reflection on this trip coming in the future than right now.
So... we take away much from our time together as a family traveling -- and not traveling -- in Europe. But only some of it is known to us right now. It's an odd thing: to be shaped by something, but to have only a glimpse into what that might be. It's a grand adventure, is it not? In a sense, this trip is just a microcosm of life. When we get back, the adventure only continues.
We're looking forward to it.
Blogging. We've learned that blogging takes a tremendous amount of effort. It's been worth it to keep friends and family in the loop and to document and share our experiences on this big trip. But.. I'm not so sure we'll do it next time. We might enjoy our next trip even more without it.
But what about some of the other things I mentioned in the previous blog post on why we did this? Did we get those things that we hoped to get? Well... yes and no.
Family time? Yeah, we got loads of that. At least all of us together. Kelly and I -- just us two -- had only a few opportunities for deeper, sustained conversation. That was partly due to my work schedule. But what we did have was really good.
Homeschooling opportunities? Oh, man. Out. The. Wazoo. We did all kinds of things in Scotland, London, Chipping Campden, Normandy, and Paris that just reeked of history, science, and art. This was one of our biggest goals. And it was achieved. And then some.
Rest? Well... yes, but not as much as we were hoping. We were exceedingly busy in Scotland and London, too much so really. Chipping Campden and Paris have been much slower, more relaxed. We've still been busy, but the time was marked by slower-paced days. That's why we've enjoyed those places the most, I think.
Vision? Healing? Direction? Well... some. We have some ideas, things God might be doing, directions he might be leading. But not as much as we were hoping. But, I'm not sure we really knew what we were hoping to get, honestly. Besides, we had full days. Many were spent out-and-about during the mornings and afternoons. Then I would come back to the apartment to work until late at night. That kind of schedule -- necessary, though it was -- doesn't lend itself to much time of reading and reflection. If I have one regret, it is that. But I'm not sure what we could have done differently.
So, I think some of that -- the reflection, the healing, the vision -- will come in time, as we return to our friendships, to our family, to our community. I think that's really where vision, healing, and direction come from anyway. There's revealing, informative power in the ordinary of life, as well as in the big events. I think there is more reflection on this trip coming in the future than right now.
So... we take away much from our time together as a family traveling -- and not traveling -- in Europe. But only some of it is known to us right now. It's an odd thing: to be shaped by something, but to have only a glimpse into what that might be. It's a grand adventure, is it not? In a sense, this trip is just a microcosm of life. When we get back, the adventure only continues.
We're looking forward to it.
