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How do you spend spring break stuck inside?
I don’t have the answer to this question, but I’m working on it!
“What are you going to do on spring break?” my son’s algebra teacher asked him during their last virtual class
“I don’t know,” David replied. “I guess just crawl in bed and watch videos all day.”
My heart sank when I overheard the conversation through my very thin bedroom wall.
David was in his bedroom, sitting at his desk, in front of his school-loaned laptop computer. He had been sitting in that same place, in that same position, for the past 4 weeks from 9:10 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Extensions
On March 9, 2020, the director announced that the school doors were closing due to COVID-19. Originally, it was only for a two-week period, until the end of the March. A week later, we received another email from the director. The nation-wide lockdown and school closing would continue until April 14. Then, last Tuesday, we received another email from the director. The confinement and school closing would continue through May 4.
We are just waiting for another email from the director informing us of a further extension of the lockdown.
This is getting long. The days have been long. However, we have been keeping ourselves busy with homeschool work and our online jobs.
It’s been hard, but we have been trying not to complain and to count our blessings instead.
Today is Hard
Today is different. Today feels especially hard and disappointing.
Today, our kids are on spring break from school.
Spring break represents a lot of things—mostly positive!
The kids always look forward to having a much-needed, one-week break from their heavy school work and their busy soccer season. They look forward to staying up late at night and sleeping in late in the morning. The lack of routine, structure, and a full schedule are also welcomed by all.
As a family, we always look forward to getting away during the school holidays, whether it be for a week-long vacation or for day trips. It’s always a time to stop the monotony of our everyday whirlwind called “life,” slow down, get away, have a change of scenery.
Different, Not Same
It’s a time to celebrate “different,” not the same! Spring break is when we bust out of the “ordinary” and do something “extraordinary”!
This year, our spring break plans were especially exciting! We had hoped to take a family road trip to the south of France where we lived for seven years before moving to Spain. All of our boys have a lot of good friends who still live there, so they were looking forward to reconnecting. Vincent and I also have many dear friends in the area—friends who are like family to us. We couldn’t wait to see them and to catch up face-to-face.
And, of course, we love France! It’s our country, so we always enjoy going back “home.”
Unfinished Business
This time back to France was especially important, because we had doctors’ appointments on the agenda and other “business” to take care of. Our most important “business” was to take care of our belongings still in France.
When we left France two years ago to return to the U.S. for a period of time, we packed up all of our house belongings and put them in a storage unit. Originally, we thought that we might only be gone for six months, but those six months soon turned into 18 months.
Then, when we moved to Spain last July, we were blessed to be able to stay in a furnished home for 10 months while some other expats were back in the U.S. visiting family. We didn’t need to bring our belongings from storage. This gave us plenty of time to figure out where we wanted to live and to find our own home.
We were in no rush.
More Changed Plans
Just before lockdown last month, we were finally able to find a house to rent in the area. Thankfully, we were able to nail this down, place the deposit on the house, and reserve it before the country shut down. We have now signed the contract and have the keys to our new house.
Our original plan was to go to France on our boys’ spring break to visit friends and to load up a moving truck with all of our belongings from storage. The plan was to begin moving into our new home this week.
However, the virus hit the world in the meantime.
Our springs break plans changed!
We now can’t go to France for spring break. Our friends there won’t be able to see us. We can’t move our belongings from France to Spain (our belongings that we haven’t seen for almost three years!). It’s not possible today to move into our new house, and we have no idea when that will be possible.
Disappointment.
Our family is simply stuck—stuck inside for spring break. Help!
Asking Questions
I’ve been asking myself some questions:
—How can our family still make spring break fun?
—What can we do differently to set apart this time?
—How can we utilize the small space we have inside and outside the house to create some fun?
—What do our kids need from us at this time?
—How we can make some special family memories during this time?
—What can we do to seize the opportunity and not waste this time?
—What can we do to make 2020 the BEST SPRING BREAK EVER!?
I certainly don’t have all of the answers, but I am trying to find something special to do with my kids during their
If you have some creative ideas, please send them my way. I need them desperately!
—THE CULTURAL STORY-WEAVER
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LET’S WEAVE CULTURES!
Did your family’s spring break plans change this year? Are your kids stuck inside for spring break? What can we all do to make 2020 the BEST SPRING BREAK EVER!? Any ideas? Help!
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