We went to the World Cup in 2010… oh, and some other stuff happened, too.
Without a doubt, South Africa in June was the centerpiece of our year. Dylan got his first taste of the beautiful game at its highest level, as we attended six games with eleven different teams, spirited fans, and some electrifying goals. Serious soccer fan that he is, Dylan eschewed all of the entertainment around the stadiums in favor of watching the teams warm-up an hour before game time. While Adela tolerated the soccer and was entertained by the face-painting and the treats, her indelible experiences came in the interactions with charismatic South African women and girls. She joined in the singing and dancing whenever she got the chance, and she took care to document her experiences on video and in her “journal.†We were all amazed by the astounding wildlife on view in the Madikwe Game Reserve, from huge herds of elephants to a rare sighting of a pygmy owl. And for Jeannette and Matt, the trip provided glimpses into the complex social and political structure of a truly incredible nation. We heard wrenching and moving stories of women living with AIDS and negotiating lives as refugees from the wars and strife of other parts of Africa. We met Apartheid survivors whose whole communities were razed and who are now re-creating neighborhood bonds and documenting the history that they lived. These conversations reminded us of other great travels to Cuba and China in that we met so many people who were and are witnesses to history in the making.
Now, on to the other stuff…
Dylan passed some big milestones in 2010. He took his first long trip alone, flying to the East Coast for a summer week in Vermont with cousins and grandparents. He blossomed as an independent reader, delighting in the mysteries of Encyclopedia Brown, the cleverness of Ivy and Bean yarns, and potty humor wherever he can find it. His Spanish vocabulary rivals that of his parents and he’s now earning a penny for each word he teaches us (for now, it’s feeling like a bargain). And he joined a competitive soccer team, where his athletic prowess and his competitive passion find their highest expression. If you aren’t already convinced that kids learn by being exposed to experts practicing their craft, you haven’t seen Dylan mimicking the ball-handling moves of Messi or Xavi. We have already decided that we will only brave the baking heat of Qatar for the 2022 World Cup if Dylan is on the national team, and that prospect is looking more likely by the day.
Adela had some big firsts of her own, not least starting Kindergarten. She’s blessed to have a warm, caring, and tremendously competent teacher, Maestra Debby, whom Adela loves dearly. She has not embraced homework or after-care as willingly as her brother, but she’s pretty taken with other aspects of growing up, like new friends and getting an allowance. And she too is working hard to become a reader, even surpassing her goals of reading or listening to 100 books in this month’s school read-a-thon. Like her brother, Adela took a solo trip to the east coast and especially enjoyed being pampered at the hair salon by Mimi along with cousin Lulu. Back home, Adela became an independent swimmer this year and has shed “boring†soccer for life in the water. But what defined her year was her growth as an actress. She enrolled in musical theater classes and simply lit up the stage with her confidence and grit, performing in a summer cabaret and then in a version of Beauty and the Beast. Adela enjoys pretend in all its forms, from sitting rapt in the audience of a professional performance of Peter and the Wolf to dressing up as Tiana on Halloween, her favorite holiday of the year (Pretend and candy combined! What could be better?).
Matt listened to the President’s SOTU and is crowing about his prediction a year ago that Obama would run for a second term on the back of his education agenda. It seems that, in his many trips to DC to meet with East Coast clients, Matt picked up a fair amount of Beltway wisdom J. The consulting practice continues to offer him the right mix of vibrancy, connectedness and independence. He’s been especially excited about the opportunity to work with New Leaders for New Schools, supporting their vision of creating leadership that is desperately needed to make educational opportunity for underserved youth a reality. On the personal front, Matt took a rare solo ski trip to western Canada to meet up with Jason Friedman, who was doctoring in a town near Red Mountain, British Columbia. Later, he celebrated turning 40 by joining Richard Kassissieh and 10 other fantastic runners on a 212-mile relay race around central Oregon. Matt also traveled to Miami to spend time with the ever-resilient Dottie Kelemen as she recovered from a major surgery; it was the first time she had been a hospital patient since giving birth to her own children! Meanwhile, 2010 goes down as the year when Matt finally acknowledged his own aging by joining the old-man’s soccer league. He’s pleased to once again be faster than some of the players on the pitch and he has been trying to emulate all the stars he saw in South Africa.
Jeannette spent more time this year traveling for both work and fun. At Teachscape, Inc. she manages professional development for teachers and instructional leaders across the country and maintains her commitment to eliminate the achievement gap defining far too many communities. More miles in the air meant far fewer miles on the bicycle this year, but Jeannette happily picked up miles on the ski slopes and cross-country trails. Jeannette’s father was diagnosed with cancer in the spring, but fortunately his treatment and recovery have gone tremendously well and we all give thanks for his restored health. A “first†for Jeannette this year was serving on a jury in a San Francisco criminal court – a fascinating experience that reinforced her belief that justice can prevail when the right conditions are met. Facebook spawned a couple of high school reunions in the Bay Area this year after several of us realized we lived within 30 miles of one another, and treasured time with additional friends and family balanced out challenging work demands. Finally, Jeannette’s committed to resurrecting our bookclub this year, so if you have some great titles and themes to recommend, let her know!
2010 was a year of many blessings for us. We rekindled old friendships and made new ones with late-night chats around the Tahoe hearth. We reveled in many family gatherings, from joyful weddings (Michael & Corinne, Peter & Gabriela) to cousin confabs. We spent a weekend in the mountains without kids to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. And we took singular joy in the news that Dominic and Solomon Bannister’s mother gained permission to move to the U.S. from Sierra Leone. We can’t wait to meet her and have been marveling at the idea that the boys will get to see their mother after 18 years apart.
So, it was the dreams and hopes of Africans that inspired us this year, both in our own city and in far-flung travels. Away from home, we were once again reminded of the kindness of strangers and, at home, we were reminded of the grace that comes in connections with family, friends and neighbors. We hope that your year was as fulfilling as ours and we wish you peace in 2011.