A couple weeks in.

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 It is Sunday night, May 30. We have been in Michigan for 2 1/2 weeks. Our hearts are definitely still not fully on this continent, and I suspect they never will be. Tys and Jori are watching a movie together in the living room, and Darin and I are in our room doing work and writing blog posts. Fun times for the Fey family!

Physically, our move earlier this month went great. Other than an unfortunate incident of Jori getting sick in the middle of the terminal right before our plane boarded in Chicago, getting here was great. We had no problems with our luggage and had extra seats to stretch out on and sleep on our flight from South Africa to Switzerland and Switzerland to Chicago. And Swiss Air was amazing; the food, the service, the friendliness were all fantastic. Customs wasn't a problem and other than Jori being sick, the time in Chicago went by quickly. 

We arrived to a furnished house with a stocked pantry, fridge and freezer, which were all amazing blessings. We've been receiving cards from so many friends and family from all across the US and Canada and have even had a few packages. We have library cards, went to the bank, and I've even been driving without ending up on the "wrong" side of the road! Tyson has a bike that he has been taking throughout the neighborhood and both kids have jobs (that pay!) through Business Connect. We took a tour of the high school, went out with friends, had friends over and have even introduced the kids to Taco Bell and gas station Slurpees for $0.99. 

Yet, even though it looks like we have stepped in to this new life and are ready to go full speed ahead, we are struggling. Tyson and Jori are excited about a lot of the new things here, but they are lonely and struggling to feel like they fit here. Our home is wonderful, but it is above Darin's office on a busy street and not in a neighborhood, which makes it difficult to just go outside and meet other teens in the area. They are both still keeping in touch with friends in South Africa, but also realizing that the difference in time zones means a lot of hours in the evening when no one is awake to chat. We are adjusting to Darin working outside the home, and having more structured hours of work. While I didn't struggle with jet lag as long as I thought I would, I am struggling with how quickly the week fills up with stuff - not necessarily even fun stuff or stuff we want to do, but just the more hectic pace of life here in America.

We are also missing the people we said goodbye to in South Africa. This morning before church, a memory of Amo and Mohau popped up on my phone and it was so precious and made me genuinely happy, but I also felt sad, knowing that I can no longer just get in the car and drive over for a visit. I would never want to have NOT met our friends in South Africa, but my heart is heavy with the grief of the goodbyes. 

Yet I know that these feelings and struggles are not going to be permanent. Tyson and Jori will make friends. We will all adjust to being city folk and having schedules that fill up with school, work, and activities. We will always miss being close to those we love on the other side of the ocean, but the pain won't always be so strong. 

Thank you to everyone who prayed for us while we were still in South Africa and please keep praying as we settle in to this new life. God, the unchanging one, has been and continues to be faithful. 

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