July 10, 2007
Delaney, as I’m putting her to bed while we were visiting Mike’s family in Utah over the 4th: “I love Grandma J’s toys”
Me: Ya, Grandma J has some great toys.
Delaney: We don’t have ANY good toys.
(Me laughing)
Delaney: We just have a bunch of Earwigs all over our house.
Thanks, everyone, for your support during our Plague of the Earwig. Your words of encouragement, thoughts and prayers during our most difficult time truly made a difference. I thank you. And I offer sincere apologies to those that had acid flashbacks and nightmares for nights upon nights after reading my disturbing account of the happenings within my own home, within my own sanctuary. I certainly didn’t want all of you to have to suffer as I have suffered. I did not wish to inflict my own misery upon you, my dear readers. I would rather bear the entire brunt of this and suffer alone.
They were in my shower and were on my toilet seat as I was taking a pee.
But thank you again and please go in peace, do not suffer any longer.
They were in our Cheezits and in our shoes.
I love you dear readers. Do not bear my burden even one second longer.
Go. Just go.
It has been an emotional week for us, not only because we LOST to Earwigs, we lost our dignity as humans to little wriggly, squirmy bugs that drove us from our home, that TOOK OVER our home, that slept in our beds and recorded their favorite insect shows on our Tivo, but also because we found out that our Fugee friends moved away.
Ya, I know, right? What the heck happened?!
We are still trying to figure that out ourselves, really. We literally went from spending 3 days a week with them, taking them to English classes, taking them shopping, taking them swimming and to the movies and babysitting Baby Fugee, to nothing and then they moved. Without telling us. To Texas. As in, far far away.
We feel super guilty about it because about 3 weeks before they moved, we stopped seeing them. We didn’t break up with them, per se, we just needed a little wee break was all. Did I mention how it was 3 days a week? As in, 1-2-3 days within 7 days over and over again? So when their session of English classes ended and they didn’t need us to taxi them around as much, we sort of, kind of backed off for 3 weeks FULLY intending to pick right back up with it after our little Fugee Holiday.
But then I emailed our IRC office and was told that “Your Fugees moved to Texas. Did nobody tell you?”
Uh, no. Nobody told us.
So now we totally feel like garbage. Our Fugees probably thought we were mad at them or done with them and they never called us to say Goodbye. And now they moved to TEXAS and we feel like we lost our friends. Our non-English-speaking, non-public-restroom-using, so-in-love-with-America African Refugee friends.
Delaney is up in arms about the whole thing. She keeps asking about Baby Fugee and then screaming “But, I didn’t WANT him to move to Texas!” And we didn’t either. But from what I can gather, the Fugees paid for non-refundable airline tickets to visit Mama Fugee’s long lost brother in Dallas and instead of buying round trip tickets, they bought one way tickets and then upon realizing this, rearranged their entire lives accordingly by MOVING there instead. I guess we all have to accept the consequences of our mistakes, but really, this seems extreme.
I worry about them. Dallas Texas seems scary. And big. Even to me and I speak English and have a fairly firm grasp on the proper rules of public restroom etiquette and how to fill out an employment application. I worry about them and at the same time, I am annoyed at their disregard of the IRC Office’s advice. Apparently, they were warned (in Swahili) by the IRC office here of the VAST differences between Boise and Dallas, of the MAJOR changes they would encounter and the challenges that would be waiting for them. They were told, in detail, that the rents were more and the city was much larger and their work commute would be longer.
But they went anyway. I don’t know whether to commend them for doing what they feel they are capable of and going for their American dream or if I should call all the Dallas Hospitals in hopes of rescuing them. Either way, I am sad that they left. Good Luck Fugees, we’ll miss you.
The IRC Office asked if they could match us with a new family, an Ethiopian family. So time to dry the eyes and jump back in I guess. There are more scared and excited families out there who need us to show them episodes of the Simpsons and how to play on an xbox 360. Our work is not yet done.
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July 10th, 2007 at 7:10 am, dcrmom Says:
Oh, that’s so sad about your Fugees!
July 10th, 2007 at 9:27 am, June Cutoff Cash Says:
Yeah. They were a great band.
I wonder if there’s any way to get a letter to them or something? I kind of feel bad now, too. Thanks, FOBS. It is somehow your fault that I am that feeling woman on Star Trek who has to soak up your emotions. And bug feelings.
Are you ever going to be able to eat Cheezits again?
July 10th, 2007 at 10:31 am, Tam Says:
I love your stories. You’re hysterical.
July 10th, 2007 at 11:25 am, Karen Says:
Sorry to hear about your Fugees. I sponsored a refugee family from Kosovo in 1999. I can related to your “needing a break”! It was intense for the first year or so. I had to step back and I felt so GUILTY about it! But then I realized they needed to stand on their own, and I wasn’t helping them by doing everything for them.
Two years ago, right after I got married, I realized I hadn’t heard from them for 3 months (I was a little preoccupied with wedding stuff). Then I got a call from the dad saying they had moved to SWITZERLAND! Where they got the money to pay for tickets for a family of 6 to Switzerland, I have no idea. Turns out he had heard about a job there from a relative, but once he got there it didn’t pan out. So he had to fly his whole family back to America and start all over again!! Once again, I have no idea how he got the money to fly them all back! At that point I realized it was their life…I couldn’t make their decisions for them. They’re actually doing well now, but geez, being their friend and sponsor has been quite the roller-coaster ride. But fun and rewarding too.
Hope you hear from them. I love your blog. My husband and I are thinking about Ethiopian adoption, too.
July 10th, 2007 at 6:55 pm, Julie Says:
Sorry to hear about the fugees. I look forward to hearing about the new Ethiopian ones though. Glad you are back home now. In your cheezits? Now that’s just rude!
July 10th, 2007 at 8:03 pm, abebech Says:
I’m so glad to hear that the earwigs are gone — I checked back all the time to be sure you’d survived them! — but sorry your friends have moved on.
July 11th, 2007 at 9:46 am, June Cutoff Cash Says:
I know I already commented, but I had to tell you that my husband brought out a box of…Cheezits last night. I abstained.
July 11th, 2007 at 8:51 pm, Betsy Says:
Forget about rents and commutes! Didn’t they tell them that that’s Bush country! Yikes!
July 17th, 2007 at 10:44 pm, bubandpie Says:
“I guess we all have to accept the consequences of our mistakes, but really, this seems extreme.”
That so made me laugh out loud with a kind of snorting sound.