Summer, older kid

Only sixty days until the first day of school!  But so much has happened already that it is hard to believe that the last day of school was only sixteen days ago.

The older one has summer assignments for school including writing an extended essay, which will be about eugenics (you can see topics covered other years here and here), and reading Anna Karenina.  The parental assignments include starting the college application process and learning to drive a standard transmission car.  I'll let you know how it goes.

On the fun side will be a day trip to visit UC San Diego and maybe a trip to see UC Santa Barbara and UC Berkeley.  The whole family will visit Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, I hope.  Maybe we'll get to the beach just for fun.  And don't forget about sleeping until noon, earning some money, and volunteer work.

The big trip has already started.  After a test, application, and interview R. was given a scholarship to travel to Germany for a few weeks!  The first stage of the trip was a little challenging

given the line just to get up to security (not shown are all the people standing behind us).  R. made the flight, changed planes without a problem, got the luggage in Newark, and got to the international terminal.

R. is now safely in Germany, staying with a family, going to school (some special classes and some regular classes).  We have skyped once and so far, so good.  Part of me wants to skype all the time so I know what is going on, but most of me is happy to know that R. is too busy to skype all the time.  Deutsche Post is on strike but I hope paper mail makes it there eventually.