Decision Stress | Weekly Snapshot

Published : 2021 || Format : print || Location : Colombia ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ What was it about the country that kept everyone hostage to its fantasy? The previous month, on its own soil, an American man went to his job at a plant and gunned down fourteen coworkers, and last spring alone there were four different school shootings. A nation at war with itself, yet people still spoke of it as some kind of paradise.. Thoughts : Infinite Country follows two characters - young Talia, who at the beginning of this book, escapes a girl’s reform school in North Colombia so that she can make her previously booked flight to the US. Before she can do that, she needs to travel many miles to reach her father and get her ticket to the rest of her family. As we follow Talia’s treacherous journey south, we learn about how she ended up in the reform school in the first place and why half her family resides in the US. Infinite Country tells the story of her family through the other protagonist, El

Decision Stress | Weekly Snapshot

I didn't mean to disappear for the past couple of weeks but there was too much to think, to decide, and to do.

School decisions

For the past two weeks, I've been mostly stressed out about Fall school for the girl. On the one hand, I was certain I didn't want to send her to attend classes in person. It's going to be challenging supporting online learning, taking care of her brother, and also working from home but I may be able to wing it, even if it's going to be stressful. With very little data out there about the impact of reopening schools on kids and teachers, I prefer to err on the side of safety. That said, she is just turning five, so my decision is a little easier to make. I truly don't envy being a parent of high schoolers right now - I know many of those parents are wrestling with the decision. The online curriculum offered at the public school here, while good, does not offer AP or honor classes and that has upset many parents. I wish this district started off with remote or hybrid learning - many are expecting there will be outbreaks.

The bigger decision I had to make was should we continue her at the private school she goes to or the public school. After stressing so much over the two options and feeling like I wasn't going to like either, I've decided to unenroll her from the private school. That said, it isn't all done yet as there are many more parents in line ahead of us so we'll be waiting a bit to see if the school is able to replace us.

With my brain so tired thinking about school, I barely read a wink. It wasn't until two days ago that I finally cracked open a book.

Looking forward to

My husband's brother and his wife drove in from Boston last night to stay with us this week. They've been trying to make the trip several times over the past few months. Between Covid-19 rise in numbers and the protests and just an unwillingness to have a gathering owing to very little data out there initially about this virus, they've been putting plans aside. Finally, satisfied that we've all been able to stay safe and healthy, we've decided now is a good time.

It's the girl's birthday tomorrow. Like most kids her age, she's been waiting very impatiently for the day, counting down multiple times each day and disappointed that the needle hadn't moved much. We've ordered her a unicorn cake (one with a protruding horn) that she herself picked six months ago. We weren't able to find it at the original bakery that we had spotted it at, but later found a similar one at a different bakery. Peace restored.

Other life happenings

We've finally started getting zucchinis from our garden. While I'm not exactly surprised by this as they are generally very productive, it's still exciting to eat produce from your own garden. The tomatoes and chillies are also slowly coming in, and we were also thrilled to see that our late Spring-planted marigold and lilies are blooming.

I have been crazily writing down reviews over the past few days so that I didn't remain as woefully behind as I am currently. I have 11 reviews to post currently. :sheepish: While all won't see the light of day and some will be mini-reviews only, there's still quite a few that I've loved and want to talk about.

Reading

Two days back, I started reading The Pearl That Broke Its Shell. I've seen this book around but don't recall much about it. It does have 4+ ratings on Goodreads and the premise sounded good. I'm only couple of chapters in but so far, I love it and can't wait to read more.

I didn't get much opportunity to listen to When since I first started it but now that I'm not making any more big decisions, I'm hoping to get back to it.