My college kid is in Guatemala for January break trying to be immersed in the language and come home fluent. Yay her.
It’s a January term project for which she receives college credit – if she lives and doesn’t end up sold into sex slavery or decapitated or heroin addicted or bound and gagged in a trunk of an old Dodge Dart. It’s just a thought, from her mom and dad’s couch potato, mid-life crisis CNN, CSI, Criminial Minds, Law & Order world.
She found this little known, non-college affiliated program on a search engine called “Google.” Ever hear of it?
I’m sure the program has been fully vetted and is as safe as safe can be. Except, when we asked trusty, reliable, grab-the-world-by-the-balls world traveling cousin who happens to be a hot shot in the Peace Corp if he could give us a long list contacts there, he replied,
“Guatemala? Oh, the Peace Corp pulled out of there years ago. Too unstable, too violent.”
Nice. Thanks for sharing.
The same guy hosted Kid1 last year right before the Spring Uprising the set into motion freeing that part of the world. Nothing says travel abroad like political upheaval.
It’s the teen parenting version of been-there, done-that faux pas. Similar to when experienced moms share pregnancy horror stories to naive, wide-eyed hugely pregnant first timers that have no idea what’s in store for them. Oh, the good ol’ days.
Rather Attractive Husband and I are terrified, and check Facebook obsessively for updates. But here’s the kicker: we remain, proud parents of this very naive, dumb as a rock, brilliant daughter of ours and here’s why:
This past holiday season brought an engagement to a very VERY young branch of our family sapling.
Which is nice (which I say only because I know MIL is reading this) but somewhat premature and fricking STUPID in my not-so-humble opinion (in case she’s not reading this). GO LIVE A LIFE already; there’s plenty of time to drive around suburbia in a mini-van, why rush it??? Get a job! Get an apartment! Take a subway! Put your feet in the ocean! Eat chocolate covered mango in Guatemala!
The potential bride and groom will have none of that. She wanted only a Pillow Pet for Christmas. You read that correctly.
“Um, if you want a Pillow Pet for Christmas at 19, perhaps you may be just a little too young to play house,” commented not-so-naive Kid3.
This kid of ours didn’t want a pillow pet, or a diamond ring, (but would absolutely be open to the idea of a boyfriend — that I have no doubt about.)
In fact, this kid of ours, this dumb, naive, trusting, no-sense-of-direction Kid1 of ours: she discovered, paid for, and traveled to a part of the world the Peace Corp shies away from.
Alone.
No Pillow Pet.
No boyfriend.
No ring.
And we couldn’t be prouder.
You seem such a cool mom. I’m not sure how I would react if my daughter wanted to do that study abroad option. In fact I know it is good for them but I want a nice safe option…say Canada?
Oh my, 19 and engaged. A pillow pet would have been a much better choice.
I understand being terrified for your daughter, mine is living in Manhattan while attending college. It’s terrifying, but in a different way, mostly about the extreme expense of it all!
I’m sure your girl will be just fine!
KK, there are so many things I missed out on when I got married at 19. Yes 19. I was only two + years into college and I’d been running on no sleep between full-time work and full-time school so I really didn’t enjoy those first two years. My only pass-time being getting it on with the boyfriend. Which is why I was 19 married and pregnant in college. It was hard times. I missed out on great trips and spring breaks. I don’t regret a second of it but if you’d told me when I was 18 that I’d miss out on trips to Brazil and France and white water rafting and would spend the next 15 years working 24 hours a day between career and motherhood, I would have dumped the bf.
I knew a girl like Kid1, jetted off to Pinochet’s Chile in the early 80s, when you had to trek to town to find a phone & mail took weeks to get to the States. This girl still lives today, enriched with great memories, awesome spanish comprehension, and great friends in South America. Kid1 will be fine!
Hardest part of being a parent? 🙁 You are doing a great job. Letting her see the world.
@Vanita – You’re a big fat buzz kill! U done good girl- looks like your college experiences will come to life in retirement! We’ll Peace Corp it together!
@kelliwhatever 🙂
@Irishtwins: Jury still deliberating on the job we’re doing. We’ll see in 15 years or so!
In Guatemala and very safe and very happy. Still working on the fluent part. 🙂 love you mom!
Heart thingy. Don’t know how to make one, but put one right here ________.
GO Brad-with-a-y!
I’m watchin’ out for Kid3
<3 (that’s a heart thingy: less than sign with 3, no space between)
Following is response from the kick-ass grab the world by the balls PC cousin:
Hope all is well, glad to get updates from Kid#1, seems she is loving it! I read your blog, good as always, but Peace Corps is still in Guatemala – they are just not taking a new group of Volunteers this year so they can refocus their Safety and Security strategy… If it was really bad, we would have closed it completely… I would have really not been on board with her going if things were super unstable.
signed: hot shot world-traveling graciously generous cousin
Inquiring mom/mind wants to know if she got the pillow pet…and which one!?! 🙂
She got it: Yankees Pillow Pet. And couldn’t be happier. *sigh*
My adorable hubby (looks kinda like yours?) was wondering if the marriage will happen while nephew is still living @ home. Thought maybe moving into apartment ( not w/ wastral, yeah you know who) and getting “real” job first might be an idea???? But hey who am I, my thoghts are maybe until you do your own laundry and clean up after yourself you maybe shouldn’t get married. Have soooo much more respect for your #1 than will ever have for the “other #1” Hell I have more respect for my #2 than the “other #1”