Janis Gets To Speak To Abby!

As I suspected, when we tried to call her last, Abby had had a less-than-stellar day. We decided to try again at 6:00AM today and finally got through after Lauren got done talking to her sibling who ALSO is in Australia this week! Abby & Lauren and 1 other are roommates now. She was actually happy to talk to us and I was on the phone with her for an hour and 40 minutes! (and for less than $3.50!!!) When I tried 4 times to get off the phone, she had ‘just one more thing’ to say! Her phone card – AT&T – never would work. She and another girl were responsible for the banana incident…part of a prank they pulled 2-days prior, but was not discovered until going through customs. Ooops! Apparently there are a myriad of ‘inside’ jokes going around the group about a variety of fruits, and Jacob Lengquist - the self-proclaimed ‘buddy killer’, etc. Many of the kids have nick-names and I suspect if we ask about those, there will be more good stories revealed.

She was alone on her home stay, and it was fabulous. Her family was wonderfully nice, and lived on a 215 acre farm. Abby and one of the other P2P girls and both host families had dinner the second night. She has to buy another bag Friday because she has bought too much stuff and her host family sent home gifts for ALL of our family in addition to her, so her luggage is over limit. She even remembered to buy a gift for her Grandfather in FL who has cancer!

When they hiked to the mountain top, she was the ‘leader’ because she has pretty serious back issues and they wanted her to ‘set the pace’. Her back was killing her, she said, but when they made it to the top, it was all worth it. It was amazing. When they snorkeled, she hated it. Said all the coral was dead and ugly “because of all the salt water”. I didn’t understand that. They didn’t swim in the Olympic lap pool but in the ‘fun’ pool at the complex. They got to stand on the podiums where the Olympic athletes received their medals. Australia has spiders the size of your hands and 10 of the most poisonous snakes in the world. She just HAD to make sure I knew that. Thanks! They had a professional photo taken of the group, I where the incline and gondola were, and she said that “they” (I assume People to People) bought a copy for each of the kids and will send them to them at home.

She eats big breakfast, selecting carbs often, as usual, eats little or no lunch (by choice). Reports her pants ‘fall off her’. She LOVED the Hard Rock. She said “Mom, I had a hamburger and it was SOOOOOO GOOOOD! I haven’t had a really good hamburger for SOOOOO long.” For my daughter, hamburger withdrawal is a serious thing! One night they had ribs and said they were really good too. Have had laundry at just about every hotel. This one is in the parking garage so all the kids say they’re going to do laundry and are playing kick the can, etc in the garage. Some of them bought these little ‘guns’ that shoot some sort of an umbrella-shaped thing. One hit a car in the lot and set off its alarm. Too funny. They are having so much fun!

No surprise some of the cliques that have formed are pretty strong, although most of the kids kind of move around from one ‘group’ to the other depending on whether they need silliness/cheering up, quiet time, gossip, game-playing, intelligent conversation(?) or something else. “Couples” formed, and ended, friendships came and went. Abby really is tightly connected to a few of the girls and says one of her closest friends on the trip is a guy. I’m glad. She needs some guy friends!

The kids are all upset that the trip is drawing to an end. She said there will be lots of tears at the airport when they all say goodbye. Can’t wait to see how differently they interact at the ‘reunion’ party than at the ‘bon voyage’ party. I hope we can help encourage and provide ways these kids can stay close. This is the first time in years that I’ve seen her develop these kinds of ties and they can really build nice relationships from it if we help remind them to include P2P friends in other events, and plan events where either the kids, or kids and families can spend time.

Janis Lieberman