Travel Practice

This month (July) we have spent largely in Salt Lake. Big Bro has been living there with Grandmother in Mark and Dana's space to participate in daily Ballet West classes, but the rest of the kids and I travel to Salt Lake City every Tuesday for Veev's Ballet West class. We then stay through her second class on Thursday before heading home. We followed a similar schedule last year in the summer but stayed Monday through Thursday.

It's a lot of traveling, but it hasn't been a lot of dancing for Veeve. That means we have left-over time in Salt Lake to do fun activities and go places. And THAT has meant great travel practice, which is what our physical preparation for this month has been all about.

In preparation for our island tour when we are going to a new place almost every other night, first we practiced "keeping track of our stuff and keeping our space clean." I stressed to them that they MUST put clothes away when they take them off, or the clothes will be left. And I told them if we clean our sleeping space every morning, we will be able to easily see if we got everything before we leave. Or, in the case that we return for a night, a made bed and easy access to our pajamas will feel so much more welcoming! AND I reminded them that I would have enough to worry about, so hoping-mom-notices-and-grabs-my-stuff-for-me is not an option.

Next, we practiced "getting up and getting out." I told the kids that we wouldn't, and in some cases couldn't, cook breakfast as we tour the island of Taiwan. So the best plan for filling their hungry bellies was to get up, get dressed, clean their sleeping space, and get ready to get out the door for yummy Taiwan breakfast bought on the street. Mmmm. My mouth is already watering. That week we practiced getting ready FIRST instead of lounging about or playing as I cooked breakfast.

This week's focus has been on quickly and precisely "following instructions." In Taiwan with a train to catch, or with a scooter zooming by, or in the press of a crowd, we can't afford for kids to not listen, to not stay close, to not keep up or to run ahead, or whatever the specific instruction is. I happily took treats away as we practiced and failed the first few times. As the kids threw their little tantrums that they weren't getting their 50 cents of ice cream, I lovingly explained possible consequences we might face in a foreign country: them being hit by crazy traffic, or lost around no one who speaks English. I told them I rather have them sad now than dead, kidnapped, or traumatized. They got it and modified behavior fast. Even Stew put up with being on his monkey leash and seemed to like it.

The kids are quite accustomed to the drive to Salt Lake and I do very little to entertain them. Blessedly, unless we get incredibly lost, we have few stretches of driving in Taiwan that will be much longer than getting to Grandmother's house. And I imagine in a foreign country, what they can see out the window may be incredibly engrossing. But hanging in for the flight, not to mention 19 hours of travel, may be a different story. We may practice self-entertaining while sitting one week. I will probably combine this one with no whining or complaining. (They are pretty good at this one too, if I can keep them rested and fed.)

We also need to practice the buddy system: Big Bro entertaining, keeping track and meeting the needs of Stew, and Veeve doing the same for Weese.

Finally, we will practice "Everybody helps." When we get to our destination, we ask what we can unload, take in, get out, or otherwise do to be useful, working as a team instead of scattering and leaving it all to mom and dad.

Some of these "practice sessions" were repeats from the Florida list, but most are the things I hadn't thought of then, that I recognized we needed, or recognize now we do need for a smoother foreign travel experience. These short trips to Salt Lake and the trip to Florida have been FABULOUS practice! It's a big deal to take a family of 6 half-way around the world to see and experience life like they never have before. It makes sense that practice will improve our experience - that little tastes of public transportation, or big cities, or long flights, or being responsible, doing what you are asked, and doing it with a smile will truly make this the most amazing adventure ever!