A Gypsy Kind of Life

Being "homeless" is no fun.  We have been living out of our suitcases since January 2012.  I had filled out our housing application and sent all proper documents required to the housing office on post via email.  I emailed our consultant to let me know if she received the documents but I never received a reply back.. Mind you I had sent these in November 2011 well before our move to New York.  Well, once we get here, the consultant tells my husband she hasn't received anything.  If my email did not go through, I would have had the dreaded Mailer-Daemon error message sent to my email.

It is a good thing we have a part of our Kapiolani Ohana with us here in New York.  We are staying with friends until we move to post lodging this week.  Not to mention that without a physical address, we cannot register our son for school.. So my baby has not been in school since mid-February.  I keep him busy by working on school work given to me by his teacher before we left Hawaii.  I have also bought him first grade workbooks so that he will be ready for first grade next school year.  I did not know that Kindergarten was NOT MANDATORY in the state of New York.  But, from what the school liaison has told my husband, our son is a bit more advanced in his curriculum than what the kids are currently learning in Kindergarten here.

I just hope that once Adam does return to school, he adjusts to it and gets the hang of things quickly.  Another issue I have to deal with is allowing Adam to ride the school bus to school and back.  In Hawaii, you either take The Bus (city bus) to school, your parents drop you off, or you or friends carpool/drive to school.  My dad was always there to pick us up and drop us off no matter what.  I believe it was more for our safety than anything else.  I guess I share the same paranoia as my parents along with having heard and seen the horror stories of children getting bullied on the school bus, that does not help with deciding to let my son ride the school bus.

So as we await for the military to issue us a house to call home for the next 2 to 3 years, I hope it is soon than later. I miss having my bed to lay on.  I miss my couch to lounge on.  I miss having my pots and pans to cook on.  I miss just being in my own space.  My kids miss having a place to call home too.  They ask us "when are we getting a house?"  We keep telling them soon.  But we know that it may still be awhile.  We are truly grateful to have a place to stay at for now. But, it's just not the same, you know?

I spoke with my aunt the other day.  I told her that we still didn't have a house yet.  She then refers to my family and I as gypsies since we have no place to call home.  It does feel like a gypsy kind of life when you live everyday without a home.  I've tried to stay calm and remember that there are many people in the world who don't have a roof or shelter to stay at.  With April right around the corner, hopefully we get some good news soon.  Keep us in your thoughts!