Day 2 started with (you guessed it) the doorbell ringing at 9 AM. Once again I was still in bed and groggily stumbled to the door in my pj’s. This time it was my neighbor (the one who had popped over the prior night). He had brought the most spectacular welcome gift – his wifi box! This is yet another example of how generous people are here. And seriously, is there a better present than internet when you’ve been offline for a few days?? I think not.
As I gained my bearings and looked out the door past my neighbor, I noticed there were a lot more people roaming our yard then we have employed. Hmmm. That’s curious, I thought. Better get dressed and see what’s going on.
Turns out the embassy had sent 6 additional gardeners to help spruce up the yard since the place hadn’t been lived in for awhile. It was gardener mania all day and Nia couldn’t get enough. She and Davie the gardener are BFFs now according to her and she even took his hand at one point when they were walking around the yard. At the end of the day today when he was leaving, she shouts, “Wait here. I have to get something for youâ€. She comes back out holding a brand new My Little Pony she had just gotten and says to Davie, “I want you to have this.†It was the sweetest thing ever. He just might end up being her first crush! :)
Each morning when she wakes up, the first thing she asks me is if she can go outside and find Davie (and in her pajamas, no less). Today she found him preparing the garden for planting and decided that she wanted to sit under a tree and watch him garden while she ate her breakfast. She’ll hang out there for 30-60 minutes, which is mind blowing to me, as she rarely stays interested in anything for longer than 15 minutes. Today she ran in the house and said, “Look Mom! I picked African Parsley!†(which is the same as American parsley, if you were wondering). She’s counting down the days until they start planting the garden together.
It makes me so happy to see Nia thriving here. She loves the independence and is taking so many more risks than I’ve ever seen her take before. I thought I was extroverted but this gal is off the charts. Big leg hugs for complete strangers, hopping on someone’s lap 5 minutes after meeting them and walking around the Embassy knocking on doors like she owns the place. So obviously there’s no need to worry about her making friends, huh?
As if the 6 additional gardeners weren’t enough excitement for the day, around noon another 6 people showed up to take down a giant tower in our yard. She sat there for nearly an hour watching them scale the tower and dismantle it. Even I have to admit, it was pretty exciting to watch.
Here she is in her chair eating her afternoon snack while watching the live show happening in our yard. Life is good for Nia Novak.
That’s it for tonight. I’ll do my best to post again tomorrow! Thanks for all the fun Facebook comments. Glad you’re enjoying the posts.
