100 days

Its been a hundred days so I have been told. I battle with the thought I have been a failure.
We drove Chen last Friday night to his new home. I could not help but think about how this must be what it is like when you turn a pet into the shelter. The family all of us including Julius piled into the car, each loading a piece of Chen's luggage into the trunk. Along the 30 mile journey we stopped for what the boys called "The last supper".

Driving down the road past home after home of merrily brightly decorated houses I tried to keep the conversation light the whole time yet in the back of my mind I kept questioning myself. At 7:30 we pulled up at the meeting spot where we were to hand off Chen to someone who could help Chen. Chen's grades had been a roller coaster since he had arrived, sinking desperately low then reaching stellar heights when pressed with termination of the program. As a working mom, with one child in an alternative school program and another exchange student from Germany, 6 dogs and a traveling husband, caring for an Asian student with cultural gaps became overwhelming to me. Chen was sinking academically and I was trying to help the best I could while holding the anchor and treading water. The group that was handling the exchange students saw the situation and with expert ease stepped in and saved both Chen and I from drowning.

Chen is now happily resettled in a city not far from us. His life will be expectedly very different, but I am sure he will definitely prosper and have a more successful year then he ever thought possible.