Musings of a Global Nomad

Dearest family and friends, 2013…another eventful, exciting year for the Lobo Rebello’s. We successfully completed a whole year of being a long distance family. We all learnt new things, had interesting experiences, survived the heartache that being away from someone you love brings, looked for silver linings and found out that no matter what life throws you, it still is a beautiful life. The kids, especially the older three took to living in India like seasoned locals. We anticipated a lot of whining, eye rolling and complaining, but surprisingly that never really happened much. They went headlong and immersed themselves in school and their activities. They took every opportunity to try something new and as we look back we see that each of them have grown and blossomed because of their Indian experience and that’s make it all worth it! Snapshots of the kids… Arhantika(14)- Music is her life, photography her passion. In 2013 she has: Worked hard at creating a play...

We have often read about everyday hero's who touch lives and bring hope. Last weekend I had the opportunity to meet with one such hero who brought out emotions hard to express. He taught me and my children a valuable lesson about commitment and sharing. Gagan with his piggy bank What makes this hero all the more unique and exceptional is that he is a 11 year old special needs child. His name is Gagan and I first met him when I started volunteering at the Cottolengo School for children with mental and intellectual disabilities here in Whitefield, Bangalore. He was a quiet child but extremely well behaved, always eager to learn and quick to smile. My weekly visits to the school where I introduced them to the world of computers was always a bright spot in my week. As anyone who has the good fortune to spend time with special children will know, their innocence and purity makes a mark on your heart that claims a space deep within. Many of them are residential as they have no k...

As you all know my husband Gerard has been in Kabul for the last year. He works for the World Food Programme and took on this hardship non family post after much thought and deliberation. Yes we knew it was risky! But once the decision was made, we refused to be bogged down with negative thoughts and took on the challenge of living the life of a non distance family with as much gumption as we could. We have adjusted amazingly well to Indian life. The kids go to a great school and as we watch them thrive and soar we feel relieved and proud. I have found my corner of contentment. A great job that challenges me and gives me the flexibility to successfully run errands, car pool, attend every single school event, good friends and neighbors who take the time to drown in margaritas with me on days that are overwhelming and my parents who are always just a call away- ah the life of a single mother!  Yes the months have flown by and though there are moments when I feel lonely and mis...

A few nights ago our kids Ryeika and Neeira had their annual day in school. This is a much anticipated night in the school calender. Every class puts on a show and remarkably every single child gets up on stage to either narrate, act, sing or dance. The auditorium is filled with parents cheering, many have tears streaming down their faces as they watch with pride and joy. For me it was all that more special. As I watched Neeiras second grade class take the stage I was filled with nostalgia for a land I left six months ago but fierce pride for, in the next twenty minutes they brought a little piece of Ethiopia to India. It all started a few months ago when Neeiras teacher invited parents to come and tell the kids a moral story set in their home country. I decided to tell the kids an Ethiopian story called' The Perfect Orange.' Though not technically my home country, it is the land of my birth and I had just had the privilege of having lived there for the last thr...