Milan Park is just a couple miles away from Kristopher Woods, my apartment complex. It's a small little park, and unknown to many in the community, I believe. But it's been perfect for beautiful days when it just would seem wrong NOT to enjoy some time swinging, sliding, dangling from monkey bars, and building sand castles! Diya and I, and most recently Modi and Sarah, have enjoyed several afternoons there.
It's also kind of "famous". :) It's mentioned in Outcasts United as a site where Fugees soccer coach Luma and others fought for rights to play and use the otherwise fairly unused soccer fields. Great book. Definitely recommended.
While I'm on that tangent, my school, where I teach, is launching a new summer reading program; all the teachers pick a book and every student in the school signs up under one teacher to read his/her book over the summer. Then we'll discuss it in the fall. Great idea, but just a little skeptical as to how it will really pan out. Hopeful, of course, but just a bit unsure. My first book choice was Crazy Love by Francis Chan (you haven't read it? GO READ IT.) but that didn't get approved. So, I decided to pick Outcasts United instead! :)
Returning back on track... Saturday morning was georgeous - Modi, Sarah, and I headed off to the park before 1:00 Bible Study! (Which was SO fun! Bible study was definitely highlight of the... week, probably. Wish I had pictures of that. I should post about that later.) Diya was having fun at Goodwill with her dad and recently-arrived aunt and couldn't come to the park with us. :( We missed her!
Modi and Sarah happened to meet some friends there - a dad and his 4 youngest. Modi and Sarah go to their house on Sun afternoons for Bible study. The kids had a great time together, and I enjoyed playing some and taking a few breaks for studying Nepali since they easily amused each other.
It's been great meeting some random people at the park. It's such a relaxed, safe environment for the most part that it's easy to chat and get to know people while the kids are playing together. Last time we met a mom and her little daughter Juniper (Couldn't forget that fun name!). Modi and Sarah were so sweet and patient playing with her... and talking with the mom was fun for me. Turns out she was in Africa a couple years with the PeaceCorps and learned French! As I like to tell my students, you just never know where you'll be and get to use French! :)
I'm very thankful to have somewhere very nearby as a sort of "escape" from the apartments that can seem like a jail at times for those refugees who just don't have many opportunities to get out. Of course, even better is Stone Mountain, which isn't all that far away, but a bit more of a trek. :)
Yay for parks!
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