It's good to be around family

A blog post by Adam. Yesterday was my maternal grandfather's 15th yahrzeit, or 15th anniversary of his death. Since my sister Mina and I live in the same building we decided to gather to remember our Grandpa. Both of our partners joined us as we lit a yahrzeit candle and shared stories.

Grandpa was an amazing person. An engineer, a fisherman, a woodworker, a classical music aficionado, a man totally committed to the Jewish community and our family. He was always so patient with us, whether we were working together in his wood shop, or trolling for trout on Lake Washington. He would spend hours just listening and talking to us. And whatever we did, he believed in us. If there ever was the perfect grandfather, it was him.

And though fifteen years has passed, he came back to life in our sharing. He was with us. As we recalled Grandpa's final computer publication - a sign welcoming Ari home from Israel - our eyes welled up with tears. Melissa and Jorge comforted both us, but looking across the table at Mina I felt so lucky. So lucky to have been able to remember one of my heroes with family, with someone else who truly understood where I was coming from.

Yesterday suddenly made me see my time in the DR differently. I still don't know if Dominican culture is a perfect match for my personality.  I don't know if I'll ever really become fluent in Spanish. I don't know if any of my projects at the clinic will have much impact on the DR, or the clinic for that matter. And I certainly don't know if my endless attempts to make Dominican beans will ever result in anything that is more than just slightly edible. But what I do know is that living downstairs from my sister for 7 months may be one of the greatest experiences of my life.