The Live-in Cousin 2: the Sequel. So my cousin Van has been sent to live with me & my parents here in the states for maybe like the next year or so, ostensibly to improve his English ability and prep for the GRE(?). I'm still not entirely sure whose idea it was or what all the specifics of it are, but he's here now, and apparently he's here to stay. I just get the vibe that it's more like he was sent into temporary exile, as opposed to him deciding that this was what he wanted. I dunno, I hate to be pessimistic and I don't wanna jinx things, but to be honest, I just don't see this turning out well. His older brother Shaan stayed with us through (most of) high school, and that was... [just short of a disaster], so this isn't exactly without precedent.

And I dunno, I WANT to be supportive, but I'm finding that I don't even know HOW to help. The more nebulous the goals, the more clueless I feel to provide any insight. And maybe it's just that I haven't seen him exhibit his own sense of drive yet. I dunno, I think after a certain age, your drive has to come from within; any imposed upon you by others will only lead to disappointment or frustration ...or worse: side-effects.

Anyways, so I guess it's a little early to say how things'll go just yet. But for now, the dynamics of the household have changed, and I'm trying to find my bearings and figure out what's the same and what's different. Just when you settle into a groove with your life, life throws you a curveball, and you've got to re-adapt. =/