Generation 6 - Isadora Goes To College

Well, Isadora, Plato and Caliopie are off to school.  They couldn't move into Ho-Ho-Ho fast enough.  They used their scholarship money to do some remodeling of my old Frat house.  Those kids have their mom's decorator touch and I hardly recognize the old place.  They tell me it's the most popular Greek House on Campus - (of course it always was...)  Kaylynn and I have found it a full time job just to keep up with these three and their college escapades - most of which we don't know about I'm sure, so I can only tell you what they tell their old dad.

They've even started a band, which always draws a big crowd.  Caliopie hated piano lessons when she was little, but she tells me she's glad she stuck with  it now.  Kids on campus call the band "Izzy and the Twins" but the kids tell me they're hoping to come up with another name.

The kids are all doing great in their studies.  Isadora is some kind of Science major and she's dating the school mascot, some Llama character named Richard (why can't she just call him Rich?)  Plato is an art major this week - but he changes his mind a lot, he comes home a lot to visit his highschool girlfriednd Kissimmee, he wants her to come to school with him when he graduates, but she's not sure her parents can afford college.  Caliopie, my little drama queen, is ofcourse a drama major, she has a different boyfriend every week, but nothing serious.

Isadora just got finished spending her Junior year abroad studying dirt in the desert - some kind of Botany project on the other side of the world.  She didn't have a phone access over there, but she was pretty good about sending letters.  She knows her mom worries with her so far from home.  I kept all the letters.  You wouldn't want to see them would you?

Dear Mom and Dad,
I can't believe I'm on the other side of the world.  I've never been so far from home or imagined I would ever been in the Azahora Desert.  Right now I'm staying at the University's satellite campus in Azahora City, there are students from all different countries who come here for international study fellowships.  In a few days I will travel to the Bio-Botany outpost to begin my research project.  I'm so nervous and I miss everyone so much.  I miss Richard so much I don’t' know how I will get through this year without him.  Tell Plat and Cali I miss them too and all the fun we have at the house.  I'll write again when I get to the site.
Love,
Izzy (Isadora)

Dear Mom and Dad
This is home for the next year, the Bio-Botany Outpost in the Azahora Desert.  Eight students from all over the world will share this house and will do joint research on a project that will be published in all the scientific journals.  It's a big honor to be chosen for this project.  Last year's class created a cure for the flu.  I wonder what we will be working on this year.  Well, I guess I better not keep myself locked in my room.  I'm going to go try to make some friends.  - Izzy

Dear Mom and Dad
We are literally in Nowheresville, just desert and sky as far as the eye can see.  Today we learned about our research project.  We will be studying the Laganaphyllis Simnovorii;  a relatively new species of plant in the Azahora desert and very little is known about it.  We will be collecting DNA samples and analyzing it's genetic makeup.  We will experiment with crossbreeding with other desert plant life and hopefully make some really useful discoveries related to the nectar it produces on only one day out of the year.  Our supervising Professor has predicted that the Laganaphyllis will produce it's nectar somewhere in the middle of our term so we will spend the first half of our term analyzing leaf, stem and root samples and the second half will be spent analyzing the nectar.  So far none of us know what to make of this thing - it looks part animal, part plant, and has only recently been discovered in the Azahora Desert.

I have made one really good friend.  His name is Randy, he is from Azahora, his father is actually the Governor of Azahora City.  Dad, I know what you're going to say about his hair, and Mom, I know you're going to hate it.  But Randy explained to me that growing up in the desert has taught him that it's a much cooler way to wear your hair - when he needs to he can just comb it down to look like a regular haircut - but his head stays cooler with it standing straight up.  It's an Azahorian thing, apparently.  Randy is the only native Azahorian here, the rest of us are from all over.  But he's been super helpful in teaching me about desert plant life and how to adapt to the climate here.  It's funny.  The only thing Richard ever taught me was how to drink out of a keg while standing on my head.  Last week the Azahorian Llama mascot came out to pay us a visit - when I saw him I was so excicted because I thought it was Richard - when I realized it wasn't I spent the rest of the afternoon crying in the greenhouse.  I know he promised to wait for me, and that a year wouldn't change anything but I can't imagine that I even cross his mind while he's Toga Party hopping every  night.  He did write me one letter but it was all about the homecoming game and the cheerleader who broke her collar bone when she fell off his shoulders.

Dear Mom and Dad,
I'm sorry it's been so long since my last letter.  We've been really busy out here.  My greenhouse projects are going really well and we are getting some really interesting results.  I'm getting used to being in the middle of nowhere and the 8 students in our group have become really close.  We're all really excited about collecting the nectar from the Laganaphyllis which should be any day now.

The Laganaphyllis has extended it's tongue which Professor Cole says is a sign that it will produce nectar soon.  It doesn't make any sense to me, but we were told that the tongue of the Laganaphyllis contains a fatal poison.  The tongue is the shape of a slice of birthday cake which makes this strange plant even more unusual.  Randy and I have been running more tests and have made some really interesting discoveries - but nothing I'm prepared to share yet!  I miss you all!
Love,
Izzy

Dear Mom and Dad,
Lots of neat stuff is going on here.  Last week I actually got to feed the Laganaphyllis , this is really like no other plant any of us have ever seen.

Randy has taught me a lot about the Azahora desert and because his dad is Govenor of Azahora City he has even let me in on some government secrets - especially pertaining to why we might be researching this plant.  Randy thinks this is more than just a "school project" because he has overheard his father talking about the Laganaphyllis Simnovorii.

Last weekend, Randy and I took an excursion of our own. Randy said there was something he wanted to show me. He packed my favorite lunch - grilled cheese sandwiches and cherry jello and took me out to Aires Rock which overlooks a large section of the desert. At the base of the rock it looks like some kind of aircraft has crashed. There was a lot of debris - although it's hard to make out what it was, it's definitely suspicious. Randy said the government thinks it has something to do with the Laganaphyllis Siminovorii.

Randy is the most thoughtful guy I've ever known and the more time I spend with him, the less time I'm thinking about Ricahrd who has sent me one more letter to brag about dumping soap in the fountain with Plato (yawn) and something about wanting to join a band.  I don't think Richard will ever settle down

It's just that the longer I look into Randy's steel gray eyes, the more I feel at home.  I feel like I'm safe in a place I never want to leave.

I think Randy feels the same way.  This afternoon while we were playing chess, because there is NOTHING else to do, he looked straight into my eyes and said "I love you Isadora" with the kind of certainty that could stop the world on it's axis.  Mom, I hope you're not crying.  We have been together every day since I got here and he's the best friend I've ever had.  I think I might love him too.
Love,
Izzy

Dear Mom and Dad,  The day we have been waiting for has finally arrived.  The Laganaphyllis Simnovorii has swelled with nectar overnight.  Because I have held the highest GPA this term I was selected to collect the nectar.  It was a thin white milky substance that smelled both bitter and sweet.  Now that we have collected the nectar our team will begin the long process of breaking the genetic code, and I have a few ideas of my own I'm looking forward to trying out.  Better get busy!
Love,
Izzy

Dear Mom and Dad,  Remember I told you that we were going to be analyzing the nectar from the Laganaphyllis Simnovorii? Well, I did a lot of work on the nectar, maybe too much.  I managed to decode the molecular structure of the DNA, and what I found shocked me.  I don't think I can write down what I found out about the nectar, it seems that whatever this thing is, is actually a closely guarded government secret.  My discoveries were not what I expected and so late one night I went looking for more answers.  I snuck into Professor Cole's office in the basement, someone told me he had a computer down there.  I got online and looked up some information about the results I was getting from testing the nectar.  I can't say any more than that.  While I was doing research I was interupted.

"I'm sorry M'am, you'll have to leave now."   The voice was unfamiliar which startled me the most.  There was no one within 100 miles in any direction of our outpost.  Standing behind me was some kind of government agent, he wasn't a policeman, but he had handcuffs and he looked serious.  At first I thought I was in trouble for being in Professor Cole's office.  Everyone else in the house was asleep.  He wouldn't let me talk to anyone, he put the handcuffs on me and he put me in a car which drove me all the way into Azahora City.

I have never been so scared in my whole life.  I'm still shaking just telling you about it.  I wish I could tell you why this happened, but I still don't really know.  When I got to Azahora city I was interrogated - who was I, where was I from, how did I get the fellowship, where was my University, how long had I been here, what did I know about the  Laganaphyllis Simnovorii, how long had I been researching it, what did I know before I started the fellowship, had I ever left the Bio Botany Outpost in the desert.  They were very concerned about all of these things.  It's like they thought I was some kind of spy.  They asked me why I was going on the web sites I had been doing the research on.  I answered as honestly as I could.  This was just a school project.  I was just doing my assignment - maybe hoping for a little extra credit with some extra research.  I was so scared.  I have no idea why they were so upset with me.  Finally they allowed me to call Professor Cole.

It was early when I made the call, and Professor Cole was very confused, he didn't know anything about me being gone.  I told him I wasn't under arrest but that I could only be released to him.  The Azahorian government thinks I am some kind of a security risk and they are asking me to leave the country.  They allowed Professor Cole to come get me so I could pack my things.  Professor Cole was just as confused as I am.  He was so sweet about the whole thing and promised that I wouldn't fail the course.  I have to surrender all my notes and research to the government, and Professor Cole is going to be issued a new computer because they took the one from his office.  All he said was "Wow Izzy"  He's the sweetest Professor I've ever had.  I guess he realizes there is something very strange about Laganaphyllis Simnovorii.

When I got back to the house Randy was waiting outside - pacing up and down the walk, and he had been crying.  That made me start crying again, realizing I was going to have to tell him goodbye.  I buried my head on his shoulder and sobbed.  I told him everything and he just held me.

"I have to say goodbye to you. They say I have to leave the country Randy."  A giant tear rolled down his cheek as I said this.  "They told me never to come back to Azahora, and never to talk to anyone from this fellowship  again.  They want me to change my major and never discuss with anyone the Laganaphyllis Simnovorii.  I don't know what I did wrong, but remember what I told you after dinner?  Well, I think I was right - but please, forget I ever said it.  This is dangerous Randy, really dangerous, and I don't know why.  It was only supposed to be a school project."   "It's not your fault" Randy said, "I'm going to contact my father, I think he can help us, they can't do this to you.  They can't keep us apart.  I love you Izzy."

The fact that I was sitting in a limousine did nothing to comfort my shattered heart.  I only allowed myself to look out the window once at Randy who stood outside the house bravely leaking tears onto the desert sand.  As the limo drove me away from the love of my life I felt the air being sucked out of me, like I was heading into a vortex, how am I supposed to go on?  Not only do I have to leave Randy but I'm banned by the government from ever returning to his country?  I don't think I could feel any more unlucky in love.  I don't know if I will ever see Randy again since I was told never to have contact with anyone from the Bio Botany Fellowship again.  I'm so sorry Mom and Dad.  I know this isn't good news and I feel like I'm a horrible disappointment.  I'll call when I get back to HO HO HO.
Love,
Izzy

Meet Plato & Llama Mama