Conor has a talent that is unusual. I don’t think I’ve ever come across it before. When he is bored, or reading, or playing cards or watching television his right hand will steal up to his ear and taking the top of the lobe he will fold it in half and then fold it down and stick it in his ear canal. Where it will stay for a few seconds before flopping back out. It is an unusual talent for sure.
Conor likes things orderly. If you go into his room here at St. Phil’s you will see that everything has its place. When we play Skip-bo – each player is given a stack of about 25 cards. Conor goes through his and makes sure that all the covers are facing the same direction. It seems appropriate for a young person interested in math or computer science. But it is fairly unknown intimately to his disorderly father.
He loves to figure out how things work. It has taken him four weeks but he finally figured out how to set the clock in the car on the right time. He does not quit on a task simply because he hasn’t figured it out. It is always something he hasn’t quite figured out – YET. He is a person that rarely gives into despair – but even if he is frustrated – he will come back again and again.
He smiles and laughs so easily. While it is Jordan who will give us something to laugh about it is Conor who will be the first one to laugh out loud and then it is impossible not to join in.
He is in charge of all things electronic on this trip. He sets up how and where everything will be plugged in. And he rotates all our electronic devices so that nothing is depleted. In several instances he has made himself useful with people we have run across – in their homes or businesses – with problems with computers or sound systems. He is always eager to help.
One of the things that most impresses me with Conor is that he is clear that the work he does must be something that makes him happy. Not something that makes his parents happy – or someone else happy. And that, I think, is a very good thing.
And while he has been homesick, a bit, for his friends, he has not suffered visibly or taken it out on the rest of us.
His favorite food on this trip, I think, has been the Indian food. He almost always orders chicken tikka masala and garlic naan. And his favorite dessert has been the chocolate mousse cake at Mugg & Bean as well. He is a bit more adventurous than his brother, though – and will try new things that look interesting to him – mostly it works out well.
On this trip he has discovered who his college roommate is and has corresponded with him as well as with one of his professors about his courses for this fall. What a different world we live in!
He is eager to get the new Mac laptop, when we return, that he has been saving for with his graduation money. A few days ago we stumbled across our first Apple Store in South Africa – it will be opening for the first time on the same Saturday that we leave the country!
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