4/17/09-4/19/09

4/17/09 Friday: The search began for the kids school supplies. I can not believe how much stuff these kids need and how specific everything is. I am really frustrated because I don’t know what the materials are on the list and Chris doesn’t either. Oh, and all of their textbooks have to be covered with a special type of paper (and specific color depending on the grade) and then covered with plastic. I haven’t quite figured out how that is supposed to be done!! We went to two different book stores today and got some of the stuff. Unfortunately for us, we are starting 3 months late and so all of the textbooks have already been sent back that weren’t bought. The textbooks that they did have were so far behind what the kids need that I refused to buy them…..a picture dictionary in English. I think my kids need a picture dictionary in Spanish a little more than in English!!
When we got home there was no water. It was out yesterday also! Come to find out that there is a short somewhere for the street lamps in the community. In order to fix that, they have to turn off the power. It just happens that it is the same power supply that runs the pump for the water!!

4/18/09 Saturday: We were introduced to a bank here that will cash our American checks and not charge us a fee to do so. We were paying a 3% fee everytime we used our credit card. The fees to pull money out of the ATM were outrageous also. Now that we can cash checks without getting extra fees, we have been using cash for everything. It is really different to monitor where everything is going!! I also have to remember to put money in my wallet before I go to the store! I never realized what a luxury our ATM and credit cards were!

4/19/09 Sunday: I am soooo proud of my kids. At church today, Laina went to her Sunbeam class all by herself (well, with her friend Izabella). She wasn’t shy one bit. Her teacher looked about as shocked as I did when she just walked right in and sat down!! Alysa was still pretty shy so I went to class with her. (Not much point in me going to Sunday school so I let Chris go). I think I did a pretty decent job of translating for her! I even learned a couple new words! Cole has been going to the wrong class since we got here so today he decided to go to what he thought was his real class. He was pretty disappointed that his friend Sebastian wasn’t in there but he went anyway and didn’t even have somebody go to translate. After church we asked if he’d rather stay in the older class and he said that it would probably be better if he stayed in the class that he went to today so that he could meet new people. What happened to my shy little boy??? He is doing so great here!! Morgan also went to her class without an interpreter. Luckily for her she’s been to that class and knows the other kids and some of them can speak English.
I went to my Sociedad de Soccorro class (Relief Society). I am starting to recognize people and remember where I recognize them from!! (: There is a lady that I think is supposed to be my Visiting Teaching companion whose name is Norma and she speaks very limited English. Anyway, she taught the lesson today and I think she sensed that I am feeling pretty worthless and unneeded so she asked me if I would write the lesson title on the board for her. Yes, it was a pretty basic thing but hey, somebody wanted my help. (Oh, and Alysa's primary teacher asked me to sharpen some pencils!!)

When we got home after church, it was pretty trying again for me. The power was out to the house so no microwave cooking for me! Luckily the stove is gas so I was able to cook the nachos in there!! The frustration continued when I was trying to put the kids backpacks together and getting pretty frustrated again with the school supplies. I finally just threw everything in their bags and told them we’d just have to go to school and tell them that I don’t have a clue what I am doing! I think part of the frustration is realizing that I am going to be dropping all of my kids off at a new place with new people, in a new language tomorrow. I feel like I am abandoning them!! Alysa pulls on my heart strings the most since she is having such a hard time adjusting! I really hope that she is able to make some friends and feel comfortable! (The other kids to!!) This is also the first time that Alysa or Laina have gone to school!! (other than preschool when I was their teacher at our house!) Oh, what a horrible parent I feel like right now!! I don't know if the headaches are causing the frustrations or if the frustrations are causing the headaches. its the old problem of which came first, the egg or the chicken!
Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to write that everything went well and that all of my worries were for nothing!! And that Chris had a fabulous birthday and that everything went well for him at work!
Wish us luck!



Water out 4/16/ and 4/17.