4/6/09-4/8/09

Living in a foreign country for a holiday is definitely different. The emphasis for Easter is SOOOO different than in the U.S. Yes, there are things that I miss but there is so much more that I am glad not to deal with!! I have complained for so many years now on how commercialized all the holidays are. That is not the case here. I have seen ONE EASTER ITEM since we've been here!! The Easter bunny doesn't exist here and they don't have egg hunts. Luckily I did pack a few things for the kids so they don't go through complete shock!
On the flip side, they celebrate Holy Week (Semana Santa). All the schools shut down for the week. Most people have the whole week or at least part of the week off from work. From what I hear most of the shops will all be shut down Thursday through Easter. Everybody leaves to be with family or to go to the beach. We probably won't do either or those!! We'll have to see what the town is like! Our development is definitely desolate today with all of the construction workers gone!

Other things that I've noticed that I don't think I've written about are:
Here in Xela, a lot of the stores shut down every day for lunch/siesta.

A lot of the construction workers can't afford/don't have time to go home every night so they sleep in little shacks next to the houses that they are building. A lot of times they'll build a fire early in the morning.

The birds are our morning wake up system. If we're lucky they sing to us. If we're not so lucky they peck on the windows or crow until we get up and scare them away!! At least they're not pigeons!!

The only thing that seems to multiply as fast as the dust bunnies are the flies. They drive me bonkers!! It gets to the point that we have to vacuum up all the dead ones in the morning because there are so many.

It is starting to warm up finally. It's still pretty chilly in the morning but the kids have worn shorts during the day. It is also planting season. There have been workers in the fields behind us. The kids planted some seeds but we haven't seen anything yet. I might even try to plant something! The rainy season should be starting in a few weeks.

4/7/09:We switched the kids rooms around so that Cole and Laina are sharing and Alysa and Morgan are sharing. It is interesting to see the dynamics between the kids. Cole and Laina are great together. Alysa and Morgan fight like cats and dogs trying to go to sleep! They want to move back in with their old partners!! I told them they had to try it for at least 3 days before I'll consider switching them back.

The lack of safety was reenforced in us tonight. While driving home (on the curvy, unlit street), we were stopped by traffic. A policeman had his motorcycle blocking the road and was shining a flash light. (no lights or sirens!!). There were cars stopped everywhere and people all over. We were redirected to the other lane and as we drove by, we saw a body covered with a sheet. Apparently somebody got hit by a car. Just a little reminder that cars can't/won't stop for people!!

4/8: We got a keyboard last night and the kids have really enjoyed playing with it today. It has been nice for me to be able to sit down and play. It is definitely a stress reliever for me. (Except for when I can't play it right and I get frustrated!! (: ) Another great "out" for me is to exercise. We went and looked at a gym here that we might join. It has weights, cardio, and classes. They have spinning, aerobics, salsa, dance, etc. This could be fun. They advertise that they have pilates but its not on their schedule. Chris said that I should teach there but I don't know how well that would work with the language barrier!! Maybe in a few months. (: