Last few days

I won't bore you with all the mundane details from the past few days. We have had a lot of ups and downs. Jetlag stinks and when you are so tired everything seems worse. I am trying to keep a positive attitude with everything and not let things get me overwhelmed and down.

Shopping is an experience. We will be shopping at multiple places to get things, including shopping online. We do have a small store at the Embassy that carries American food, and it seems to be well stocked and carry a variety of things, but we won't be able to get everything we need there. We did go to a huge Carrefour (imagine super Target or Wal-mart with two levels), but I was so tired and overwhelmed by the time we got there that I do not have a good idea of what they carry.

Everything is more expensive here, even in the American store. You expect it on the local market, but not in the American store. I will have to figure out which things make sense to get here and what is cheaper to buy online. I don't want to spend all our money on groceries, we want to be able to afford to travel. I am finding that the more expensive items are the same items that were more expensive in Nairobi too. Things like milk and cereal.

Matt has had okay days in the office. He has a lot of paperwork that he has to do to complete his transfer here, but there is a lot of work to get going on here too. He is trying to divide his time between the two tasks, but it is not working well. He will try to complete all his paperwork for the transfer today, so he can really focus on what needs to be done here.

The kids are adjusting well, they also have moments where they love it and where they hate it. They have loved finding new parks and walking to explore, which is great because it means we are getting exercise and getting out. They miss their friends and family, but we did meet a family yesterday and that really made the kids day. It's a lady who has four kids, ages five 1/2 and younger, but the kids were happy to have someone to play with and they got along great with the kids. She also home schools, so a common bond already. We are looking forward to getting to know her family better.

The kids love running and sliding on the marble floors, they love their rooms, they love having a balcony.

We went to Ikea on Tuesday and they picked out small rugs for their rooms, just small things to make it feel more like home to them. I am thankful we packed Legos in the suitcase, they have had a blast playing with them.

Cooking is hard, we don't have very many dishes, just what was in the welcome kit, no cookie sheet (baking sheet), we do have pots and pans and a loaf pan. I am having to be creative with the food stuff I have been able to get, with how I cook it.

Laundry is going to be something I will need to keep up with. We have a European sized washer and dryer, so much smaller loads than we are used to. I did laundry all day yesterday and I was very proud of myself for getting it all done in one day. It truly felt like a major accomplishment. It was interesting learning how to use the machines, but I am thankful the directions are in English because the words on the machine are not.

Elijah and I are adjusted to the time, I woke up at 6 this morning (bummer) and he woke up at 6:30. I am still having to wake Kayla up, but I imagine another day or two and she will be set.

I have not figured out transportation yet, I don't have the number for a taxi, we are about two miles from the metro, we just walk where we plan to go. Thankfully Matt has a work car so we are able to go places in the evening and weekends. We are aloud in the car, but I am not aloud to drive it.

It seems like I am forgetting something, but I can always write more later.