Realizing we have been here almost a month now, I think I should tell you more about the city which we inhabit. It is growing on us in some ways, and driving us crazy in other ways. Today I was hit hard with the air pressure and smog, have been having a hard time catching a full breath and feeling so weak. Jesse has not felt normal the whole time we have been here. If only the buses were not running on diesel, it would make such a difference! We have seen quite a few hybrid cars, and a few taxis, which is hopeful.
We do like the parks and mountains around the city. The park near us which we walk through every day to and from spanish school has fantastic playground equipment and on the weekends is packed with families, vendors and all kinds of games and activities. The boys like the go-carts you can rent for half an hour to cruise around the paths through the park. There is a mini-zipline which they fly on every morning.
Spanish is going well and getting more challenging as we get into grammar. We have been using it more and more every day as we try to communicate with shopkeepers and taxi drivers. I am finding I can speak way more with the children and the care providers at the daycare, but still wish I was able to understand more, especially when people speak so fast. I listened to a story the teacher was telling the kids and figured out it was little red riding hood, so that was kind of cool. I bought some simple board books for the ninos and they help me to learn some vocabulary.
The weather has been really annoying, as it is much colder than we had expected. Also, every day around 2 or 3pm a thundershower rolls in, which has caused for many soccer practices to be cancelled! Some days there is not a key to let Jesse and the kids into the field, which is another source of complaint in the family. All in all, there is a lack of order or sense to many things here, which has been a huge adjustment for our kids (and Jesse) who are used to things working well at home.
The boys made it to a local soccer game this weekend, which was neat for them, while Ella and I took an overnight bus to the coast for some sun! We went with a group from the spanish schools, so it was a sleepless weekend, but we enjoyed some heat and swimming in the warm ocean. Next weekend we are trying to get to the jungle, in the beginning of the amazon, to see animals! Then only one more week and we head to the Galapagos, and then to Guatemala.
Photos here: our British roommates Kim and Dave before they left, underwater silly faces, Ella and Lukas in Mindo, and Jesse and Taj in front of the bus to Mindo (in reverse order, I see they have posted..)
We do like the parks and mountains around the city. The park near us which we walk through every day to and from spanish school has fantastic playground equipment and on the weekends is packed with families, vendors and all kinds of games and activities. The boys like the go-carts you can rent for half an hour to cruise around the paths through the park. There is a mini-zipline which they fly on every morning.
Spanish is going well and getting more challenging as we get into grammar. We have been using it more and more every day as we try to communicate with shopkeepers and taxi drivers. I am finding I can speak way more with the children and the care providers at the daycare, but still wish I was able to understand more, especially when people speak so fast. I listened to a story the teacher was telling the kids and figured out it was little red riding hood, so that was kind of cool. I bought some simple board books for the ninos and they help me to learn some vocabulary.
The weather has been really annoying, as it is much colder than we had expected. Also, every day around 2 or 3pm a thundershower rolls in, which has caused for many soccer practices to be cancelled! Some days there is not a key to let Jesse and the kids into the field, which is another source of complaint in the family. All in all, there is a lack of order or sense to many things here, which has been a huge adjustment for our kids (and Jesse) who are used to things working well at home.
The boys made it to a local soccer game this weekend, which was neat for them, while Ella and I took an overnight bus to the coast for some sun! We went with a group from the spanish schools, so it was a sleepless weekend, but we enjoyed some heat and swimming in the warm ocean. Next weekend we are trying to get to the jungle, in the beginning of the amazon, to see animals! Then only one more week and we head to the Galapagos, and then to Guatemala.
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