A Week of Firsts

So as I noted in the initial entry, I committed to Candace that I would make an entry weekly. Just to show how committed I am to the blog, I had a papercut on my right index finger last weekend and STILL followed through with my commitment. I am so awesome. The above picture is on an old dilapidated pier overlooking the Rio de la Plata, about six blocks from our house. Absent the garbage, dead fish (low tide), and crappy sidewalks, it was very picturesque. When I said, "Hey, let's take a picture," Candace replied, "C'mon, kids, let's sit on this broken bench." It worked for us. On a more clear day, we can see along the coastline all the way down to downtown BA.

This has been an exciting week in the Los Mouritsen household. As you all know, our children all grow so quickly and our move did nothing to slow that down. In preparation for the big move, we spent a lot of time investigating the school situation as Lily is 5 and was set to begin kindergarten whether it was going to be in Colorado or Argentina. Then we were wondering what to do with Claire for pre-school. We felt comfortable about the American/International School that is located in the suburb that we live in, Martinez, from the beginning. It is accredited in the United States and has 90 minutes of daily Spanish instruction for the kindergarten. We knew of a few families who sent their kids there and were very happy. Well, on Tuesday we went for the orientation and Lily started school there on Wednesday. So far, it is a fantastic school that is used to both a transient and international population. I believe there are over 60 countries represented at the school. Lily is happy as a clam with her teacher, Miss Sonia, and comes home each day with a smile and can't wait to tell us about her new friends (whether she can pronounce the names or not).

For Claire, we decided we had a few less options. As our educational expenses are covered from K-12, Claire would be attending a 4-year old pre-school program on our own dime. The cost of said program at the American school was too hefty, and we thought she could really benefit from a local experience. So Claire was enrolled in a local Argentine pre-school called Florence Nightingale. We knew of one other American kid that went there from the local ward, and were ecstatic that Claire and the other girl became instant (and I mean, INSTANT) BFFs. The absolutely adore each other and are so excited to see and play with each other six days a week (including church). We get along great with the whole family and they are wonderful people who have provided many vital services for us as we continue to wait for our things (like rides, a few meals, activity ideas, and letting our kids play with their toys).

The 1st day that both girls were gone, Sam wandered around the house following Candace all day wondering what the heck was going on. School has also increased the number of our nightly tasks, to include school lunches. The American school is great, but the meals are gourmet, with a matching price. So PBJs it will be.

Another first this week (that we actually did twice) was that we got a babysitter and went out. One of the wonderful families that welcomed us to town was heading out and invited us to their farewell/birthday dinner at a great Uruguayan restaurant. What, you might ask, is the difference between an Argentine and Uruguayan restaurant? Location, location, location. The beef was excellent, the empanadas were superb, and we had a great time. We took Caroline with us, but left the rest with a babysitter. The funniest part of the night was when it came time for dessert, the birthday boy saw a dessert called "dulce de leche con banana". You would think that it would be a designer combination with a beautiful presentation. Well, it wasn't. It was a plate with a few spoonfuls of dulce de leche next to a recently peeled banana. There was certainly no trickeration in that menu item. We laughed and laughed about that one.

Then on Saturday, we got a babysitter and left all four kids (Caroline is 3 months old, after all) and went to a highly recommended restaurant in Martinez. It was very very good. Made better by the fact that Candace's eating habits have certainly evolved since we got married. In 2000, she was a chicken-loving, red-meat avoiding carnivore. Over the years, however, she has moved from the occasional hamburger to eschewing chicken for steaks. She ordered steak both times out this week. I am so proud. AND she loved both of them. This is going to be a great 3 years.

On a side note, Sam has even gotten into the spirit. We had some thinly cut steaks for dinner tonight and all we heard from him was, "mo' steak, mo' steak."

After the restaurant, we went to see Eclipse. I think it came out right when we were departing Colorado and there was no way we could fit it in. Here is your lesson in Argentine culture. Fact #1: If you try to go to dinner at 7pm, very very few restaurants will be open as they all open at 8. Fact #2: If you go to dinner at 8pm, you'll be the only ones in the restaurant and it will be rocking by the time you leave at 9:30.

We caught a 10:35pm showing of Eclipse and had heard about the late night shenanigans at the mall and finally saw it first hand. Upon arrival, there were about 100 people in line waiting to buy tickets and the food court at the mall was absolutely jam-packed. The mall closed at 10, mind you, but it was still the place to be. After our movie, there was another showing that started about 1:30 am. When we left the movie, this is what we saw (at 12:45 am):

Crazy. It wasn't just the local riff raff, rather it was families with small kids, teens, and older folks. It was just the place to be. All the places in the food court had lines and we just couldn't believe it. We compared it to the late night movies we saw while living in Orem, Utah and departing at about 12pm. Orem would be a ghost town. That is not the case here. In fact, the family that recommended the 21-year old babysitter we used said that the babysitter didn't mind when the families stayed out until 1 or 2, because she would just go home to go out with her friends anyway. On another positive note, even with our babysitter's newly raised rates, we paid 20 pesos/hour. I'm no good at math, but with a 3.9 peso to dollar exchange rate, I think we did all right.

On the home front, I know I touched on the carpet thing a week or two ago, but it is so funny everybody forms habits that are very difficult to break. As a missionary in Buenos Aires, I never walked around the 'pench' in bare feet. We all had the cheap-o sandals you can buy for $2 at Target. Well, I had some of those sandals and brought them with me. Guess who the only one in the family who never walks around with nothing on his feet? Yep. I can't get over that. They are kept right next to the bed. Candace teases me for it, but it's just the way I learned to walk in BA.

We had another breakthrough in getting our house all set up. DirecTV Puerto Rico has a deal for folks serving overseas allowing them to provide service with English channels. We got our receiver last week and I finally had a chance to get it installed. After blowing up a borrowed TV (stinking 220 V outlets... I'll get it figured out soon enough, hopefully before I blow up anything of mine), we got it hooked up and can now enjoy many (but not all) of our best English channels. A little slice of home.

We will hit a month in country on Thursday of the coming week. I am personally so pleased at how well we have done as a whole family. Our kids are adjusting exceptionally well and don't seem affected by the move in the least. Candace is getting into a groove (even without the Kitchen Aid) about how to keep the house functioning, and she has said more than once how comfortable she is here. Music to my ears. Things will only improve with the maid starting at our house this week and our first shipment scheduled to arrive (TOYS! and CLOTHES!) in the coming days. We will get up and running and will look forward to welcoming any and all who wish to stop in for a visit.