Yes, it is cold

So my Facebook comrades have been commenting on the severe cold in the past few weeks in the US. I would then relish (a little) in posting about the "cold" here. It actually has been cold for here, even colder than normal, getting down to 50 here in Teguc, and even colder in the Western part of the country. 50 does not sound super cold to those suffering with 0, but one must remember, here there is no or little escape from those temps, because there is no/little insulation, and when it is 50 outside, it is perhaps 60 inside. Case in point, here is Soren dressed for the opening of classes. The gloves might be overkill...but he wore them all morning, and there were many others with similar outfits in the sanctuary.


Here are Soren and Cecilia yesterday dressed for their first day of school. To give a little depth, Valerie gets up at 5:30 to get everything started, and the kids in their uniforms (everything down to the black belt and what color hair clips is strictly enforced) to be out the door no later than 6:40, to get to school before 7:00 start time. After the first two weeks of breaking in the schedule, Cecilia's exit time will be 12:15, Soren's 11:30 (he will wait and play until Cecilia gets out for us to pick them up.) Soren is in pre-k (not required, but for some reason, we are motivated for him to get a good education, go figure) and Cecilia starting 1st grade.

Both Soren and Cecilia's classes have maybe 20 kids (I think less, but did not get an official count.) It is very interesting to watch the brother/sister dynamic between the two, plus see how they interact with people there...so far, it is not difficult to see the differences between them. Cecilia knows everyone, talks to everyone, runs to hug everyone. Soren...just goes to his room. That might change as Soren gets more comfortable They are definitely individuals...and yet somehow they also remind me of my personality extremes at times.

In other news, Valerie's foot is not getting better. It is painful enough to make her quasi-scream, and makes driving (clutch foot is the bad foot) a very painful experience. We briefly discussed a few months ago that we would need to think about replacing the Musso eventually...but are not exactly in a position to start looking for an automatic equipped vehicle right away. Her new shoes and foot wrap help to a minor extent, but if she walks any amount, the pain the next day is overwhelming. Working in the clinic is bad, not not as bad, but this pretty much means doing anything else is out of the question. So we pray for guidance as she struggles to see what options she has to hopefully reduce the pain, and be able to get back to a more normal life schedule.