Success!

The first day of school was a resounding success!

Both boys loved their classes. They even have last period spanish together. The both purchased empandas for lunch. Alex said nobody showed him what to do, but a teacher was there and she showed him how to buy an empanda. So he got one. Andrew's student liaison showed them how to do the lunch line. (Andrew's liaison was a Junior, Alex's is just a Freshman) Andrew bought a Coke and ham/cheese empanda. Alex opted for the all queso version.

They both came home after school, pulled out their sack lunches and ate every bit of it. So perhaps one empanda isn't quite enough to last them all day. They then pulled out their pesos and we tried to figure out how much money they spent. We had to wait for dad to get home to verify... It was about $2USD for the empanda and $1 for the Coke. The boys eat lunch together, so today Andrew will show Alex how to work the lunch line.

They both essentially have the same schedule, with different versions of each class. They both will take: PE, Math, Social Studies, Science, Language, Spanish, Choir and at their new school the Computer class is required. They have an "A" day and "B" day schedule, so only 4 classes per day. Today they will meet the other half of their teachers. Their schedule will rotate within that A-B schedule:

Day A: Classes- A, B, C, D

Day B: Classes- E, F, G, H

Day A: Classes- B, C, D, A

Day B: Classes- F, G, H, E

Day A: Classes- C, D, A, B

...and so on. We were told that this is to allow students to hit their "optimal learning time" in each class during each set of rotations. Sounds just plain confusing to me.

Yesterday Andrew had PE first thing. He said the gym was FREEZING! There are only about 3 girls in his PE class, he was bummed, but he really likes the teacher. They will rotate through sessions of swimming, archery, volleyball, touch ruby, and many others that I can't remember. His Choir class was next and they will be doing more than just singing at his level. There will be other areas of choral covered like composition. He is super excited about that. They are finishing construction on the new Liberal Arts building and they should be in their new classroom in a month or two. He loved his math teacher - she was hot... (eye roll) He wasn't thrilled with his spanish class, but he's not a fan of learning a new language. He liked being in class with his brother for the last period. He says he's just going to sleep and let Alex do his work for him. Silly boys!

Alex had a great day as well. He was excited to be one of 3 boys in both of the Choir and PE classes. He has the "lady" PE teacher so he's not sure about that. He hasn't had a lady since grade school. He talked about his math teacher who is "only like 26" and won Jr. Miss America! Apparently, she's hot too... BOYS! He liked the spanish teacher and came home with just a little bit of homework.

Both boys had to print out an article for spanish class about a White Tiger that was just shot in Santiago. Their task was to find out why. Apparently, he was mauling a zoo worker. Alex had the added assignment from his math teacher to write her a letter about himself. Easy peasy stuff for the first day.

We've talked about how important it will be to do homework the day it is assigned and not wait because you have "until Wednesday" to turn it in. This A-B schedule can leave you with a sense of 'we've got plenty of time' if you're not careful.

I am also officially the Wicked Witch of the South because I have instilled a NO GAMING policy during school days (including Friday). The overall rule will be no gaming allowed. However, if they come home, work on their work, study as I see fit, and get things completed, I may decide that they have put in enough effort to sufficiently earn time to play games. Between soccer, swimming, spanish lessons, church and school. I think their time will be more limited than they think. Besides, they've played non-stop for the past 6 weeks. That should hold them over for a little while.

I can't wait to see how day 2 goes :)

We made it to school!

There is a ton of excitement and angst on the first day of school every year. Lots of emotions. Kids are excited, so they didn't sleep overly well the night before. They are super sleepy because 6:20am wake up times haven't happened in a long while. They are anxious for the unknown things that are about to come. And really, Mom and Dad have those same feelings. Multiply that times 1,000 when starting a new school in another country.

I have talked to the kids numerous times, both individually and together, about their feelings on starting the new school year. They are both ready. Not a lot of nerves. Andrew is most nervous about the work load that he will be expected to carry. It will be significantly more than he is used to. 2-3 hours a night on average. Alex is pretty zen about the entire thing. Are you nervous? No. Excited? Ehh... This morning he was talking a hundred miles an hour - I think maybe he was just a little excited. :)

Greg was most nervous about me taking the kids to school alone. He carpooled with Jose Raul to work in hopes that he would be able to drive our new (used) car home today. They are changing the oil and replacing the battery, as well as working out the paper work for us.

Greg double checked that I had house keys. He wanted me to take the extra set "just in case". He made sure I had my purse, my cell phone, the GPS, the house keys (again). He was a little ridiculous. He made sure I knew how to disarm the alarm... You get the idea.

We finally got out of the house, about 5 minutes later than I had hoped, (Andrew is not a fast mover in the mornings) and we headed off to school. I missed one turn, but quickly recovered. When we got about 1/2 mile from the school, the traffic line started. There are two lanes curving up the side of the mountain ending at the school. Every single one of these cars were going to Nido. They have around 1,500 kids in all three schools and almost every one of those students were driven to school today. At the same exact time. It was crazy! All I could think was: Holy Cow! How will I ever make it up the side of this mountain - it is like a 45 degree angle - in this traffic driving a manual transmission! Oh man! I am going to have to practice like crazy and leave MUCH earlier!

I got the kids off safe and sound. They didn't want me to park and walk them in (insert sad face). I headed back home and disarmed the alarm like a big girl. The only concern that I have at this point is that the alarm company hasn't called. It's been like 45 minutes. Oh well. No carbaneros - no problem, right?

Alex being all handsome as a freshman (9th grade):

Andrew ready to take on his junior year (11th grade):

I love those boys more than I can even begin to express. I am so proud of the men that they are becoming, the choices that they are making, and the flexibility and courage that they have shown throughout this adventure here in Chile. They are strong young men and I look forward to seeing what this new school year will bring!

Lights Out!

Today ended up being quite eventful.

We started our day with church as usual. We met several of the gringo families that are back from holiday in the states. It was nice to hear a few more english voices.

Another great family in the ward invited us over for dinner. Abe & Laura Smith are great people. They have 3 little kids. Their oldest starts kindergarten tomorrow, so it was really nice for them to have us over on such a busy day. It is so much fun getting to know all these new people!

In preparation for the first day of school tomorrow, I made a batch of brownies. (I make tons of brownies. They are very forgiving of my wacky oven.) I plan to send cash and a packed lunch until the kids decide what they want to do. Hopefully having options will ease their transition.

While making these brownies, I had a load of clothes in the dryer. Apparently all of someone's cool shirts were dirty...

Backing up just a minute; while comiserating about crappy ovens with the Smith's during dinner, they talked about how they constantly blow fuses.

Apparently, every house is allowed 10Mhz of power. Thus the small ovens and minimal lighting. We've not had that problem before.

Fast forward 2 hours and you find me standing in a pitch black kitchen with half-baked brownies in the oven and wet clothes in the dryer. Fuse blown...

We had a little trouble getting it back on. There is a fuse box in the house, but that didn't help. We finally located the main switch outside. While we were at it we located both the water and gas shutoff valves to the house. You know, in case a major earthquake or something happens.

I also had my first experience actually speaking to the alarm company today. I have mentioned before that they call each time the alarm is disabled to verify that you were the one who disarmed it. Greg left from the Smith's home directly to a church meeting with Abe. This means I would need to drive the kids home to our armed home and deactivate the system all alone.

I nailed it! It is a pretty big deal. Greg wanted a play-by-play when he got home. It is cute how proud he is of me when I accomplish even these simple tasks. I am sure he is envisioning on more responsibility dropping from his plate... Sweet, sweet man.

It can't wait until Monday!

I typically catch up on the weekend happenings on Mondays, when things are a little slower around here - but today's recap JUST CAN'T WAIT!

First: Check this out!

Yes, we found Dr. Pepper and A&W Root Beer! Root beer floats tonight! Check out our $7 worth of soda. It goes for about $1 a can (USD).

It was an exciting day. No we don't have the car yet, but they are getting the paperwork and some minor maintenance (new battery, oil change) done for us and we should have it Monday or Tuesday at the latest. I've since seen a few Goetz around town. They are quite popular. Probably due to their size, low gas consumption (we get about $10 per liter in Greg's little truck) and reasonable price. Apparently the body and interior are super nice - all good news. It's not my "dream car" by any means, but I am looking at it as a prolonged rental. We should be able to sell it for what we paid for it in a year from now since cars retain their value very well down here. Anyway, back to my story...

Today was new family orientation at the high school. It was awesome. The kids broke off and did team building, so that when they get to school on Monday morning for the first day, they'll actually feel like they KNOW someone. What a great way to help them transition.

The parents were carted off to another area where the PTO gave us the 'run down' of what to expect: When to really be there to drop your kids off to avoid the crazy 1st day rush. How much money to send for lunches - which by the way, they recommend $3.000 Chilean Pesos a day! That's like $6.00 USD! A DAY! HOLY COW! Multiply that times 2 kids = $12 a day, times 5 days a week = $60 bucks! For SCHOOL lunches? What are they making these kids Filet Mignon? Needless to say, we'll be utilizing those many microwaves that they have around the lunch area to allow the kids to warm up their packed lunches.

We also purchased the required PE uniforms and a hoodie for each kid for a total of about $200 USD in clothing. Add to that the refurbished graphing calculator we bought for $110 USD and we rounded out our day just over $300 USD. Not bad for 4 hours :) [I shouldn't really be surprised. The initial payment to the school for various new student enrollment fees, etc was $20,000 USD. No, I didn't type that wrong. $20 thousand dollars...]

We really did have a great time. The parents are all in the same boat. All have arrived within the last month - some as recent as Thursday of this week. Most are awaiting the arrival of their belongings via ship which takes 2-3 months. I really feel like we made the right decision going with a furnished place. We only had to bring our clothes and a few essentials and we were right at home straightaway.

We met parents from all over the world. Many from across the US, some from the Netherlands, South Africa, Australia, Canada, Europe, Mexico, etc. etc. I met several women how were already networking and gathering names and emails of people they met. I learned that almost all of the international families arrive with only 1 parent being allowed to work - the one who's job initiated the transfer. The other spouse may have had a job in their previous home and often find themselves lost upon arrival here in their new role as "home parent". I am truly blessed in that this is NOT a transition that I have to make. I'm used to being the "home parent" and rather enjoy the position. But as a help for these lost parents, the school has multiple opportunities for involvement.

There is a tour group that meets twice a month. Once to chat, have coffee and plan their next trip; and then again to make that trip. Typically they are day trips and everyone is back in time to get the kids. I LOVE THAT! Signing up for that for sure!

There is a Spanish class that is offered by 2 qualified Spanish language teachers. For only $100 USD a month, you get two 1.5 hour classes a week. I will probably sign up for that to supplement what I am learning in my private class and to meet new people.

This is just the beginning. I signed up for book fair and school store. There are so many opportunities to be involved and around english speakers. What a relief!

This day was supposed to be about the kids - but it ended up being a day that made mom/dad feel welcome. This school truly does care about the family. They understand that a happy family that supports the school is a family that fosters a hard-working productive student. I love everything about that!

Buying A Car!

Greg is buying me a new car as we speak!!! (a new used one) So exciting! It is a 2007 Hyundai Getz that a friend of his from work is selling. I've never really seen a Hyndai Getz, but it has 4 doors and is small - so it fits our needs here in Chile. It is NOT an automatic - so hopefully driving a stick-shift is like riding a bike. It's been years (and we live on the side of a mountain), but the majority of the cars here are manual transmissions, so while in Chile...

So super exciting! I need a car to get the kids back and forth from school and to be involved with any volunteer opportunities that come my way. There is a group here that meets and volunteers at a local orphanage and I am excited to find out all about these different opportunities. When I get my own car, I can even go to the store by myself (well, when I am comfortable enough with my spanish). It's happening! I'm immersing myself!

Ready or not Chile - here I come!

Names en Espanol

There are so many average, everyday things that are different here. For example, yesterday during our Spanish class, the teacher was talking to us about names. ***I learned that "Yo me llamo Tammy". Pretty advanced stuff...

I learned that people here have two last names. For example; my son Andrew's name would be: Andrew Schick Robinson. He would have his given name, his father's last name then my father's last name. When women get married, they do not take on their husband's name at all. They also only go by their father's last name, even though their mother's name is listed there as well. So Andrew would be called, Andrew Schick, but when writing his name or signing something legal, he would add the Robinson to the end. There is always a spot for two last names. No big deal - except when you are trying to figure out who is who.

I meet someone at church for example. The woman tells me her name. At a later time, I might meet her husband, who tells me his name. Without them matching up - I have NO idea who goes with who. It just makes things even more confusing for me.

I also learned that here in Chile, instead of introducing your wife as "me esposa", men will commonly say, "me mujer" meaning 'my woman'. Showing ownership. This cracks me up. It it a contradiction. The women are showing no connection to the man by not even using his last name, but will allow that same man to tell people that she is "his". It isn't as literal as it sounds, but funny none-the-less.

I also learned that days of the week and month names do not have to be capitalized. I find this stuff so interesting!

I love that this teacher is teaching me Chilean. I enjoy learning the language and the differences between it and other spanish countries.

I was taught a ton of stuff yesterday - but not sure exactly how much of that I actually LEARNED. She told me that in the beginning it will seem like a lot of information and that I won't understand it all, but that's ok. It will come.

Good. I'm right on track.

Things I do know:

My home address and phone number in spanish. *Woot-Woot*

The all important, "Mas despacio, pro favor." Meaning, slower please.

Also, "Lo siento" I'm sorry. Which is awesome because I can add that to my "No hablo espanol" and get a polite little, I'm sorry, I don't speak spanish. AWESOME!

Yeah, I'm rockin' this whole spanish thing. Until I sit down with a spanish speaker - and realize how little I know. Whatever, baby steps in the right direction...

Working with the oven

Yes my oven is lame. It gets up to temperature (or close to it) and then shuts off, drops 50+ degrees and then starts working it's way back up. This doesn't really work for baking.

We had the oven guy out last week (you read about my breakdown following that adventure). He told us it is working fine. Well, it does work fine if you pull it out of the cabinet and sit it on the floor. Greg thinks that the internal coupling (I think that is what he said) is overheating and causing it to shut off.

So until we can figure out a permeant solution. This is how we're working with it:

Please notice a few things:

-The strip of wood at the top of the oven is off, allowing the heat to escape better.

-There is a flashlight on the counter that we use to peak through the window of the oven and watch the thermometer that we have sitting on the shelf. This keeps us from having to open the oven door and lose that precious heat.

-The fan is standing in the middle of my kitchen (it's a very small space). It is absolutely in my way no matter where I need to go.

-The folded rag on the counter that we use as a hot pad (because we don't have one).

-You also can't see it, but the cord runs across my only working counter space and plugs into the wall. Thus making my work space unusable while the oven is going.

Yeah! The things we will do to feed the missionaries a few brownies...