Where we are now...

So we’re still at the Bronte… The food isn’t terrible. The people are friendly. It’s not too busy, big or formal…as family friendly as a hotel without a playground can be. But Miles got sick. There is a virus going around, I hear now. At first I thought he’d been sun-poisoned. I let them play at the pool from breakfast to lunch without sunscreen. My excuse? 20 kg per bag…there was so little we could bring with us, so much to sort through…and the kids’ bathroom was the very last to get packed. One can’t travel with a bunch of heavy bottles of liquid that will likely explode everywhere. One buys toiletries when one arrives…if one remember… Anyway, would a kid really vomit and not eat for 2 days because of too much sun? He wasn’t even burnt that badly.

Meanwhile, paradise awaits…

With the tropical gardens just outside our room, the colorful birds, cheap beer, wireless connection (!)…being holed up in the hotel isn’t too bad. We even got a large basket full of stuffed animals and toys left behind by Rob and Nadia’s girls. The trunk of xmas gifts has dwindled as we’ve doled out bits here and there to help them through the transition, but there’s probably just enough to make xmas morning seem special.

That said, xmas has not been on our minds at all. What’s on my mind are the following:

• Moving out of the hotel and into the house so that the housekeeper who lives there can watch the children so that I can practice driving on the left side of the road without the kids in the car.
• Monitoring the status of our shipment (from Amman) and helping, when possible, to get it released from customs…in tact (cross your fingers for us).
• Getting my own phone.
• House-hunting
• Seeing the Chisipite house to figure out what we need at minimum to stay there until we find our permanent house.
• Shopping for the things we need for the Chisipite house.
• Finding out where to shop.
• Finding a nursery school for Eliza to start in mid-January when Miles starts KG.
• Decide on some places…or place?...for the family to check out during the xmas holidays while d's office is closed for 2 weeks and the kids are out of school for 3!…overnight trip to the mountains? Wildlife reserve? Victoria Falls?