Finding a house and school!

 

Our first priorities when we arrived were to find somewhere to live and to find a school where the kids could start studying in August.  

We wanted to make sure the apartment we decided on was close to where Noe was working and near his co-worker's house.  We also wanted it within walking distance to a health clinic in case Ella needed to go for her allergy.  We saw 5 different places and a couple of them were not serious considerations.  One especially made me laugh as it was used previously as a huge room for parties but because of COVID, the guy wanted to rent it out as an apartment.  The kicker was when we saw a room connecting to the big room and asked if that was the kitchen.  No, the owner said, that's my room!  Ummm...weird.  no. lol

We saw two that we liked but one was half the price of the other.  The more expensive one came completely furnished - which means a lot here.  Unfurnished in the states still includes a LOT of things.  Here, unfurnished means you have walls...that's pretty much it.  Oh, and sinks and toilets. TVs, fridge, stove, beds, closets...none of that stuff was in the other one.  Once we did the math, added up the cost of having to furnish it (not to mention somehow getting everything to the apartment AND then selling it when we leave), we realized the cheaper one wouldn't be that much cheaper.  So, although we feel a bit pampered for having nice accommodations, it was the most practical - and Ella said she preferred it...which helped me decide.  We've really uprooted them, so if this house makes them feel more "at home", then it's worth it.  That being said, I've included a few pics if you're interested :)  We're still waiting on a few things to be hooked up and installed, but we're basically moved in!

main bedroom.  there are 3 bedrooms and they all have the same bed/closet and a big window.

very thankful to have these in each room!!

Ella and Gemma chillin' in the living room (looking toward the front door - we are on the 3rd floor).

we couldn't believe a TV was also included!

The kitchen is tiny, but we'll manage.  There's a two burner stove not pictured.

Ella has started decorating and hung up her colored lights right away! :) 

The sidewalk in front of our house that leads to the main road, mini markets and larger outdoor market.

If you turn left out of the house, there's a little park where we can take Gemma.  Further down the road the other way is a bigger, nicer park - one of the best in the city!

The neighborhood is neat in that our entrance is on a sidewalk - not a street.  So, there are no cars/motocars or motorcycles driving by our house.  Yes, there are still dogs, and yes, we still hear people sometimes; but for the first time in weeks I woke up briefly in the middle of the night and heard silence :)  Ahhhh lol.  When you walk down our sidewalk to the main road, you can turn left and go 4 blocks to a huge, cheap outdoor market (I'll have to take my phone and take pics one time to show you all...it's NOT Roots ;) ), or you can turn right and immediately hit 3 small mini-markets.  This has been so convenient! lol.  Today, as I was making dinner, I asked Noe to run to the corner and get some potatoes :)  Took 5 minutes!  And Ella has loved being able to walk to the corner and get ice cream!  And, I do LOVE not having to drive anywhere!  I'll post some other time about transportation, but right now, as we are learning the city, we take taxis most places.

As for the school, Noe and I visited 5 schools in person.  We found out very early that calling on the phone just doesn't work!  There is one right near our house that the kids could walk to, and we considered it in our top 2 - but they are fully online right now and even if the city decides to do hybrid in August (which they are considering if the teachers can get vaccinated in July), they aren't going to return in person.  We didn't like this as we really want the kids to socialize in person, since they are learning Spanish.  It's also one of the more expensive private schools in the city.  So, the fact that it's within walking distance wouldn't matter until March - when they start school next year (their school year is march-dec).  They have a public school we tried to get them into, but they pretty much slammed the door in our face - "we're full".  The other public school nearby has 5000 or so kids and that is just too overwhelming for them and us right now.  

So, we visited a Christian School called "El Buen Pastor" (The Good Shepherd), and we were very happy with what we learned.  We forgot to take pics but here is their facebook page.  They were a lot cheaper for one - plus they give discounts to pastors!  They are hoping to start hybrid in August if the city passes it, and the building was just built so everything is brand new!  We also love the small class size.  Before the pandemic, it sounds like they were doing very well, but by the end of last year, the school had diminished to just 76 students (prek-high school).  Now, they are back up to 300 - which is great.  But it's still just one class per grade.  Ella's class has just 15 kids and Paul's has 7!  So they will get some great one on one/small group help.  We went ahead and signed them up, but we still have a few details to work out.  I believe they are going to meet their class online next week for a few days, and then officially start classes the first week in August after Peru's Independence holiday.  We are hoping that we can pay the English teacher at the school this month to tutor paul and ella for a couple hours a week to help with their Spanish.  

I will take a few weeks off now from the blog as we get into a routine and work out some details.  Please keep these few things in your prayers - figuring out healthcare, learning our way around the city, helping the kids get acclimated and settling into our new digs :) 

thanks!

Con mucho amor en Cristo, 

Laurie and the Juarez's