I thought I would take a minute to explain about two things that we’ve been grappling with the past few days that are somewhat related: the apartment we are staying in and the girls’ homeschooling.

First, I’ll start with the apartment. I think I mentioned in a previous post that the apartment is less than ideal. It’s quite dingy which just leaves you feeling dirty all the time. The first day we didn’t realize there was a functioning air conditioning in each of the bedrooms so we made do with ceiling fans that did not do much to combat the extreme humidity. Also, the living area is dark and has no air conditioning, so it’s not a place where we want to spend much time. Also, the house assistant often comes over and just sits around in the living room, playing games on his phone. I think he’s there to answer any questions we may have but it feels a bit intrusive. That said, he is helpful! He sent our clothes out to get washed and told us where to get a SIM card, where to go to the ATM and a few other helpful tips. It’s just not something we are used to! Whenever we have stayed anywhere else, we have just texted the host with questions or for tips. All that to say, the apartment is not exactly the relaxing oasis we were hoping it would be! The exact opposite, I would say.

That brings us to homeschooling. Another reason I chose this apartment was the large dining room table that I thought would be great for school. Which we tried out yesterday, but because of all those things mentioned above, it was a struggle to be motivated and to stay on task. The girls did well and got through a couple of hours of work but it was obvious that the situation was not ideal.

our first attempt at homeschooling, in the apartment

When we were wandering around the market area that’s a less than 5 minute ride away, we had noticed a Starbucks. So yesterday afternoon (after we had Pizza Hut again) we walked in to check it out. It had tables and plenty of space and seemed as though could work as a classroom for us. That planted a seed on our heads. But first we needed to head to a mall we had driven past in hopes that they could fix my laptop (which the night before had decided to die). So we got in another Uber and made our way over. We spotted a few fun things on our way! And then arrived at the mall which could have bee anywhere in American, complete with a PF Changs, Apple Store and movie theater. The girls had so much fun wandering around, and we were able to figure out that my laptop just needs a new battery. They ordered one and it should be ready to go early next week. Thank god! We got home late and exhausted but happy to have figured a few things out.

This morning we loaded up all our electronics and notebooks and went to “school” aka Starbucks. And the learning went much better today! I think the fact that we got dressed and out of the house helped, especially since this dirty, dark, hot house was the house we got out of. 🙂 We got a couple of hours of work done with plenty of (overpriced) treats to keep the kids going. Our plan for the next couple of days is much of the same except that tomorrow, Luisa will go to the Waldorf School while the others do their homeschooling. I did have to get our traditional “First Day of School” photo, especially since yesterday I only got Hannah’s and Olivia’s photos.

And we are learning to embrace the fun of the Tuk Tuk! You definitely feel the chaos of the culture more than when you are cocooned in a car, but it is a pretty neat experience and faster than the cars because of the way they weave in and out of traffic. I have to say, even though the streets are complete chaos and I would never ever want to drive here, I always feel completely safe. It is an organized chaos that I don’t know the rules to but trust the drivers do.