La Gripe

Well, it has been an interesting month. The first week of August was vacation from school for the whole family. The second week Christian went to Lima for a church planting conference and the kids and I went back to school after three weeks off for fear of "gripe porcina", swine flu. Christian had a wonderful time in Lima getting to know some of the guys from the Mil Palmeras church and I had fun driving for the first time since we've been here. I managed to get the kids back and forth to school every day until I tried to fix the problem with the blinkers and I accidentally left the key on and drained the battery. Needless to say we took public transportation the rest of the week. The kids were in school 4 days before Gavin came home with a fever. Our house has had a fever ever since! Christian came home and one by one they dropped like flies. High fevers that lasted 3 days plagued everyone (except me. I got to be Nurse Cratchet all week). The 4 youngest returned to school Friday after spending all of week three of August sick and delirious. Christian and Gabe are still feeling a bit under the weather but are slowly improving each day.
I am studying for my drivers exam right now. It is amazing how sensible the driving code is yet how NO ONE follows it. It is crazy. Driving here is crazy. It would figure however that as I study for my drivers test I see a headline yesterday that states, "No Drivers Licenses Until 2010". They are tightening the rules and changing regulations so that me they just aren't going to give out licenses until 2010 sometime. Sounds logical to me. So that leaves so big questions. It we take the test here in Arequipa do we have to come back with the paper work to get our licenses after we've already moved to Pucallpa?? Probably because the regulations are a such . . .so do we bother doing it here? I am told it is nearly impossible to pass the driving exam in Pucallpa. People want bribes so they fail you over and over again. So many questions.
We also just found out that we have to make an unexpected visit to Lima to pick up the kids resident cards. We thought we could wait till we moved but apparently not. We have chosen the over night bus trip experience. We will go in September and managed to get the appointment we need a immigration the same weekend friends and fellow SAMers arrive for their first term in Peru. It will be fun to see them in Lima and greet them when they arrive.
So, that is the latest from this side of the equator. You are all up there getting ready for school to start and our kids just finished their winter break. Actually, the kids have one week of school left before we take them out. We have 2 months before we head to Pucallpa and we are going to work on their studies at home to get them all caught up and ready for SAM Academy. I guess that means I only have one more week of language school . . . Christian has 2 more months and then we will be done here in Arequipa.