Happy 13th, Eden!

We have been here for a week now and are already feeling more comfortable in our new suroundings. We still have a lot to learn about culture and language, I find that the formalities are the hardest part. For example, if someone askes, " How are you?" You answer, "Bien, y tu?" (good, and you?) for children or if you know them. If you don't know them well, you use the formal "you" which is, "Bien, y usted?" Which makes a big difference here; I get weird looks every time I mess that one up! So far everyone has been very gracious while we are learning.
As I mentioned earlier, Steve is getting good at driving in Guatemala. I have driven a few times in the evening when the traffic is lighter and I think I will attempt a daytime drive soon. The trick is to be aggresive. I don't think you'd ever get anywhere if you wait for a break in traffic. You really have to just get your nose out there and make people let you in! It helps that we are driving a big van because the biggest vehicle has the right of way. "Motos" are everywhere. A moto is anything from a scooter to a dirtbike ridden by youth and even whole families cramed on one bike! There is a large section of parking at the mall designated to motos. It doesn't look very safe to me; they weave in and out of traffic, driving in the middle of the road or on the shoulder, depending on where there is room. I have to admit, though there is obvious danger, I'd like to try it someday.
The night time noise is a little harder to get used to. The street dogs bark all night long and there are often car alarms going off. We haven't experienced any theft yet; Our house, like all Guatemalan houses, has a wall with razor wire around it. Only the poorest shacks aren't walled in with double locking gates. Every door on our house has a locking mechanism so that it is very easy to get locked out. The other night, Laine and I were at Naomi's house and when we got home we found poor Steve waiting on the balcony to get let back in. He had put the cat outside then double locked the back door. After that he had gone out the front door to let the dogs out of their kennel. The front door locked behind him and since he had just gotten out of the shower and was wearing only his towel, he didn't have his keys in his pocket! He climbed up the metal bars on the windows to the top floor to try to wake Jalen up to let him in, but no use; All our kids are deep sleepers. Luckily he had the dog's blanket to keep him warm and we arrived home only 20 minutes later! We all feel pretty safe knowing how hard it would be to break in, I'd say nearly impossible.
Tomorrow is Eden's 13th Birthday! We are taking all the kids from the orphanage along with the Nannies and going to a public pool for a birthday party, complete with piniatas. We will also celebrate Jalen's 8th birthday, it is on April 2nd. This will be a special trip for the kids from the orphanange because they can't afford to hire a driver to take them out except to church, so most of them haven't ever gone to a pool. Steve will have to take several trips in the van to get us all there, but it will be well worth it!
I'd better get some sleep because it will take a lot of energy to keep up with my 5 and the 11 kids from the orphanage at the pool!