We all woke up exhausted. It's not exactly the way you want to start off the day. Alex was up from 3:45-5:00 am because her bed kept deflating, then she couldn't fall back asleep. That meant I was up during that time as well. Brent tossed and turned all night, and the two big kids weren't accustomed to the new noises of the large apartment complex.
The kids piled in bed with us a little after seven and watched some cartoons, then I attempted to fix breakfast in our measly kitchen. I tried to make cheesy scrambled eggs with ham, but was not used to the stove getting hot as fast as it did. The eggs had a few overcooked areas, but it was enough protein to survive the morning on. We quickly got ready, and our sweet translator came by a little before 9. We had to go to the passport office to apply for Samuel's Colombian passport.
Because today is the day of Marieta's driving restriction, we had to take taxis everywhere. We only thought the taxi drivers in Medellin were nuts. These drivers put Mr. Toad's Wild Ride to shame! Brent and Alex stayed back to work and take some scheduled calls, while Lilly Grace tagged along with Marieta, Samuel and me. I was expecting an entire morning devoted to applying for his passport, but we were back within an hour.
After we returned to the apartment, Samuel and Alex practiced tracing letters on their LeapPads while Lilly Grace worked on some work recognition. I pretended it was their learning and school time, and I drank some amazing hot chocolate and enjoyed watching their little brains at work. Brent worked some more on a big presentation coming up, and I took the kids outside to play. Amazingly, the sun came out for a while and burned through the smog and clouds. It was short-lived, but was perfect timing for our time spent outside.
We then took a taxi to a mall, which turns out to be the biggest mall in Colombia. It had several American stores, tons of areas for children to play, a ginormous food court, about 7 banks, and at least 3 Dunkin Donuts that we spotted. We ate at a hamburger place, then tried to get some American money exchanged into Colombian pesos. Unfortunately, the banks didn't do this, but we pulled out some money from the ATM and it wasn't a big deal. The kids were lured by all the bright fun play areas, but considering they almost fell asleep while eating, we decided it best to head back for naps.
I got Samuel up early from his nap so he and I could go with Marieta to the doctor for his TB test. We only had to go a few miles, but bumper to bumper traffic made that short distance take about 45 minutes. We barely made it to the doctor in time. I was expecting Samuel to go ballistic at the doctor because his other trips to doctors have been extremely traumatic, including open heart surgery not too long ago. I definitely underestimated him. He was incredible and took that TB test like a champ. His bravery was well rewarded with a smiley face around the bleb from the test, a sticker on his hand, and a sucker in his mouth. I must admit, they did not perform the test in the proper location. In America, we are taught to give these tests on the soft underside of the forearm, and they gave it to him on the tough skin on the top of his arm. Obviously, I kept my mouth shut. Their kind bedside manner made up for their strange skills.
We got home and walked to dinner. Strangely, almost all of the restaurants are open only for lunch, which severely limited our options. We ended up eating at a Subway, and it was fantastic! Brent has wondered about their Subway commercials here: 7800 pesos for 15 centimeters just doesn't quite have the same ring to it as the "Five dollar foot long" jingle in American. Whatever their advertising means are, they must be successful. There are Subways everywhere, and the one where we ate was busy the entire time.
It is now almost 9:30 at night. The kids have been in bed for an hour and a half, and Alex is still whispering and playing in her bed. Maybe we shouldn't have given her that candy before bed. We are planning a fun-filled weekend since this is our last weekend in Colombia! Hopefully we will all awaken more rested and ready for a fantastic day.
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