In the first few weeks we took long walks and spent a lot of time figuring out where and how to get things that we needed for our everyday lives…

…We learned to do everything we did more slowly than usual. Shop slowly – cook slowly – eat slowly.

Everything was exciting, even the most mundane things, and we slowly settled into the new environment. We made initial contacts and learned Spanish diligently. Ida in particular needed intensive support because she started the 2nd grade without a word of Spanish. Teachers and classmates were extremely helpful. We were very fortunate to be welcomed with open arms.