Cross-Posting from LiveJournal, 13 August 2014: Day 3 - late

Yesterday was a very long and exhausting day. It began with pouring rain, that lasted through to three o'clock, casting a literal pall over proceedings. ADC had to return to Social Security with his birth certificate (two passports are not sufficient identification), but things there went smoothly, and we spent the morning playing card games. While ADC was busy, the children and I devised chore lists. A is very eager to mow the lawn, while S was happy to be in charge of changing the rubbish bins in the bedrooms and bathrooms once a week.

We then attempted unsuccessfully to go to a comics shop, which - in retrospect - had decided not to open that day, getting thoroughly soaked in the process, and continued to the school interview. That really turned out to be a fool's errand that day, as it turned out that our landlady has not changed the registration of the house as her primary residence, and without that, we cannot claim to live there and therefore the children cannot be registered for school. We were able to get a new appointment for Monday, the day before we go off to Vermont, and hopefully the landlady will get her act together in time. We also have to take the children to have a TB test, but that is much more easily solved - pharmacies here do everything, it appears.

We went to restore our souls with retail therapy: we now all have phones: ADC still has a stupid phone, S has an LG Optimus, I have a Galaxy Light and A has a Galaxy 5s. He will text my siblings to thank them - we have free international texting, but not talking. We than continued to an even bigger Giant store than previously and stocked up on basics. We made our cashier's day, I should think. By the time we got home it was after six, and the children immediately sank into their new phones. We ate pasta in tomato sauce made by ADC, a long-anticipated event, and then A washed up the plates, cups and cutlery (each boy is going to wash up twice a week - let them practice on plastic). 

Today should be a much better day: not only is the sun shining, but we are going to the Smithsonian. ADC can't wait to start work, and the rest of us are looking forward to the museum.