Everyday life in Guyana

The last few days have been wonderful.  Sorry we haven't posted anything, we have been busy, and since we are going to be here for another 4 weeks or so we don't anticipate being able to write something new every night!  We've settled into a bit of a routine here in our new life, and the days are starting to look very similar.
Most days the kids are up by 7, at the latest.  After breakfast they are already dying to go down to the pool.  Derek will either take one of them to the local market, or we will all go as a family.  The market is about a 15 minute walk from our apartment.  It's full of fruits, vegetables, and pretty much anything else you could want from toothpaste, to bleach, to hardware supplies, to fresh fish or not so fresh chicken feet.  The vendors are very friendly and are recognizing us right away now (obviously we don't blend in well).  They offer lots of insight on how to cook certain produce there, and we don't recognize half of the different fruits and veggies there so they find it quite entertaining to inform us on what they all are.  They look at us like we are nuts that we have never heard of Eddo, Cassava, or five fingers.
The road there is extremely busy so it's a challenge taking 5 little ones to the market without getting run over by a car or a donkey.  Derek thinks I'm paranoid, but it's a stressful walk for me.
We are meeting lots of new friends here.  There is a couple from Toronto who are also adopting, a brother and sister from two different orphanages, that had never met before two days ago!  They are extremely nice, and we've had a great time getting to know them, and our kids love to play together.  Last night we were invited to a kids movie night in the home of the owner of our apartment (it is also in the building we are in).  It was a wonderful night!  He had set up a projector in his living room and all the kids watched movies, ate popcorn and drank cream soda.  Probably the last thing we expected to do in Guyana!  It was a really fun evening.  Today we had a woman over for the afternoon to visit.  She is a person who has a very special bond with Keem since he arrived at the orphanage.  We met her at the orphanage in February, and have been keeping contact with her since then.  She came bearing cupcakes and gifts for the kids, and it was obvious that Keem was thrilled she was there.  We owe a lot to her as Keem seems very well adjusted compared to many kids in the home.  "Auntie Chris" will always be part of his life.
Keem has been adjusting well to life here with us.  He has had a fever though and it's hard to tell how he is feeling or what he is feeling when he is not well.  Last night was a difficult night.  It's hard to know if he's feeling scared or overwhelmed by his new environment, or just acting like any other two year old who doesn't want to go to sleep, or isn't feeling well.  He cried for a while last night in bed and I was tired so I brought him into our room to sleep, which was not restful at all.  And perhaps we set a precedent for tonight when he promptly screamed when we put him to bed.  There is a fine line between being firm and being too firm, setting back the attachment we've gained in the last few days.  I think it's different for every case and we are learning as we go!  We've taken every course in the book on this but when you are in it, it's so case specific, it's hard to say there is only one way to do things (and none of the books we read have discussed how to put a screaming toddler to bed in a room with four other children, two of which he is sharing a bed with!).
But, they are all asleep now, and hopefully I won't be faced with that situation again in the middle of the night......
Our Canadian kids are starting to feel at home here, we can tell because they are starting to fight about things and complain about being bored.  Even though we spent most of the day lounging around the pool, it takes about 5 minutes of doing nothing and they are bored out of their minds.  Next week we plan to do a few day trips so we will keep you posted.