Pocketchange

The whole money thing over here is quite different.... Not only is everything very expensive and the exchange rate horrible for the poor American dollar right now, but the fact that the one Euro and two Euro denominations are in a coin form versus being paper money really throws me! You feel like you aren't spending much at all when you just throw change around to buy something but when you realize that you actually just threw down a 2 Euro piece which is actually $2.80 for that brownie, it adds up! Yesterday, I paid to park in a public lot where you have to put coins into a machine and it prints you a ticket for a certain period of parking time. As I was walking away from the machine to put my little ticket in my car, a woman approached me and asked me a very long, drawn out question. I had no idea what she said and told her that I did not understand and she looked just devastated. I then realized that she was holding a 5 Euro bill so I then assumed that she needed change for the parking machine. I was able to communicate with her that I could help her and was able to find enough coins to trade her for her bill. She was thrilled and I was happy to help but it again made me realize that I am not treating the 1 and 2 Euro coins like "real" money because I had that $7 just neglected in the bottom of my purse because it's "just change". I would never neglect $7 in paper money! Today, everyone was healthy and went to school as they were supposed to. Quincy rode the bus home after school with a friend from school - he is to have his first sleepover tonight at Rafael's house since tomorrow is Wednesday and they don't have school. He is very excited! Hope it goes well. We had to communicate with his parents through notes because they are easier to translate than the spoken word. Especially over the phone!! It is so hard to understand over the phone! You need gestures, context and face to face to really understand when you don't speak the language. The phone is just an impossible medium right now and I hesitate to answer unless I really think it will just be Josh or one of the kids. Taba had a phone experience tonight when a friend called from school to set up some play time for tomorrow. Taba is able to communicate with this girl all day long at school with her little bit of French and Leticia's little bit of English but over the phone, it took them 15 minutes to figure out that Taba thought they were getting together tomorrow and Leticia thought they were getting together next Wednesday! Whew!!
One of my pictures from a walk today shows the tide way, way out.....