Thus it Begins

Hey, we made it!  We are 9374 miles away from Chicago, and that, folks, is pretty much the opposite side of the world, and the opposite half of the equator.  That may explain why we are completely screwed up .....where are we, what time is it, which way is north?!  Went to bed Saturday night and finally fell asleep at 4am, got up at noon....and that's an improvement over Friday night into Saturday.



This is what it looks like to pack for 6 people to
move overseas. Organized Chaos.

I am so exhausted but I know if I go to bed now, I won't sleep.  Hoping for midnight, since tomorrow we have to be up by 9 and head to the embassy to take care of some details, get cash, meet people, etc.


Our travel could not have gone smoother.  There was no running through airports to get to the gate on time, no lost luggage, no sick children, no delays.  Charles de Gaulle airport did not even break me this time - no tears!!  The overnight flight from Chicago to Paris is taxing, especially if, like me, you do not sleep on planes.  I tried alcohol, I tried drugs, no use.

Natalie and Olivia and our mountain of luggage

Waiting for our flight

Once in Paris we collected our ten suitcases (we also had ten carry-ons) and stashed them at an airport storage place for some hideous price-per-bag, but who cares?  We were rid of them for 24 hours. We spent the rest of the day and night at the airport Hilton, which was all luxurious and full of business travelers, so we tried to keep a low profile. Got to go swimming, and I even convinced Aaron that room service was our only dinner option, since the hotel restaurant was too fancy and all we had were sweats, yoga pants and hoodies. 

Awesome airport view from our hotel in Paris!

I was kind of dreading the 10 hour flight to Antananarivo. But it was a daytime trip, and our 400+ fellow passengers were cheery and easy-going.  Between movies, iPods, books and lots of food service (thank you Air France!!) it did not seem so bad.

In Paris for only a day but....Nick and I had
to have a Croque Monsieur



Nick demonstrates how you can charge your
ipod in-flight (!) on this lovely new Boeing 777
Plus there was a great selection of movies and TV
shows to keep us entertained...I love when everyone
gets their own screen

So, first impressions....it is impossible not to compare it to our last post, which I did not exactly like HATED at first. This place seems far less depressing, more colorful, and the weather is GORGEOUS.  It's winter here, but that means 60s-70s during the day and 40s-50s at night. To me, that's perfect.  In the morning we open all the sliding doors (we have 4 balconies!) and eat breakfast outside. Heaven.

This is the playground outside our building!  Aaron and Alex were
playing soccer while Liv and Natalie made new friends

Our house is a large,two-story apartment within a gated community. It is brand new and very Euro-looking.  Really beautiful.  I still can't get over it!  I will post pictures soon.  The kids really like it, especially the fact that other American kids live in the same building, and there is a playground and soccer pitch right outside the front door.  Because it's in this safe area, they will be able to ride scooters and bikes freely without worrying about traffic. 

The fact that Aaron was here for 9 months before we arrived is making the transition 100% easier than usual. He had the house all set up and the food stocked. He knows people and how to get places. Yesterday he drove us around, showed us the embassy, the school and our pretty-impressive-for-a-third-world-country grocery store. We've already met a few of his friends, and ate at a decent restaurant.  My only complaints so far are the horrifying traffic (not a whole lotta roads here) and the fact that my hardwood floors are so slippery. (boohoo for me, right?)

I am so happy to be all together again, and to be in this lovely place. Bring on the next two years, Madagascar, I'M HERE!!  Just let me get over this jetlag first......

We tried out our first Tana restaurant where Nick ordered the
"Big Burger," which he said should be called the "Big Bun with
a little meat and stuff somewhere in the center"  Where's the beef??