Sharon: Seven Days and Counting

School uniforms. Who would have thought I'd ever send my kid to a school where he had to wear a uniform? Khalida told me to buy the shorts here because all they sell at the school Liam'll be going to are 100% polyester. Poor kids; it's not exactly the fabric of choice for jungle weather (90 degrees with 90% humidity). But do a quick search for boys' uniform shorts online and you'll find a whole lot of khaki and navy, but you know what you won't find? Forest green. And it's not a particularly fashionable color these days, either, so don't bother looking in Target, or Old Navy, or even the mall.

I found one place online that was selling them for a slightly reasonable $9 (+$6 shipping...ugh), so I ordered one pair, figuring if the ones they sell in Cobano are even more expensive, at least he'd have something to start with. But when they I arrived I could see that unless Liam suddenly gains 10 pounds, I have to take them in at the waist. I've thought about my options--a belt, binder clips, staples--and have finally resigned myself to pulling out the ol' sewing machine and trying to do it the semi-legitimate way. I'll add it to the long to-do list I have for the week.

In running through the worst-case scenarios for the trip, one thing that comes up is Liam hating school. We talk about it with him all the time (especially the part about how it'll all be in Spanish), and he says he's game for it. But if he changes his mind when he actually gets there, we'll be in a pickle. He spends his whole day here either playing piano or listening to the CD player, and he won't have either of those things in CR. Someone told us about a roll-up piano, and considering how much time he spends on the ivories here, we were briefly tempted to buy one for the trip. But then the carefree backpacker that still lives in me got wind of that idea, and threw a fit, and we're heading off with prayers that school and the nanny (Lady...yes, that's her given name) will keep him occupied instead.

In packing news (because I know you're on the edge of your seat waiting to see if we're going to be able to fit our luggage in our Honda Civic to get to the airport), I filled our enormous suitcase 3/4 full with the stuff for Khalida. At least we'll have plenty of room for Salsa Lizano and coffee on the way home. I specifically waited until this week to email Emilia with the definitive dates of our trip, so at least I've saved myself toting a suitcase full of Estee Lauder night creams. But there are three, 2+-inch-thick hardcovers I want to take with me, and I've decided I can only take one (and one other on my iPod). So Harry Potter is going to have to stay home. Don't spoil it, people!

- SL