So yesterday we entered a new phase of our lives here…Jeff starting work! He was a little nervous but mostly excited to get started and settled in his office. He got all dressed in his suit (picture below), which will now be his daily wardrobe. Everyone he met was so friendly and welcoming, and there are also a few other folks on assignment from the US and one from South Africa. He got his new laptop, office badge, got a tour around the office and the cafeteria, and started to learn about what some of his work will be.

For us, it was a little strange not to be with him all day! By lunch time, Isaac was asking “is it almost time for daddy to get home?” He has been off work for almost 7 weeks, and we have all been together pretty much all day everyday, so it’s a big shift. I’m sure we will get used to it soon and get into our routine and rhythm here. It’s also a little strange because I don’t have a local phone yet, which I need to get soon! So while Jeff and I are used to texting and being in contact throughout the day via cell phone, we can’t really do that yet.

Today I also checked out a baby/toddler playgroup with Rafi. It’s held every Monday in a hall near our house and moms gather with their kiddos for them to play and the moms to chat. All kinds of toys to explore — ride on toys, slides, cars, etc. It’s kind of like the playrooms at the community centers in Seattle, which we frequent a lot. They even had tea and coffee and snacks for everyone and toward the end a guy comes and does music with the kids (we had to leave early so didn’t get to stay for that, but next time hopefully).

I felt a little shy because there seemed to be groups of moms who knew each other, but I think if I keep going back I will meet people and start to get more comfortable. I did talk to one mom who was very friendly — she had an 18 month old and a newborn and she’s on maternity leave from her job as a flight attendant for Aer Lingus. I was asking how long her leave is and she said 6 months paid and then 4 months unpaid but job guaranteed! So a whole year! So different from the US!

Rafi had a blast crawling around and playing with all the toys and kids. In Seattle I hadn’t really had a chance to do many activities with him…typical second child, he mostly just got carted around to various play dates with Isaac 🙂 So it’ll be fun to do some things here with Rafi while Isaac is in school in the mornings, and it should be a good way to meet people too!!