Chile returns to 'normal' in March

It's March, which in the Northern Hemisphere would be the equivalent of September, and means that most people have returned from their vacations, are back to work. and schools are getting started this week.  Everyone is returning to their routines, and there is a very noticeable difference in the volume of traffic and people everywhere you go.  Jimmy's work commute (which is still nothing compared to what he has while we are in Lodi) has gone from 20 minutes to about 30, and a friend told me today that she heard commute times on average will increase by forty percent in the month of March!  It takes a lot longer to get anywhere, which also means that if we take any taxis, they will be more expensive. :(

A Chilean school bus!
Amazing how small they are... Shows you that not many kids require bus services - most either walk or get dropped off.

The weather is also starting to change noticeably, and it started the day that March began.  It is much cooler at night and in the mornings, and we have actually started to close the windows at night - the first time they have been closed since January!  The cool weather is also causing the smog to compact, making it much more visible around the city.  Glad we got some good pictures of the mountains and city around us before this heavy smog started!

We are also noticing a lot more people, and some new faces that we haven't yet met, around our building and in the backyard playing.

On the right is my friend Mariel (from Buenos Aires), and her daughter in the pink, Mikaela (20 months).  Mariel is 37 weeks pregnant and having the baby boy this week... please pray for her and their family!

We're not sure if Caleb will end up getting to go back to Pipo this month (the preschool he went to in January for a week)...  We are having a hard time getting him a spot for the AM group, even at several other schools that we checked out, so we're praying about it and wondering if God is closing that door for a reason... We shall see...