We made it!

What a whirlwind the last few days have been!

Miami:  We felt spoiled as can be in Miami.  It began with a very warm greeting at the airport from the director and high school principal followed by relaxation at the beach and a fantastic Lebanese dinner with all the new teachers.  The next day was followed by more of the same along with a two hour "orientation" which was mostly a straightforward discussion about what we will experience in Cali.  We just continue to be impressed with the staff of the school, their warmheartedness, down-to-earthiness, and respect for teachers and the work they do.  It's incredibly encouraging.  Also, you can feel the energy from the new teachers.  They're motivated, determined, and passionate about what they do.  It's inspiring.  We ended our time in Miami with a lively ride to the airport.  Aaron and I rode in different cars, and his car got a flat tire on the way (which apparently he heroically patched) and managed to make it in time for our flight.  

Cali:  We arrived in Cali around 10pm on Saturday, so our first impression was shaped by the glimmering lights in the distance floating above the horizon, the calm"ish" traffic, and the cool night breeze.  Perhaps the greatest surprise has been the amazing weather.  After coming from Miami where you felt like you had jumped in a pool every time you walked outside, Cali feels like paradise.  Cool enough for a long-sleeve in the morning and evening but warm (okay, hot) in the day without sweltering humidity.  The warmth is usually accompanied by a nice afternoon breeze, too.  Cali is at 3, 327 feet and has a beautiful mountain range to the west which blocks the humidity from the Pacific coast.  When we toured the city on Sunday, we also noticed that people are incredibly active here!  The parks were filled with people walking, running, and playing soccer.  Also, there are tons of cyclists, and they even block off multiple busy streets every Sunday to only cyclists, walkers, runners, and rollerbladers.  Awesome!

We have spent the past 3 days house hunting.  It has been quite the adventure touring the barrios (neighborhoods) and trying to decide on a place to live without really knowing much at all about the areas.  However, by the third day I was recognizing landmarks and was able to orient myself much more.  After 3 days, we finally found a place we really love.  There was a bit of a hiccup on the second day when we found another fantastic apartment and had to draw straws because another two people loved it as well (which is just another part of the adventure!).  We lost the drawing and had to keep looking, but we are really happy with the one we found.  It has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, fantastic mountain/city views from every room, walk-in closet in master bedroom with own bathroom, open and airy, pool and community grilling/bar outside area, and it's only 20 minutes from school. The complex is gated, has its own guard, and is near restaurants and parks.  It's more space than we've ever had and are really excited about having extra rooms for when people visit!  Here's a sneak peek:

This is the very open living room area that has a built in desk area to the left.

The view from the kitchen to the pool area.

The view from the living room window. 

Tomorrow we will tour the school and meet with principals, Thursday we'll go shopping for our apartments, and Friday we will move in!  We're definitely ready to be settled.  I'll post more pictures of the apartment when our boxes get here and we're fully moved in.  Also, stay tuned for our own version of House Hunters International in Cali. :)