Meanwhile, Mimi tried to figure out if last night was all a dream, or if she really is staying in a house with five other kids, lots of pool time, and dramatically relaxed food rules.
When her parents didn't block the Nutella pancakes that Tere brought her, she slowly started to realize that this was really happening.
Yes, you read that right. In El Salvador, the norm (at this social tier) is for nannies to spend the night. So not only do you get someone to watch your kids while you go out, they're still there to help with breakfast while the ibuprofen kicks in.
We had actually spent quite a while last night talking about the politics of domestic help. It's a complex issue. Certain elements definitely make us uncomfortable (social stratification, someone else is always in your house, etc), but clearly we weren't uncomfortable enough to decline. Plus, it's a major economic driver for the city. That said, navigating these issues can be done well, and it can be done poorly. Cicely told us that some families require that their staff wear uniforms, and some don't even allow their staff to sit at the same table or use the same dishes as the rest of the family. It recalls the Netflix movie Roma, and Cicely said that the movie was either loved or hated by the embassy staff that watched it. I suspect that it's probably because the issues explored in the film hit a little too close to home.
Ironically--and horrifyingly--a misunderstanding resulted in Tere sleeping on a chair in Cicely and Donyel's servant's quarters. Since they really just use that room as an indoor storage shed, Cicely had made up a bed for Tere in a room upstairs. But Tere was so used to sub-optimal hospitality that she just assumed the chair in storage was for her. Thankfully, Cicely quickly realized what was going on and made sure that Tere knew that she had her own room in the house. But it was a very illuminating insight into the world of domestic help.
But our plan for the day was not to solve socioeconomic inequality. It was to solve a hedge maze.
Cicely booked an embassy van to take us up into the farming region of El Salvador, about two hours outside of San Salvador. One of the bigger attractions in the area is a huge maze that meanders through eight foot high Cypress trees. The morning started out as a fun jaunt through some beautiful scenery, but ended as a hot, humid race to get out before someone lost a child.
Aimee and I were at a distinct advantage to have half the amount of ambulatory children as our friends did. With a lot of redirection, we could typically keep Mimi pinned in between the two of us.
If Mimi would have realized that she was small enough to climb through the bushes, this post would be quite different. But we made it out, children and all!
Our reward was yet another incredible meal; this one at a charming villa a few minutes away from the Cypress maze.
And in El Salvador, even fancy steakhouses are remarkably family friendly. It took about ten seconds for our daughter to spot the playground. She could care less how long the meat was smoked over the fire before it was served.
Although Mimi did have a religious experience when both her parents and the Virgin Mary allowed her to have a full glass of juice before lunch.
And then it was right back out to the playground. But I don't blame her, in addition to the playground (and some of the best food I've ever eaten), the restaurant had a clubhouse, small animal farm, botanical garden, and a four piece marimba band. It's amazing that any of us sat down long enough to eat.
Before we made the drive back to town, we stopped at a charming little market in the town of Ataco. Mimi learned how to drive on a rented motor bike while the grownups shopped for coffee and housewares.
I'd like to blame the weight that I was carrying as to why I look so much more exhausted than Aimee does. But there are maybe three ounces separating Mimi's weight from Quinn's. I swear he's only seven months.
And in a photo that could not be any more emblematic of fatherhood, I look confused as to why I keep getting whapped on the head with a wooden spoon, and Donyel looks confused as to why he keeps having to take his wallet out.
This was our most ambitious travel day of the trip, and it didn't make sense to break off from the group for nap time. So Mimi slept in the van on the way home, and did a remarkably good job keeping up her post-nap friends. The only time she showed her exhaustion was when she bumped her foot while running around the house after we get back. Normally, an injury like this would hardly be noticed, but there were quite a few tears with that one.
But never fear, Carter was there to bandage up Mimi's foot with a paper towel. And if that wasn't enough, she then read a book to distract Mimi from her injuries.
I know. The reason that there are no adults in this photo is because we all had melted into puddles on the living room floor.
And speaking of puddles, bathtubs aren't really a thing in Central America. So Quinn had his first sink bath since turning a few weeks old.
His water displacement has increased quite a bit since then. Eureka.
