From my other blog...........

Reprinted from www.notmovingpictures.blogspot.com

Using Peruvian Coins As A Way To Happiness

Today as on most days I visited the website for Living In Peru and they had an article called "Top 10 Signs You're A Foreigner Living In Peru." Number 6 on the list was about making sure you carry sencillo on you before you leave the house. Now, don't confuse that with any illicit drugs, it's simply Peruvian coins that are more commonly used than bills are. Peruvian currency is called the Nuevo Sol and the coins come in denominations of 1, 2 and 5 soles with smaller ones called centimos that are 1, 5, 10 and 50. There are banknotes of course but for the day to day purchases in Peru it's more practical to carry and use your sencillo.

When I read the article it made me remember how quickly I got used to using the coins 2 years ago on our vacation and once we returned to Tulsa how much I missed not being able to use them. Here in America a handful of change might get you a snack or a bottle of pop. Notice I said might. In Peru a handful of coins can buy you any number of things from a taxi ride to a movie ticket to various souvenirs to a nice meal. I personally used them for these and many more purchases although at first I will admit that I treated them like American coins and didn't give them much thought. I would leave them on the dresser as if they were of no use to me, that is of course until I realized just how valuable they could be.

Life goes much more smoothly when you use the sencillo. First, with large bills there is always the issue of verifying that they are not counterfeit and then making change for them. If you use large bills then you are sure to get a lot of dirty looks. Second, you can carry the coins in your pocket and not have to worry about carrying a wallet and having to open it for all to see how much money you do or don't have. Third, it's just really cool to buy something substantial with a few coins. I can't stress that enough. Fourth, well I think it lessons the chance of someone trying to steal your money from you but that is just my opinion, I have no proof of this.

I know it's strange to get nostalgic for using coins to make purchases but then again I have been described as not being very normal before in my life. Since coins in America have so little value (soon it will be no value at all it seems) it just felt nice to be able to dig into my pocket for a few coins to pay for things. It's just not the same in America. Perhaps it reminded me of a simpler time from my youth when things didn't cost as much money and all it took for you to feel rich was to have a few coins in your hand. All I know is now I have a desire to return to Peru so that I can once again carry sencillos in my pocket and be happy. That's not too much to ask is it?

June Pictures

Here are some pictures that Connie took last week at home and at a local water park. This week the temperature has been between 93 to 96 degrees so far and to be honest if you're going to be outside a water park would be the best place to be.

Recent videos of Johnito

2 very recent videos to show you how precocious Johnito is.

By Johnito's request......more pictures

So many pictures, So little time........

As you can see in the following pictures Johnito loved the cars at the museum. So much so that he fought, screamed and cried whenever I tried to get him to go to see something else. Perhaps next time he will be able to spend more time there. As for Novalita, well she pretty much just went with the flow.

Catching up on vacation pictures

John is healthy again..............

Yesterday I took Johnito to the doctor and he said that John's blood count is normal again so that means no more infection and no more fever. He doesn't like it when they prick his finger to get blood but he does like wearing the band aid. Today he went back to pre-school and this time there was no fuss, no crying and more importantly, I didn't have to take a chance getting hurt by having to shove him back into the room. No, this time he went in and the teacher said for him to say goodbye to me which he quickly did and he started talking with another little boy in the class. That's it, nothing more. My little one is growing up. Well, before he's grown here are some more pictures from our vacation.

Update: I just picked John up from his pre-school and his teacher said that he had a very good day. When they went to the library he sat in his chair and didn't get up a single time. He paid attention to the lady reading the books and had a good time. He didn't eat very much of his lunch but I think he just needs to get used to eating there and not having someone cater to him. There he has to do it for himself. The only other thing is that he didn't tell his teacher that he had pooped and he didn't tell me until we were in my truck so he had to wait until we got home. Hopefully he disliked it so much that he will tell his teacher the next time. Other than that it was a great day.