Arrival--Part 2 OR "The worst thing in the world is to try to sleep and not to." F. Scott Fitzgerald

Long story short, we arrived four hours late (around midnight). By the time we got through customs, put our bags through security again, and picked up our luggage off the carousel (we only left one bag at the airport--haha), and waited for the hotel to send enough taxis for our luggage and us, we arrived to the hotel around 3 AM.
Here’s where the jetlag set in. The kids were WIRED! All of them. It was like someone had given them a hit of speed. Understandably, their bodies were telling them it was 6 PM. But, I forced them into bed to try and establish our “normal” routine.
The first day wasn’t too bad, other than a little fatigue. But, that first night. Wow. I had about 90 minutes of sleep. Between Jack teething (forgot to mention he was teething during the flight as well), and three children who couldn’t sleep, had various excuses for getting out of bed, etc., it was a rough night.
After a couple more days, though, the kids went to bed at 8 and slept through the night. During the day, we were kept busy with sightseeing, visiting our new apartment, and settling into a new city.
Setting up a new household I definitely took for granted. In the States, I took for granted how easy this would be. Sure, you buy everything. But, that means everything. From appliances to furniture, down to minor things like curtain rods, towels, and toiletries. Not a task that can be achieved quickly nor easily.
Shopping here. Hmmm, I’ve heard it described at worst as the seventh level of Hell and at best, over stimulating. And depending on the time of day, it can be anywhere in between. I quickly learned to go to the hypermarkets (super centers) before three. A couple times, we made the mistake of being there after 5, and it was all I could do to hold onto the shopping cart to keep from being run over. It’s pandemonium. Since then, I’ve discovered the best way to shop is to go before noon and to wear sunglasses inside. Initially, I thought people wore sunglasses for sun protection. No, no. It’s to protect the eyes from the 4000W light bulbs that are used in the stores. I plan on taking people to Lulu’s and Carrefour as a tourist spot.