I have to say that last night, we reached a new low point in this adventure.  Mimi had lost Papou (her beloved bunny, without which she can't sleep or can't possibly face the horrors of school), Matthias was shining his flashlight in his eyes because he felt so sad (there must be a causal link there, even if it's not a logical one), Magdalene had piles of homework for me to do, and Simeon...  no, he alone was fine among the depressed and the despairing.  It was the loss of Papou, though, that symbolized the specific kind of misery that has been plaguing me since we've been here.  All the children (aside from Simeon, that is) are so miserable, so sad, and I have no comfort to give them.  I can't make friends for them, I can't make them feel at home in the alien culture of the schools, I can't make them into the exemplary students they are used to being in the states.  All I can do is listen to their wailings and feel helpless.  When Mimi lost Papou, all I could think was that now I couldn't even give her that tiny bit of comfort, of that soft pink animal that smells like home to her (it doesn't smell very good, though better than my kitchen which I suppose smells like home to me).  It sure is hard to just listen to your children's sadness and remember that it will pass quickly, that this really is good for them (why was that again?)

Anyway, though I worried that Mimi would not be able to sleep or go to school, she actually slept fine (better than all the nights with Papou) and was ready to go to school with a different stuffed animal (Flying Kitty, if you must know) this morning.  However, this morning, when I woke up Matthias, the first words out of his mouth after "did you find Papou?" were, "I think I know where he is."  He ran outside in his underwear and did find him, stuck between the fence and the bushes that line our courtyard. I guess shining the flashlight in his eyes didn't damage them too much.  Oh, Matthias, we are so grateful!  Even if he can't be the hero at school that he's used to being, at least he's a hero at home to us.  

It was nice, despite all I've said so far, to see that every one was so concerned for Mimi.  They all searched in the most unlikely places, and they all asked, both late at night and early in the morning whether Papou had been found, what we were going to do, etc.

Just an hour until Mimi comes home from school, I'd better go walk the dog.