Alright. I’m on the front end of my third week here and I’m starting to feel more settled. We were able to take some time to go shopping yesterday to begin to replenish my lack of wardrobe from the missing suitcase incident….

…and I thought I hated shopping in the states. It was one of the most stressful experiences I’ve had since I’ve been here. There are at least 1000 workers for every customer who walks through the door (or so it seems) and they all know exactly what you need (or so they think). I made it out with 2 purchases (for the price of one… I am my mother’s daughter) and a headache. Maybe I’ll brave the madness again, or maybe my minimalist dreams will become a reality and I’ll stick with the 3 outfits I have now.

We started meeting with our language tutor on Friday. The first couple of lessons were pretty discouraging but today I felt like I picked up much more than in previous lessons. A few more and I should be fluent… J

I’m starting to get used to the spicy food they eat here. We haven’t been too brave with the spice yet, but I’m sure we’ll work our way up that ladder.

We got to spend a day with our home stay family last week and it was delightful. They are a young couple with a 4 year old daughter who just might be THE cutest Asian child I’ve ever seen in real life. Her English name is YoYo. I know that Papa prepared our way into this family’s home. I’m sure I will learn so much from them.

On Friday we went with our supervisor’s family and our new friend Stacey to Caribbean Water Park. We had such a great time. It was so good to get to spend time and unwind with our new friends and the kids had a blast. AND, Stacey and I made it into the background of CQ TV segment. A day well spent.

One of my favorite things about our city is the fact that there is ALWAYS something going on outside. In the evenings you can walk outside through the square and find older women and men ballroom dancing, kids taking rollerblading lessons, gymnasts performing their routines, badminton games, and much more. I love that people are outdoors and spending time with each other.

Okay, that is enough for now…

Thanks for reading and thanks for continuing to lift us up as we’re getting settled in a new place.

Anna