Okay, what else does one do at 5:20 AM after he’s already spent an hour working on language and the kids are watching a movie while their mother sleeps? Here’s some initial thoughts:
I love my Treo I brought. Within about 24 hours of being here I had a cell phone b/c I brought an unlocked GSM Treo phone here. I bought a SIM card for 50 cents with about 500 minutes for $10. I was able to call, surf, email, etc. Also, I put a powerful language program on it to where I can consult my device whenever I need that missing word or cannot recognize a certain character. Very helpful.
Speaking of language, things are not as intimidating as I suspected they might be. Yes, my listening skills are extremely poor, but I can often mutter out a word or two which helps me to communicate to them. However, this is not always effective. Yesterday we went to a store that sells and installs floors for you apt. The salesman politely gave my wife and I small cup of purified hot water (on a fairly hot day). Although I’m happy to adapt to my new culture and drink such things, in this situation I was the customer and they (I suspect) would be completely happy to serve me the cold water which was right next to the hot option. After a couple minutes of shopping in this store and after drinking a little hot water, I gave the cup to my salesman and said in my new language ‘cold?’. As a result, they topped off my cup with more hot water since they realized the hot water they served had become cold. Oops.
One last note, our kids are off to a GREAT start here. Thanks so much for your thoughts. They have been taking long naps and going to bed around 7-8pm. They’re still waking up a little early, but overall they seem happy and excited to be here. We shared with some of you how the culture here loves Western kids and will often pick them up, get in their face, pinch cheeks, etc. We’ve seen some of that and by in large, our kids have (it appears) enjoyed it. Even our somewhat introverted Peter has been quick to jump into the arms of a local who might be showing us an apartment or seating us at Pizza Hut (the place we frequented last night).
That's all for now. Back to language study (or sleep?).
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
You guys crack me up! I'm already looking forward to becoming a devoted Blog fan of yours. Thank for the tips on making the leap across the pond! They are being noted in our little brains.
Post a Comment