My Baby! :)

We had our first prenantal check up this morning, and it was so exciting!

Our Pastor and his wife had recommended this particular doctor to us (they are currently under his care for their pregnancy). At their suggestion, they accompanied us in order to present us to the doctor as friends that they recommended him to, which was really nice of them to take the time to do. It also helped us with the practicalities of figuring out where we were going the 1st time, etc.

It was a pretty straight forward appointment overall, with him asking some basic questions and laying down the law as far as my diet and activity levels are concerned. He is really friendly and likeable, and you really get the sense he knows what he is doing. The only downside is that he talks kind of fast, so I couldn´t always keep up with him (as in, my Spanish isn´t quite good enough...). I think I will be able to in another month or 2, but in the meantime, thankfully have this great husband who will be accompanying me, and who pretty much knows all my answers anyways :) And he even explains to me afterwards anything I missed.

But the exciting part was the ultrasound! What a gift of technology, allowing us a glimpse at God´s miraculous creation of a new little person inside of me! It was very clear, and both FB and I could easily identify the head, hands, feet, etc, even before the Dr explained. The Dr also showed us the beating heart and developing brain, and said taking size and everything into account, all appears to be coming along normally and healthy. The size of the baby was right on track, giving a predicted due date within 3 days of what the Dr had said based on the calendar.

Speaking of the baby´s size, he or she is 3.12 cm long from head to rump, which happens to be the length of the upper 2/3 of my pinky finger. I keep looking down at my finger and picturing the little baby I saw moving around this morning. So amazing.

We both walked out of there several feet above the ground, I think. And we have stayed in a slightly dazed state all day.

I think seing the baby like that was especially good for my husband, as he was just expressing the other day that he kind of wishes the baby were born already, because he feels so unconnected or far removed from the baby right now. I don´t think he feels quite that way anymore :)

So, all is well and developing right on track. Next month we´ll have some basic lab work done so the Dr can check my levels of whatever is doctors check. In the meantime, he made some suggestions to help with the congestion and nauseaness. And I am supposed to cut way back on carbs, salt, and junk food and up my intake of fruits, veggies, water, etc. Sounds basic, I know, but was reassuring to me as such dietary onversation are much more rare here.

Odor Update and A Doctor

Well, I am so glad I blogged about the bathroom smell. I should have gotten to it sooner! Although the smell is not yet gone, I do believe we now understand the problem and are on our way to fixing it (well, having someone fix it). As a couple of people commented, we believe it is a sewage smell creeping back up into the house. As a dear and very knowledgable man from my church back in Rochester emailed me, it is probably that we have a problem with the trap in that drain, whose very job it is to prevent the sewage smell from entering the house. I am thrilled that the end is in sight!

In other news, we made my first prenatal appointment today! I am very excited! We will be going on Tuesday morning at 10, to the same Dr our Pastor and his wife use. The best part is, this Dr is apparently very good, and provides care much more like what Americans would expect (not that anyone said it quite that way to me, but I´ve been told many times here prenatal checks consist of feeling the woman´s belly and sending her on her way. Whereas this Dr cares about things like vitamins and iron levels and weight gain). And the fun part is that he does an ultrasound every single month, and sends you home with the picture! So in just a few days I might get to see my baby for the 1st time!

Other than that, the most interesting thing I can share is that overall, weather here has been hitting highs of least upper 60s, if not mid 80s. Apparently, this weather is unusual and early, and things that normally don´t bloom or bud till almost May are already out. Part of me can hardly believe this is February, the other part has almost forgotten what a Rochester winter looks like!

Oh, and in answer to a question from Inkling in the comments a few days back, I have had no problems whatsoever receiving packages so far. I have had delivered to my door one smallish and one fairly large package with not a word said to me about customs or duty or any such thing. (Both senders had marked ´gift´on the customs declaration) I was both very excited and very grateful, not having been sure ahead of time how that would work out.

Miraculous solution, anyone??

Ok, so a little while back, we had a drainage issue in our upstairs bathroom, off our bedroom (you now know the extent of my 2nd floor). The shower got completely clogged up, and there was water standing in the shower stall for several days until the man our landlord hired finally arrived to fix it. Soon after the fix-it man drained out all the water, an absolutely terrible odor developed. WE assumed something left over from the standing water was the cause. Within the first few days of this odor developing, I cleaned the shower with my all-purpose lemon scented disinfectant. Each time, it seemed better, but by the end of the day, the odor was obviously making a comeback. So we bought a small bottle of chlorinated bleach. I used that all up by cleaning the shower a total of 4 times over a couple of days, varying the intensity of the solutions I used and the amount of time I left it before rinsing (the last time, I used ir straight out of the bottle.) EAch time, it seemed better, but by the next morning, the ordor had returned. I need some new approaches here.

The trouble is that the smell is absolutely awful for my pregnant nose and stomach. So it may very well be that is just needs someone to take the time to scrub really thoroughly with the bleach, but I don´t think I can stand to be in there that long. And my husband is never home long enough to tackle such a job (literally - it would mean not sleeping or something). Those unavoidable-because-I-am-pregnant middle of the night bathroom runs? I first cover my nose with a tissue, clamp it closed, and take a deep breath all before entering the bathroom, then get out as quick as I can and don´t unclamp my nose until I am several feet away from the closed door. Last night, I made my husband switch places with me - I usually sleep on the side closer to the bathroom, but was sure I could smell it from bed.

But I feel like 2 rounds of disinfectant and 4 rounds of bleach should have killed anything. I don´t want to even consider the whole long period of serious scrubbing unless I have a fool-proof method in hand.

So, anyone have a miraculous solution for me??

Tidbits

This post is a random collection of thoughts and observations I have been wanting to share...

They are building a new section to our relatively new neighborhood behind our house. I think it much have something to do with being made in the image of our Creator that makes it so very interesting to watch the process of something being built. I often watch from my upstairs window for a few minutes, and usually check daily on how much progress has been made.

I am not thrilled about having houses put in behind us, as it will feel much more closed in, but I am grateful that my bedroom window will look out at the little bit of space between houses instead right into someone else´s bedroom window. And I am grateful that there are no houses right across from us. I think they will someday turn the open patch of dirt into a park.

I´m looking forward to reaching the benchmark of 2nd trimester in about another month... the nauseasness and tiredness are getting old, and I am hopeful that some of that will ease as the 1st trimester ends.

Any worries I had about filling my day as a homemaker disappeared with the onset of pregnancy. I am lucky to keep up with the basics these days.

I´m realizing that I have a lot of fear attached to doing anything outside of my comfort zone - which includes kind of a lot of things, sometimes. I´d appreciate prayer to be released from this. I know it is natural to be nervous, etc, about new things, but in a situation where I am often confronted by new things are something outside my comfort zone (I´ve moved to another country, for goodness sake!), this whole fear issue can be a bit debilatating.

Although still being asked to work harder and do more, my beloved husband received some rare praise last night for a job well done in recent weeks. For this, I am grateful. And for the fact that he might actually get home by 8 tonight, instead of 9 or later.

Of course, last night was also when we thought we´d be getting news about the level of insurance coverage his company will provide for my prenatal/birth care, but instead found out his boss forgot to take the marriage certificate to HR in Monterrey last week. Supposedly he took it today; we now have to wait up to another week.

It is interesting the little things you learn about a person when you live with them. For example, my husband religiously checks expiration dates when making a purchase and/or consuming something we have had for a while. On the other hand, though, I´ve seen him eat fruit or homemade items well past the date I would have considered them edible.

I know there was more, but I am afraid pregnancy brain strikes again! It´s all mush now, and I can´t for the life of me think what else there was. I´ll be so annoyed later when the things I have been wanted to share with someone suddenly pop back into my head. Oh well.

How I am feeling, Prayer requests

How I am feeling is a question I seem to get from everyone I talk to, so I thought some of my readers may be wondering as well.

I am pretty much mildly nauseas most of the time, although some days are better than others. I have yet to throw up at all, and usually can eat something, although often not just anything. I keep saltine crackers, water, and hard candies on me at all times, any of which seem to help when I get too uncomfortable. I try to eat a little something every few hours. I also learned this week that it is important to eat a little something in the evening, especially if I am at all hungry. I tried to ignore feeling hungry as we were just settling in to fall asleep the other night... and felt absolutely awful the next morning. I won't do that again!

I am also very tired. If I didn't keep reading on pregnancy websites and hearing from people who have been pregnant that being really tired is normal at this point, I would feel a little ridiculous. Although I rarely actually take 3 naps a day, I almost always want one every morning, every afternoon, and every evening. I usually let myself have one longer one, and sometimes one other quick one. Of course, 'longer' can mean anything from 40 min to 2 hours, depending on how I feel on a given day!

This quote was in the weekly email I am getting from Baby Center...
"I'm seven weeks pregnant, and I'm having every symptom in the book — from morning sickness to sore breasts. Is it possible to feel huge already?" — Janean

I laughed when I read this, because although my clothes basically still fit an all, I do feel a lot bigger already. And I have quite a few of the basic symptoms as well. But overall, I am not complaining. I am not throwing up, and for that I often give thanks.

Oh, the other thing I am experiencing is a lot of congestion, which apparently can be a pregnancy related symptom. This I would appreciate prayer for, as it is wearing on me. Plus, then I have trouble beathing at night, which makes it harder for both of us to sleep. And, congestion related coughing engages my gag reflex, which is the when I come closest to really losing it. All in all, I am ready to be done with the congestion.

Speaking of prayer requests, my big one is for my beloved's job situation. He is frustrated by the tediousness of the work, and by his supervisor's style of leadership...which includes up to 4 calls in a day reminding him to work hard and get everything done. And the salary just isn't sufficient. It already wasn't, and now we have a baby on the way. Not to mention things like me needing maternity clothes, prenatal vists, etc. I was going to blog a while back, but never got that far, how in early January, they were told 'positive changes' were coming to the comapany, which would lighten the workload and possibly raise salaries. These changes are supposedly coming in February or March. But so far nothing else has been said. So, we are praying for either really good changes to come quickly, or a new job to open up. The trick is, while working, he doesn't have a lot of time for job hunting...so it has to be the Lord.

We had a major car repair recently, which I think just added the pressure on my beloved. He has taken to saying almost daily, sometimes multiple times a day how he needs a new job. Then last night, he asked me if I think he's a bad person, like lazy or something, because he doesn't want this job anymore. Poor guy. He's working his tail off, getting hounded by his boss like he isn't, and getting paid next to nothing for it....and he feels bad that he doesn't like his job!

God has always been faithful to provide for me in the past, so there is a part of me that is sure He will this time too. Then there is that human part of me that struggles every blasted time to have faith. Anyways, I know He will be faithful to provide again, I just would like prayer that the doors open soon, and that we recognize them when they do.

Well, I think I'll leave it at that for now. I really am trying to blog more consistently, but of course lately I have too easily allowed myself to sucked into reading pregnancy pages! But my desire is to get better. So, maybe I will!

Can´t say I didn´t warn you!

I mean, I don´t know what I was thinking. It like runs in the family after all. For some reason, I was thinking of generic statistics and timelines more than what I know to be true for our family. Silly of me. That is, what I am trying to say is....





I´M PREGNANT!!





When we realized that our chosen form of birth control was not going to work for us, we did consider (and even try) a few other options. But none of them felt right. Although we had planned on waiting maybe 6 months or a little more, we ended up feeling like we needed to just give the reins over to the Lord right off the bat.

And although my beloved husband was pretty sure from the moment we stopped using birth control that I would end up pregnant, I really didn´t think I would. Not right off the bat anyways. Don´t get me wrong - I loved the idea of getting pregnant, and any nervousness I had pre-wedding about getting pregnant right away disappeared on the wedding day. I just figured it could take a few months.

But then my normally very timely period didn´t arrive. That day was when it finally sunk in for me that it was a very real possibility. Because I was sick (congestion, very sore throat) and got to the Dr. about 20 minutes too late, I took an over the counter pregnancy test when I was only a day late. Neither of us had slept well due to my sickness (my sore throat kept waking me up, and my congestion kept waking him up), but I didn´t want to take anything I shouldn´t if I was actually pregnant. The test gave us a very, very faint positive result. We were thrilled!

The next day we did make it to the Dr. He gave me a pregnancy test, although just another over the counter type, and it came up negative. He took his test result very seriously, and had little to nothing to say about the positive result fro the night before. I figured there was a good chance it was just because it was so early still, but it did throw us off a little.

Several days later, still no period, and having felt naseous everyday, we were sure enough that we started telling parents what we were thinking.

Finally, this past Thursday, a friend from church (also our landlady), a blood lab analyzer by profession, came over with all the equipment to do the bloodwork in my living room. Is that crazy or what? Sitting on my living room couch, she took my blood, spun it to separate it, and did the pregnancy test. In her words, now there was no doubts.

We´ll get to the Dr to begin prenatal care as soon as we finish up my paperwork to be married/live here. (The other Dr we went to is just for walk-in consults. Not necessarily long-term prenatal care.) Hopefully we´ll wrap all that up in the next couple of days.

According to the handy-dandy computer calculators, I am due September 30th.

Well, for some of you, this is how we communicate, so I figured this was the best way to tell you. Others of you will hear from family, etc, but I thought you might like to hear the story from me :)

Because I owe you one...

I just realized how much time has already gone by since that last post. It has almost been 2 weeks! I had no idea! Time is really flying by me.

I have had all kinds of great post ideas floating around in my head, but never have the time and/or mental energy to really pull one together. So I haven´t written anything. Instead, I am going to give you a few blurbs of the ideas that have been rumbling around in my head, and maybe some day in the future I will expound on anything I feel like gets cheated by doing it this way.

I wrote a while back about the independent streak in American culture vs. the community orientation of Mexican culture. What follows are some of the things I have been noticing that play out of that difference.

For example, in America, we get tons of junk mail and correspondence from companies we are affliated with (ie banks, credit cards, car, etc). This is the primary form of communication from advertisers and companies that want to keep us informed of our standing with them. Here in Mexico, people go door to door. This is in part because the mail system is so unreliable, but it really plays a part in the different sense of community. Salespeople, creditors, even the government - they all come to your door if they need or want to make contact with you. And if you are not home, it is perfectly acceptable to explain the purpose of your visit to a neighbor and ask them to make the contact for you. Can you imagine the average American´s response to a creditor or government official explaining their problems to a neighbor?

Although there is now what I would definetly consider a mall here in Saltillo, and many large plazas, in general you go about shopping in a very different way. When you want to, ´go shopping´, you go downtown and walk the streets wandering in and out of little shops. If you just need to grab something, you walk to the nearby appropriate shop in your neighborhood. For example, if you need a notebook or a map, you go to the nearnest ´papeleria´(paper shop). If you need a gift, or the fixings to wrap a gift, find the nearest shop labeled ´regalos´(gifts). Oh, and don´t bother buying whole rolls of paper for a single gift - there is no place in the house to store it anyways. Just buy a sheet or 2 for about a quarter.

In America, we generally chant the mantra that beggars and panhandlers are just trying to get another fix of drugs or alcohol (so don´t give them any money). Here it is understood that you are not so far above the person asking and it is very hard to find work, especially if you have any type of disability. A large percentage of the population freely gives out their pocket change to everyone from the person sitting on the sidewalk to the person somehow performing entertainment in the street in hopes of donations to the deaf person that walks door to door with a paper explaining her plight. Homemade food being sold door to door is also easily bought up.

Well, enough cultural comparisons for the moment. I have to get going. But I´ll try to write again sooner this time!

A Cultural Observation and A True Wifely Rollercoaster

Ok, so let me preface this by saying that in no way am I attempting to put myself down or put myself on some type of pedastal....this is purely a cultural observation and something I am trying to adjust to. I consider myself to have a pretty healthy self-image, all things considered, so dont worry about that in reading the following.

In America, as in, all of my life up until now, I was not what one would consider stand-out pretty. I think, normally, you have to be blond, extra tall or thin, or bronzed skined to garner extra attention from the male species. (Excuse all my broad generalizations, please) I have long been average height and weight, very white, and decidely brown-haired. Nothing that attracted a whole lot of obvious attention in public.

Here, however, I automatically stand out because I am American. And you can see in my sidebar picture just how much whiter I am than people here. In Rochester, there is a pretty diverse cross-section of many nationalities. Here, it is pretty much completely, uniformly, Mexicans. I am very different. (I am also very thankful for brown hair so I can at least blend in a little bit!) I draw attention. I mean this in the most innocent of ways as well as the not so innocent of ways. I am pretty sure that I am remembered by my 2nd visit of any of the little shops, cybers, or even the supermarket I frequent. I am memorable. But also, when I walk by myself somewhere (which I do somewhat regularly since I do not have my own car and happen to like walking), men on the streets are staring at me....and occassionally vocalizing their attention.

Being recognized in the places I frequent is something I appreciate. It makes unfamiliar places and things feel comfortable and safe faster, especially since it makes for that many less people I have to worry about understanding the fact that I am not yet fluent in Spanish.

Being whistled or stared at is something I do not like at all. I am currently reevaluating my wardrobe. Do I own things less flattering? Mind you, I usually just have on your basic pair of jeans and a comfortable top. Should I buy a few baggy, shapeless items for when I leave the house alone? Do I dress as always and just continue to act like I do not see or hear these men? Thoughts, anyone?

My oh-so-wonderful husband hopes it never happens in his presence, because he thinks he will react in anger. However, I am pretty sure it is unlikely to happen as long as I am with him. He says to just ignore it as I have been, though.
-----------------------------------------

So, I lost it last night, just broke into tears, while talking to my husband. I am sure you all can understand.... I mean, he told me he did NOT want his breakfast sandwhich this morning quite the way I planned on making them. That is obviously cry worthy, right? You all see where I am coming from here, I am sure.

Seriously, though, I got pretty upset when he made faces and expressed the exact opposite of interest in the combination of ingredients I mentioned (and that I was actually looking foward to). I insisted he at least try it (he never had before). But I did not realize how upset I was until he said something to the effect of, *Ok, I will try it. Just please dont be sad about this, ok?* At which point I started crying.

At first I wasnt even sure why. Then I realized, I have been a little stressed about the whole cooking thing. Cooking for him is one of my most important wifely tasks, you know? And I need to cook at least 2x a day.... culturally, you eat a big, cooked breakfast that can last you until the big, main, midday meal. But I do not know how to make very many of the dishes he is accustomed to, at least, not yet. And one of the ones I thought I did know how to make (eggs with chorizo), he had told me a few days earlier he prefers a different way!

We have discussed that at times I will make things I am familiar with and that he is more than willing to try them. I had always found him to not be very picky, and it appeared he´ll eat just about anything. But as I said, this week he actually asked me to make something differently, and now he was telling me he did not want what I planned on making for breakfast. You can understand how I suddenly had nightmarish visions of him regularly refusing to eat what I made, particularly anything I am really comfortable making. And so I lost it. (This would be the low point of my above mentioned wifely rollercoaster.)

I was able to express what I was feeling, he did his usual great job of comforting me, and agreed to try things even if it sounded strange to him (he ended up liking my breakfast by the way). We also discussed the possibility of me spending time with him mom and sisters so I can learn more about the dishes he is used to (which was something I had thought I´d be able to do back when I was going to live with them before the wedding).

And now you may be wondering, what about the high point of my wifely rollercoaster?

Well, I made rice today for our midday meal. And it was good.

That may sound silly and little to you all, but let me explain. This is coming from the girl who only ever bought anything other than instant rice one time when I first moved out of my parents house and didn´t acutally know the difference between real and instant rice but only saw that it was cheaper. I don´t think I ever made it more than once...? In case you weren´t sure, they don´t eat instant rice here.

To further explain, not only do they not use instant here, but it is not cooked in a saucepan. They cook it in a frying pan. In fact, they start out by cooking it in oil. Then you add flavorings and something that turns it pink. And the few times I tried to ask anyone about how to do it, I got very vague instructions (cause it is just one of those things that everyone here does, and does slightly differently).

So maybe now you can appreciate why it was such a high point for me, especially after last night´s cooking breakdown, to successfully make tasty rice, and be told by my husband (who did not know I had never made it before) that it was really good. :)

A bit more...

I only have like 10 minutes, but I thought I{d add a bit more about life here...
(sorry to those who are punctuation conscious...I can{t for the life of me figure out how to type an apostrophe on this keyboard!)

Some good news...stove is hooked up and working great! and washer should be by days end. And we are off to buy the dryer my family gifted us with the money for :)

Some fun news...I received my first real piece of mail last week. I think it was Friday. I was walking home from visiting a friend and found myself wondering where they would put are mail were we to ever receive some, since no one here really has mailboxes. And what did I find when I walk in my door but a letter for me that had been slipped under the door, from a good friend with the same first name as me :)
What an awesome treat that was! Please, please...write to me! Emails are great too, for those mail challenged. Ive loved the few emails I{ve gotten from friends and family so far! But gosh, what good it did me to have a touchable taste of home!

And before I run out of time, I got to thinking how I went into narration mode last time and failed to mention the really amzing man I now have for a husband. So far, his worst quirk is the large amounts of soap he feels a need to use, either when washing his hands or in the shower. Mot bad huh? And Ive only been more impressed by all of his good qualities. I know there are many of you who think you have the best husbands out there, but I know I really do! ;) Ok, maybe hes just the best husband for me, but one way or another, hes the best!

K, Im gonna go cuz if I dont post this before my account runs out of time, I lose everything Ive written.

Until soon!

For Carole...(and everyone else who has faithfully waited...)

Sorry, folks, that it has been so long!

Those last 10 days before the wedding were a little hectic, especially once my family arrived and I felt like I needed to host them on top of accomplishing all the myriad of things that needed doing before the wedding day. But it all got done, in large part thanks to my family´s help and that of the few friends who made it down. Except that our mattress never arrived (it should have arrived a solid week before the wedding), and so the day of the wedding we had to make other plans for where to sleep that night. ;)

The wedding day...hmmm...I think it must be a little bit like when a woman gives birth and the hormones cause her to forget the worst of labor...
I know it was crazy that day, and I felt completely depleted. And I did have one true complete breakdown when I thought for about 2 and half minutes that we didn´t have my wedding jewelry. But when I think about that day, I only remember from about 4pm onwards. My sisters-in-law and good friend did a fabulous job on my hair so that it looked salon quality, and just what I wanted. Everything came together just as it should, found jewelry included, and when it came down to it, although it felt slightly unreal, I was very calm and very ready.

If any of you ever get a chance, you should really experience a Mexican wedding sometime. Although there are many parallels to what Americans are used to, it is definetly a different experience. For example, our invites said the wedding was at 5pm. I think we started a little after 6 - and felt good that we started that early! They have a few additions to the ceremony itself that are really very beautiful - like the gift of kneeling cushions to symbolize the part that prayer will pray in your marriage. And how many of you have played musical chairs a wedding ceremony?! Or any other games that involve the distinct possibility of someone getting hurt, but make you laugh like crazy?

Really, though, it was so beautiful and wonderful. And I didn´t even cry during my own wedding ceremony, if you can belive that! I wouldn´t change a thing about it. A Pastor and good friend from Rochester gave a beautiful word, his wife (who I miss like crazy!) very graciously translated the majority of the service, and our Pastor here did the vows and what-not.

I´m really looking foward to seeing pictures (I think tomorrow!), because I know there were details I couldn´t take in, and because I think the photographer did a great job.

Oh, to backtrack a second, I got really nervous just before my family came that they wouldn´t like or wouldn´t understand Saltillo - it is a whole different world from Rochester. And I so love it here, I wasn´t sure how I´d handle that. And I was nervous about our families being able to connect with knowing so little of each other´s languages. But I worried for naught. If anyone didn´t like it here, they hid it very well :) And somehow our families really connected - a couple of them even want to stay in touch.

Beyond the wedding day, the honeymoon was awesome. We absolutely enjoyed every minute of it, with only a couple of exceptions: we missed our flight and had to leave the next day instead (FB´s brother was using FB´s car to take his sister to the hospital, which had one of my bags and FB´s ID in it); and we ended up having to call in the hotel Dr for some type of infection or something that required 3 different types of treatment and occassionaly make him feel like he was in a hospital or something. But neither of those things slowed us down much, and all in all it was a beautiful week that I wish would have lasted longer.

FYI, the birth control we had planned on doesn´t work for us after all....so we´ve just kind of decided to see what happens. So no one should be too shocked if I end up pregnant sooner than I´d originally thougt.

I know this is getting way long, but its been ages since I´ve written, and I don´t know what I´ll get another chance. SO, if you´ll all bear with me, I just want to give you a taste of what my married life looks like here.

Monday: I cried a little when FB left for work the first time, then cleaned like crazy cuz I don´t think our place ever had been. And started organizing our things. After FB came home for the midday break, I went with him the rest of the day. That night, we discovered our mattress and stove finally arrived at his family´s house, but we couldn´t transport them back to us yet.

Tuesday: Our suitaces arrived from the honeymoon finally, our sofa set arrived (I was so excited - they are so pretty!), I walked our neighborhood a bit looking for a cyber cafe, and instead finding 3 near-by neighborhood stores (kind of like tiny groceries where you can get many of the basics).

Wednesday: I walked 20ish minutes to the supermarket to do our first real grocery shopping, and returned by taxi. Managed to make a meal without a stove still. In the afternoon I walked again to the supermarket to get what I needed to do laundry by hand since we can´t hook up our machine still. Stove and mattress arrived that night, but I´m still waiting for the stove to get hooked up.

Oops, gotta go, but the rest of the week included more laundry and walking 2oish minutes to visit with a friend for a couple hours.

So, alls well. ANd hopefully I´ll settle into a routine soon where I can write more.