thanksgiving day.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

We are beginning to set up our new apartment.  We hit the ground running and began some long days of shopping starting on Tuesday.  Everything takes much longer here … we go to lots of shops around the city to pick out and buy appliances and furniture.  They are delivered on a different day, then a worker is sent to assemble them yet another day (a different worker for each item).

So on this, our first Thanksgiving in our new country, David will be over at our apartment accepting deliveries and overseeing installations of our air conditioning units and washing machine, trying to communicate with workers who speak little to no English.

Hmmm … what are some details you want to know right now?

The above pictures are taken on Richey and Keli’s balcony and give a good view of our area of the city.

If you are wondering about living arrangements, we live in a seven-story apartment complex right in the city, in some ways reminiscent of a big nondescript apartment building in New York … although no wood or brick to be seen.  It is made up of three buildings, the “A block”, “B block”, and “C block.”  Our apartment, or “flat”, is in the A block, our team leaders Cartee and Colleen Bales in the B block, and Richey and Keli Goodrich and their kids in the C block.

We have been in Richey and Keli’s homey guest suite since we arrived.  Between the last few days, we have gotten an amazing amount accomplished thanks to the Goodriches’ watching our kids and the Bales taking us shopping, so we hope to be ready to move into our place on Monday.  We won’t have beds yet, but will borrow mattresses until the beds are delivered (for some reason they take the longest to come).

As far as jet lag, we are getting there, slowly but surely.  We are all healthy now, except for some upset stomachs from time to time and the kids and I are having allergy issues.  I think because it is very, very dusty here.  Hopefully we will adjust within a couple months.  The kids are great but nights are still a little difficult.  They’ll pop up, wide awake, at 3:00 in the morning and be ready to play.  We are working on shorter naps and later bed-time so they sleep better at night.

Thanks so much for all your prayers for our health and sleep and adjustment.  God is answering, and every day is a little easier and a tiny bit less overwhelming.  I just cannot wait for the day when it is just the four of us together in our new home, making eggs and toast and coffee for breakfast.

We are having a Thanksgiving meal this evening with our three families and a local pastor’s family who live in our neighborhood.  Everyone is too exhausted to make a real traditional American dinner, so we’re cheating with rotisserie chickens, homemade mashed potatoes, corn, biscuits, and dhal.  Yum!

Much love to you all this Thanksgiving.  We miss you!