advice

Last night, we had dinner with a couple who had just returned from South Asia. They were not too upbeat about their experience; in fact, while they were talking, I kept thinking about how discouraged they seemed. And when we left, my husband remarked to me the very same thing, so I know that I wasn't overreacting. We realized that we need to lower our expectations a lot. Granted, there were valid reasons this couple had such a negative experience (no supervisors at all, they were also the first ones to participate in our team, which meant no direction; also, no coworkers in their city to bond or interact with), and because it's been a couple years since they went, things will go somewhat smoother for us, we still realize it's good that we met them so we can go with our eyes wide open.

Then, our boss, in his infinite wisdom, sent to us another couple this afternoon, who have just returned from our country. They were so positive and upbeat, and told us great things we need to know and were very encouraging. The wife even told me that since I'm most excited about exploring the city I live in, then things are going to go great. She gave me tips on finding an apartment, decorating, furniture, meeting people...it all sounds so wonderfully exciting and adventurous. Obviously, there are bad sides; she said that I will step in cow poop. However, she never saw one rat while she was there, not one spider, and only one roach. That's my kind of country.

This afternoon, we met with a small group of coworkers. We decided that every Sunday morning we will meet for discussions, money talks, and have bread. There are 9 adults (3 couples, 3 singles) and five kids. I'm really excited about getting to know these friends. Our boss will be there as well, as he seems to always be, and I'm really excited about getting to know him better as well. I'm sure he'll begin to teach me things that I really need to know before leaving. Tomorrow, my husband will be able to play his guitar for us all.

We are meeting more and more people with great backgrounds and stories. This morning at breakfast, I met a family that are back from Paris for a few weeks. It was so good to talk with them and hear what all has been going on there since I left. We're going to be seeing a lot of each other, so hopefully my French will go from fair to middlin'. (I heard that phrase from an older country man yesterday, and I love it) I think I'm going to go back to my apartment now and watch Mickey Blue Eyes with my husband before we get ready for our morning tomorrow.