settling in

In 7 days at the most, we should be shifting to our new home - 2 bedrooms, 1 1/2 bath, nice sitting room, dining room, kitchen, and a gorgeous third floor stone terrace. We are so excited and anxious to be in our new home, but the best thing is that the hotel we are staying at is just down the road from our future home. So we can get out in the community now to meet our new neighbors for the next few years! I've already found a great tailor (even though they seem to forget about the drawsting on my pants, but it's a minor issue when you find someone who gets your clothes right on the first try and is literally just a walk down the road) a very friendly lady at a cloth shop, and a nice dry cleaner. For the language study, I've already said that an hour a day needs to be spent practicing in the community, so I went yesterday to the cloth shop. The lady, her husband, and two friends were hanging out in there, and they invited me to sit and chat. Hardly any of them spoke English, so it was perfect. I know about .0001% of the language, but it was fun trying to communicate anyway, and it was helpful. Today, I went to pick up my dry cleaning (I'm so ready for a house where I can wash my own clothes and cook my own meals...I never thought I'd say that) and the owner invited me backc for some chai with his small sons, mother, and wife. Their home was just a curtain away from the shop, and we sat and chatted. They brought in chai and some snacks and we talked, and I got to practice a little of my language. Before I left, I learned how to say, "My husband should meet you." We were then invited (three times before I left) to a birthday party next Monday evening. They told me I should not eat before because it's a dinner party, and warned me once again several times to not eat. We are so excited that the community is opening their homes to us so soon.

Speaking of language, I found a language helper! The internet cafe owner found her for me, and she is wonderful. She is nice, and close to my age, and knows both English and the language very well. She can be a little aggressive at times to teach the way she wants, but anytime I point her back to the book, she readily acquiesces. Did I use that word correctly? I think my brain only has room for a certain number of words, no matter what language. It happened this way when I was in France, too. I try so hard to add vocabulary, but I think my brain has a quota, and my English disintegrates. It doesn't help that all day you speak basic words and talk with an accent to be understood better.

My language helper told me that if we go to the large town that directly south of us, we can get much better bargains on our household items we have to purchase. Then, the hotel that we're staying in informed us that the hotel was fully booked for the 21st-23rd before we made our reservations, and so we would have to leave the hotel for those two nights. They did make arrangements for us, but it was a scary hotel, so we decided that would be the best time to go to the town to shop, since we have a good friend there we can stay with. It all worked out perfectly, and so tomorrow we are leaving. On a bus. I'm a bit nervous about the busride, but I need to become a little lower maintenance, since I am a tourist, afterall.

I am so excited to see a new town! But we need to pack...