In Country-Day 2

We were on our own yesterday.  We did talk with another family in country for their 2^nd trip adopting their son.  We have tentative plans to met up tonight for dinner.

What we look like when we leave the apartment...did I mention it's cold?  And it gets dark around 4:30!

We went to a coffee house that said wifi.  Everyone here smokes and every place smells like smoke.  So did the coffee house.  We tried to order off the menu which had some words in English.  But, they really only had 3 of the things that were on the menu.  We were unable to connect to the internet for some reason.  So, we sat there while Erin finished his coffee.  Then we walked about 2 more blocks and went to the underground mall I mentioned yesterday.  While there we stopped in the drug store to get a razor, shaving cream, and I was looking for some eye-liner as we had forgotten those things.  They had 2 security guards on duty.  Mind you, this is a fairly small store.  These men watched us like hawks!  One even followed me around as I looked at the cosmetics.  I ended up not buying anything because the make-up was very expensive.  At the grocery store they also have a lot of security.  There is a sort of balcony that runs around the entire inside of the store with guards watching your every move.

Yesterday I said that I would be figured out soon enough…well it took exactly 2 days.  We were at the grocery store after we had gone to the mall and a small café.  Erin was checking out and the scene was picture worthy I thought.  So, I took a few steps back and took a picture.   

The offending picture

The manager (I think-he was very young and stern looking) came up to me and gestured to my camera and said something in a different language.  I quickly stuck it back into my pocket (I was afraid he was going to ask to keep it) and looked at him—think deer in the headlights.  I said in a very small voice…”English?”  To which he said something in disgust and walked away.  I knew I would stand out like a sore thumb.  The first night we got here Boris asked if we spoke the language here and we both said no.  I almost said I speak English and Texan, but I didn’t…figured it would be a joke lost on him.

The elevator to our apt.  Yep, it's as small as it looks.  And it creaks, a lot.

Our apartment is very small, but nice.  I am very grateful for it.  It has 2 doors.  One locks and is the outside door and the other does not and we can’t figure out why they have it.  There is a small entry way with a coat closet.  The bathroom is off of that.  It is small, but ours.  We have a shower, toilet, sink and washer.  I am doing a load of towels now and it holds exactly 3 towels.  It’s small.  There is another door that separates the entry from the rest of the apartment.  Again, not sure why it’s there.  In the main room is our bed, 2 chairs, a small table and a TV with cable.  The TV does us no good, however because we can’t understand the language and we didn’t bring any DVDs.  We were told we should be able to get BBC, but we don’t and I’d rather not watch it anyway.  There is a small kitchen (it’s not much smaller than mine back home, but that’s another post) with a small table and a refrigerator.   

Me, writing the blog on the computer in the kitchen.  You can see the drying rack in the nook behind me.

Both the main room and the kitchen have these little nooks.  Almost all the apartments have them.  The one in the kitchen has a vacuum, mop and drying rack.  The one in the main room has the heater and potted plants.  The heater works very well.  In fact, I was burning up last night.  The kitchen has a gas stove and oven.  We’ve figured out the stove, but not the oven.  So, the frozen pizza we bought Erin the first night is still frozen.

Erin has a final today.  He is finishing up his last college course so he can sit for the CPA exam.  His final is supposed to be Saturday.  His professor emailed him the exam and he got it yesterday.  So, among all that we have going on, he has been studying.  He took the test today and he’ll email it when we get to the café with wifi.  

Erin and I working on the computer in the internet cafe.

I’m really looking forward to that part of the day.  It’s a chance for me to connect with my friends and loved ones whom I miss so much.  We will try to do a live chat with the kids today.  I hope it works and doesn’t make me miss them even more…if that’s even possible.

Our SDA appointment is tomorrow at 10 am. Please keep this in your prayers.  I have been praying that it goes off with no surprises.  I have no reason to think otherwise, but I a little nervous just the same.  Something about not knowing the future, I guess.  I spoke with the woman from America last night and told her when our SDA appointment was.  She said it would probably be Monday before we would be able to see Alice.  Although I knew that that was a possibility, I had hoped I was wrong.  It feels like we are wasting time.  Everything has gone so fast with this adoption that now it feels like I’m moving through water.  Not my timing, but his is what matters.  The date was chosen for a reason and the time I meet her will be for a purpose.  

Thanks for reading and praying and telling others about what we're doing over here.  It helps and means the world to me!