The bare necessities. A whole new meaning.
We have internet now, people! Our life is a little bit easier. Funny story though…when the engineer came to fix our wiring problem, I accidentally locked both of us out, not knowing a side door to our building locked behind you. O ya, and no phone…and no contact numbers to call and rescue us. Luckily, the technician got creative and crawled through the window. Close call!
Did I forget to mention that our place has no central AC/heat? For 10 of the 12 months, this is acceptable here as the average temp is 75 degrees…but for the other two, you sweat it out or freeze. Right now, we are experiencing the latter (its equivalent to our January in the States, as seasons are opposite). I have a newfound appreciation for a hot shower..and blanket..and fuzzy socks. Most of our time spent at home is in bed, curled up under a down comforter and next to our tiny electric heater. Ronnie tried to bear the cold in the living room by testing out our cable and getting reconnected with US sports…that lasted two minutes. Not even worth it for ESPN. You know we have a problem :)
Also, we are having fun hand washing all of our dishes….and walking downstairs to the communal laundry. That part isn't quite bad actually. Everyone hangs clothes up to dry , so I enjoy hogging the dryer (in true Amercian style) and trying to sneak down when everyone else is at work.
We have started settling into a routine somewhat. I have been getting up with Ronnie every morning before work to iron his clothes..which gets me moving for the day. Then, I have time to myself to FaceTime everyone before they go to bed. It has also been fun to make lunch and meet Ronnie in the city for a nice break.
I either run back across the bridge or get my daily workout in when the sun is setting. I have already found a great running spot along the harbor and through a park…who knew working out could be so enjoyable? If you know me, then you understand what a big deal this new routine is for me!! I have started a "couch to 5K" program, which builds up my tolerance and stamina each week. And I have great motivation to stay with it…Ronnie's coworker graciously invited me to join her and a few others in the "City2Surf" 14 km run in 4 weeks. The race supports local charities of your choice (mine being Ovarian Cancer Australia) and starts in heart of the city and goes all the way to Bondi Beach…seems like a fun time!
Also, Ronnie has been running home from work across the bridge, with backpack in tow. Then, he stops by the local market to pick up fresh items we need for dinner that night. Last night, we had turkey chili and homemade sweet cornbread (no Jiffy here!). Brought us a little closer to home…and another attempt at staying warm. Learned that ground turkey is hard to come by around here..the butcher said he would try to keep it in stock, though, now that he knows us Americans are living close by. Isn't that so nice?! And don't even get me started on finding "standard" baking items and spices…grocery shopping is a job in itself.
But, just when we thought we were getting settled in, we got the word today that our shipment will be delayed even longer than expected. What first was going to be 5 days without our stuff, then became 2.5 weeks…is now an extra 7-10 working days on top of the 2.5 weeks to get the final Customs and Quarantine clearances. Wow. So, in that case, we caved and checked ourselves into a hotel for the next two weeks.
Happy weekend! We sure do have a busy one ahead of us surprisingly. Lots of fun with new friends! And excited to try a new church in the neighborhood on Sunday!
Cheers!
Kels
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