Settling In

After the girls left I got settled in. I unpacked my things.

I unpacked the things I brought for Lek -- hooray for twelve rolls of Bounty and six sticks of Burts Bees!!! I put my suitcase in the bag room. I stowed my bathroom stuff under the long counter. I was presented with a soft roll of TP.

I learned how to use the electrical switches and plugs (sounds simple, but a little different from the US - for example, you have to turn on the plugs). I saw that some of the bathroom switches are outside the door, and some of the switches are inside the door. I learned about the air conditioning units positioned variously throughout the apartment -- how to turn on, how to set the temperature. I learned about the bottled water machine, and the efforts taken to ensure people consume -- but not waste! -- clean safe drinking water. These things sound so intuitive, but I felt like I was seeing everything for the first time. Which I guess, upon reflection, I was.

We got me set up with the house wifi, so I was back in communication with the world… both via WhatsApp and via email. Hello World!

I visited with Lek and NB for a while. It was as if it had only been yesterday since we saw each other, we fell in so naturally. And became better acquainted with NB's parents -- as much as we could, given the limits of our common words.

And then I learned that the guest room bed is too soft for the parents. They would be sleeping on the firm sofas in the living area, I would have the guest room and bath for myself. I was shooed to bed almost without protest.