Friday, September 11, 2009

Number one!

Okay, well I guess I am off and running now with this whole "blog" thing.
Thanks you Bre for your help and for not laughing at me (too much) whilst (see I am picking up the local lingo) I asked many rudimentary questions.
So, I am not sure who will read this, if anyone, but that is okay. It at least lets me talk, vent, ramble, etc. I have been Facebook chronicling our adventures here to this point, but here is a quick run down of the nonsense we have encountered.
  • Banks. 2 weeks to get any money. 9 days to get an acct number, but even then our cashiers check wasn't good, so it had to be mailed back stateside and deposited and wired back. Just got our bankcards this week. Brutal.
  • One car. Now, I admit, this wasn't that big of a deal, but when you are used to two and the independence that comes with that, having only one is frustrating. Our second car is on order, due in November, and we have a temp car until then.
  • Phone/Cell phone/Internet/TV. Actually, minus the Cell phone (which I had to have a bankcard for), these guys were more efficient than the banks. Still took 8 days for TV, 6 for phone, and 10 for internet.
  • Our stuff. Originally we were told 4-6 weeks. By the time it gets thorugh customs and gets delivered it will be closer to 10. The girls are driving us mad, but who can blame them really?
  • Mail. Letters seem to get here ok, but boxes? Geez, what a mess.
  • The house. What a quirky place we live in. Some real adjustments to be made.
Ok. So that has been rough. There have been good things too, however.
  • The family time. Been to the zoo (very nice), exploring, on picnics, to parks, and generally just spending more time together than we did back home with our crazy schedules.
  • The people. Can't think of a bad thing to say about one person we've met. Even the bank people with all their crazy rules were nice while telling us they couldn't help us.
  • The scenery. Its very pretty here.
  • The house. Quirky, but suitable. (And, yes, I know its on the good and bad side.)
  • The pub. Good food, great Landlord, wonderful drink selection, friendly customers. A very picturesque village Pub.
  • The Country Club. Very nice facility. Gym is top notch, course is long and fairly difficult, people are friendly.
  • The schools. The girls are settling in well. Rian loves that her school has not one, but two, sandpits. She comes home daily with sand in her pockets and waistband. Kelsie is Kelsie and she just gets along no matter what, although the teeth NEED to come through! And Baylie seems to like her school, although she hasn't made many friends yet. Thats just her though really. Gets along with eveyone, not super close to many people.
  • The church. We are going to a C of E church where the Vicar went to a Baptist College. Outgoing people and lots of kids.
I think things will continue to settle down, especially once we get our stuff here. Just doesn't feel like a "home" yet. We miss everybody back home, and that I think will be the toughest for me. Having just gotten to where I had my good friends and a good schedule in Siloam, and then having to leave is rough.
Okay, I am off to explore, then work out, then pick up kiddos!
Till next time...