We are settling into our apartment. Yes, the one with no kitchen. :) (I know, it would seem a kitchen would be mandatory..but actually this is not the first place I've moved into without a kitchen..more like the 3rd.) J's already mapping it out. Granted, there will be no dishwasher. :)
So, apologies for all the dust on this blog! We rather hit the ground running and haven't stopped. I finally got my teaching hours reduced so this weekend I will actually have a Saturday off! Woohoo! Unlike most of the rest of the world, right now there is more work here than one can handle. We were both at over 20 hours of classroom time teaching, which is just too too much. It worked out I had only 56 hours a month free and well, that just doesn't work! So, I am learning to say no.
Our place here is small.. it's city living versus our little humble house in Nong Khai. We said goodbye to our home there this past weekend as we cleaned the rest of our things out of it and brought them here. As metropolitan a place as this is, it's hard to find some basic things so I am already looking forward to our next shopping trip to Thailand.
Right now, we are enjoying our daily Lao classes. What a bonus! Even though personally waking up at 6:30 to be out of the house by 7:30 is a challenge. Esp., after having taught the night before my little brain just says.... "noooooooo" a moment off please. But it's helping.
We bought a second scooter so now both of us are darting around. (Did I mention that already?) Anyway, I like it most days. It gets 117 miles per gallon. Oh-how-Ecco. Kidding, on days it rains I really really miss driving a car. Most of our friends here can't afford cars so I don't bring up having multiples of them in America. But when you arrive somewhere (I, in a skirt) soaked from head to toe like a wet mouse, one misses their car.
The boat racing festival is next week, so we get a few days off from school as it's a national holiday. I'm looking forward to it. Although, everyone says there are 2 weeks a year we will hate were we live and this is one of them. We live right in the heartbeat of downtown, so they say parking, driving and pedestrians will be a nightmare because it's by the river. But so far, it's really rather quiet. All the shops near us close around 6 so it's pretty deserted after that.
As we've told some, yes we plan on staying a bit longer than we originally thought. Not sure really when we are coming back. Playing it by ear. Was hoping to do a quick trip back in December because our school has to close for a month with the SEAgames, but with us reducing our workload that is becoming less a reality. There are days, usually just before sleep, we are both ready to pack it in and call it a trip.. but then there is morning. I think the biggest thing will be getting this language down. Our Lao instructors are really really hard on us because we've studied more than the rest so they don't let us slip with pronunciation. Which is good. We need it. Although, sometimes they can't even agree on pronunciation. :) (Some of you from the RI Lao class can empathize with this oh so well..)
Anyway... here are a few random photos from the day to day. I've been lack about taking them because aside from the obvious tourists, walking around with a camera gets attention. Lately, I've been favoring my cell phone camera versus my Nikon. Now I just need to figure out getting the photos off that. I'll ask J when he wakes up.
Well, I should run... I have tutoring this afternoon then English class. :) Hope everyone is well! Miss you all. : ) Hope everyone is enjoying Fall!!
Our balcony. Yes, we live in the Kodak building. :)
Inside.. Yes, we need a month or two.. and a shopping trip! (It's 4 rooms.. a bedroom, a living room, a shower room, a loo, and a big ???? room that will at some point be a dining / kitchen area. Reminds me a bit of our old mill.) BUT it has AC!! :))
Backyard
