I wanted to get some video or pictures to show the apartment before I told about it, but it's going to be a few days before I'm that organized.
So, we are in an old apartment building directly on a well-known traffic circle/landmark a little north of downtown. Very Vietnamese in style -- nothing like the towers built especially for the comfort of expats. 1 bedroom with a large living room and kitchen area and very simple furnishings and utilities. (The water is in cisterns above a drop ceiling and a pump turns on every time you use a tap or flush to keep the cisterns full.) We have tiny little washing machine and hang the clothes to dry out the back window. In front, we don't really have a view out on the street -- the unit is recessed a bit back in the building and the gallery outside our bedroom window belongs to the next unit, so we keep those curtains closed. In back we look out over a jumble of alleys. We like the location a lot, but it's a little noisier than I had hoped. Until I get used to it, I'll be waking up with the start of motor scooter horns about 5 a.m. If I really need a respite and feel like blowing a lot of money, a large Western-style department store with a bakery and movie theater is very close.
Our landlord is really sweet. She put in a lot of time helping the get the internet situation resolved and doing other little favors. She's a professor of law at a local university.
Between us, Ilene and I have carried 8 arm loads of essential supplies from the Co-op Mart a couple blocks away -- linens, brooms, fans, toilet paper, groceries, and everything else essential that wouldn't fit in the suitcases. It's looking pretty homey now.
That's been exhausting, and the week of traveling and apartment hunting was exhausting, and I guess I didn't realize it until now, but the month-long sprint preparing for the trip was exhausting, so we've hit the wall the last couple days. I've been laying on the couch eating Ritz crackers and special dark chocolates all day. Hopefully we can get some rest for a fresh start on Monday, but our social calendars between now and then are already packed.
Tonight my lack of language skills tripped me up again like it has in the past -- I accidentally ordered twice as much food as I intended, and at a pretty expensive place, too. It's always embarrassing to sit there and watch that second plate of food being carried out while it dawns on you how you screwed up the order. The good news is that I finally have an overload of protein in my belly, and I should be feeling better soon.
