The Time Has Come

It seems like at least a week ago that we were at the airport checking in for our flights.  We left on Saturday morning and it is now Sunday evening.  So now we are already 2 days into our trip.  That part is pretty nice.  Being up for over 28 hours is draining, but amazingly, not too bad.  We were able to sleep a little bit on our flights and that made a big difference.  We have kept ourselves awake so we could try and adjust to the 8-hour difference as quickly as possible.

It is now 8:20pm and we're ready for bed.  Well, at least John and I are ready for bed.  Alexander is higher than a kite.  He slept the most, so this might be a problem.  He has been an absolute angel the entire way and we are so lucky that he is such a good traveler.

All our flights were great and all our luggage made it in tact, as well.  We were greeted at the airport by our caseworker who then took us to our apartment and made sure we got settled in and worked everything out with us and our landlord.  We have a nice apartment with a deep jacuzzi tub, a washing machine, a bedroom, a nice living room and small kitchen, and a nice terrace outside.  It's very cozy and we're trying to get used to it being our home for the next 3+ weeks. 

Our caseworker also took us on a tour of the neighborhood so we would know where stores and restaurants were.  She showed us a few bakeries and I've heard that we need to go to bakeries quite frequently.  I am not against this advice.  We also walked through an outdoor market and we'll be going back tomorrow to buy lots of fresh fruits, veggies, nuts, and of course, lots of cheese for John.

We had a successful dining experience for dinner, which is nice since so few people speak English.  We had a waiter that understood some basic words.  He gave us an English menu and we wondered if we should be adventurous and try fried brain, but decided to be safe and got some grilled chicken, grilled mushrooms, steamed corn and french fries. The only thing missing was mayonnaise for our fries. They also brought us a basket of bread that was delicious!  It will take a while to get used to people smoking inside - especially right next to us in a restaurant, oh, and no ice water to drink.

We should be going to bed right now, but we have found LIVE NFL games on TV, and we do have our priorities.  At least we get to sleep in tomorrow.....aaaahhh...... and then we'll go shopping for some food and a few supplies.  We'll walk around the neighborhood and get more acquainted with our surroundings. We also must find some candy.  J told us that Hannah likes sweets and may warm up to us more quickly if we bring her something sweet.  Ah, a girl after my own  heart.  Is there any doubt she's my daughter?

We are glad to be here safe and sound.  J has put our minds at ease about a lot of things.  She is wonderful and we're glad to have her here to help us through the coming weeks.  Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as our journey continues.