On the down hill slide…
Sorry to leave you hanging—and worrying—about the kids being sick. I’m limited on when I can update the blog. Braden is about 90% back to normal, and Kyndal is definitely turning the corner. She may still have a few more days of fever and rash, but we’re keeping it under control and monitoring her closely.
Last night, Angie had to give Kyndal some medicine, and apparently she didn’t like it—because she “refunded” it. Yeah, that’s the polite way to say it. Still, we managed to get another dose down and keep it there. Thanks for thinking about us. Angie’s coping well, but it’s obvious the kids’ illness has worn her out. It’s 9:34 p.m. (or 21:34 as they say here), and she’s already sound asleep. That’s not like her—she usually outlasts me.
We didn’t bring many clothes with us, but I did bring a couple pairs of pants for important meetings. I anticipated needing them today, so Angie ironed a pair last night. It’s clear I’ve already lost some weight—good thing I brought a belt. With all the walking and sweating I’ve been doing, it’s no surprise. The heat here also curbs my appetite. I’m just not as hungry. I guess not having my usual late-night bowl of cereal helps too.
But enough of that—on to the good stuff.
Today I received my official “No Objection” letter from the Department of Tourism. Yippee! Now all I need to do is register our company with one more department, and we’re off and running. My friend in the tourism industry (and yes, I do call him a friend even though I met him by calling about 50 different people while I was still in the U.S.) has really stepped up to help. He’s walked me through the process and is helping me submit the right documents—offering his time and effort with nothing to gain personally. That’s a true friend.
I’ve prepared the needed documents and will deliver them first thing tomorrow. Then… we wait. Again. I’ll also head to the Immigration Department tomorrow to begin the visa process. As most of you know, persistence is kind of my thing—and it’s definitely been helpful here.
On the home front, we woke up this morning and discovered that one of our three water sources had stopped working—the one that feeds our kitchen sink and washing machine. I assumed it was a tripped breaker on the pump. I went down to check, and all the breakers were fine. After asking around, I learned something new: we had simply run out of rainwater.
Rainwater?
Yep. Turns out, we have three types of water coming into the house. One line is salt water (we don’t use it). One is ocean water that’s been desalinized. And the third—now empty—is stored rainwater. So yes, in the middle of the rainy season, we’ve run out of rainwater. Don’t worry, Nana—we won’t dehydrate. We just have to rely on desalinized water now, which happens to be the most expensive of the three.
Dinner tonight was grilled chicken on bamboo skewers with rice and carrots—simple but really tasty. We even treated the kids to some ice cream from the Sea Gull, which is apparently known for having the best ice cream on the island. It’s no Cold Stone, but the kids were happy.
There’s a lot of exciting stuff happening here, and I hope I don’t fail to share it all with you. I wish I could somehow let you experience every detail with us.
I can’t remember if I’ve explained why we can’t stay in our current flat. The place we’re in was actually rented by another company that wasn’t ready to use it yet. They offered to sublease it to us temporarily. Well, their move-in date is approaching, so we’re now scrambling to find a new place. We’ve looked at a few others on the same street, but most are nearly double the rent. That seems crazy—but we may not have a choice.
If we can find a flat that also has space for an office, we may be able to offset some of that cost and stay on budget. Angie is planning to go look at one tomorrow while I’m away. It’s just two buildings down and priced close to what we’re paying now. We trust that the right place is out there—it’s just a matter of listening, thinking, and finding it.
Our friends David and Pam are still in the country working with the government on tsunami relief efforts. There are still several islands in need of help. Tomorrow, David and I will travel to three of those islands to assess the situation. David is hoping that while I’m here setting up Selah, I can help oversee some of the American-funded relief work. You know I love to help wherever I can, so I’ll be his eyes and ears while he’s away.
Because of the distance and logistics, we’ll be gone until Saturday morning. Pam will stay with Angie and the kids. David and Pam have lived in this part of the world for about ten years, and we’re confident the kids will be in great hands while I’m gone.
I’m sharing all this for a couple of reasons. First, if you’re interested in volunteering for any relief work, let me know—shoot me an email. Second, I’ll be away from email and blogging for a couple of days and likely won’t post again until Sunday.
If you’re feeling extra techy, feel free to text us:
Angie – 0119607600694
Bobby – 0119607852227
Until then…
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