Change of plans…

A lot of cool stuff happened today. I left the house early to take care of a few things for the business. I arrived at the main island too early for my appointments, so I stopped by a Wi-Fi shop to update the blog and check email. While I was online, my dad Skyped me—way to go, Dad! It was awesome. He had a webcam and mic, and I could see and hear him perfectly. He even called my sister, and she joined the call too. I didn’t have my webcam or mic with me, so I typed responses while they talked. Once I get internet at the house, I’ll hook up my webcam so we can talk both ways.

The funniest part was the reaction of the guy sitting in the room with me. I don’t think he’d ever seen Skype before. There I was, typing silently while my computer responded with voices—first a man (my dad), then a woman (my sister). He got up and came over to look at my screen. It was hilarious.

After that, I took my papers to the trade department to register the business. I met a kind woman who I think will be a big help in getting things processed. I also visited the immigration office to learn more about the visa process. While I was out, a friend I met during my visit here in January called and introduced me to one of his friends who works in the employment department—where I’ll go next after finishing with the trade office. He gave me all the forms and info I’ll need once registration is complete.

I know it all sounds confusing and like a ton of work, but this is what I meant the other day when I said I’m persistent. Later in the day, my friend from the tourism department called and said he would follow up on my papers and keep me posted.

Because I was expecting calls and wanted to stay near the process, I decided not to go with David to the other islands. I sent the video camera with him so he could document the relief work, and I’d have a better sense of what’s needed when I follow up.

In the afternoon, we stayed around the house. We went to a local shop and found water containers so we could set up the water filtration system that the Freeman family gave us. It’s working great.

While out looking at other flats, I ran into a man who said he was American. That was a surprise. We’ve been staying on this road for over a week and haven’t seen any other Americans. It’s not like we blend in here. He’s originally from Lebanon, went to school at UT Austin, met his wife, and is now on a two-year contract with a company here. He was headed out for a jog. When I asked if he liked to run, he said, “No, I like to jog.” I told him about my marathon last year, and he invited me to join him. He introduced me to two coworkers—one from Cambodia and one from Pakistan—who also jog in the evenings. They usually go around 7 p.m., and I told them I’d join them tomorrow.

It seems like Kyndal didn’t get as sick as Braden. Her fever wasn’t as high, and her rash wasn’t as bad. It feels like we’re turning a corner with this virus.

I know I linked you to a video, but I couldn’t upload it. The 4 MB file must have overwhelmed the free Wi-Fi. I’ll upload it once we get internet at the house—which should be soon. In the meantime, go to www.skype.com and sign up. Add me as a contact by searching for “bobbycox” (all one word). Then just click the green phone button to call me. I won’t be able to answer unless I’m online, but go ahead and get it set up.

One last thing—I want to try an experiment with mail delivery. I’ve been told what my address is and that mail will be delivered directly to our flat. Let’s test it. If you want to join in the fun, email me at bobby@bobbycox.org, and I’ll send you our address. Below are a few small, lightweight items that would be fun (and helpful) to receive. Everything listed is inexpensive and easy to replace if it doesn’t make it here:

1. Parmesan cheese packets—There’s no parmesan here. Maybe someone could pick up a few “cheese to go” packets from Mazzio’s or Pizza Hut. We found spaghetti in one of the shops, and cheese would be a nice luxury.

2. Kool-Aid or Crystal Light drink packets—The kind that go into a 20 oz water bottle are best. We drink a lot of water, and the kids are more likely to drink it if it has flavor.

3. Children’s vitamins—The local food doesn’t provide as many vitamins as we’re used to. Not essential, but helpful. We also take Vitamin B to help with mosquitoes, and it seems to be helping a little.

4. Protective covers for digital thermometers—With the kids being sick, we’ve used up all the ones we brought.

If you’re interested in trying the mail experiment, just send me an email with what you’d like to send. If more than one person responds, I’ll email you individually with specifics.

Thanks for reading.