Things you have to learn

Finally my Internet arrived!

I’m so relieved to be able to log in from home. The cable crew hooked up my TV and Internet late Saturday evening, so I’ve been basking in the glory that is on-demand Internet.

And catching up with season four of “Mad Men.” Man, surfthechannel is awesome.

I guess I’ve been in the building for about a week now, and it’s not too bad. The Internet definitely helps me pass the time productively.

There are still some things I need to figure out, such as what the “service” part of the apartment is supposed to be. From what I was told, room 8-09 is supposed to be cleaned three times a week but I haven’t seen any evidence.

I can live without that, but I really need to figure out where to find a trash can. I figure I’m walking out of here today with a bag of garbage and someone will point me in the right direction. I just hope I understand the instructions.

I am learning, though. Today’s lesson was that the middle of the pool is in plain view of what appears to be a middle school. It’s wise if I do not swim in the middle of the pool mid-morning. I could hear little boy clamoring, so when I was done I took great pains to walk along the wall so they couldn’t see me.

Yeah, the cultural differences are there. I’m pretty sure most of those kids had never seen legs that weren’t mom’s, and mine had to have been the biggest pasty white ones they’ve ever seen. They won’t be getting that shot again.

Three days in, I’m still on my little workout routine, and I hope I can stick with it. There’s not much, but I do jogging on some elliptical thing, then various arm stuff and I finish on the bike.

Hopefully, I can get a daily routine going, but I’m still working on that.

My next day off is Friday – we’re always off Saturday but the other day off skips around – and I might wind up going to the Embassy.

I’ve hit a stumbling block in my attempt to get a work visa. My passport expires in December, and apparently I need six months beyond the visa’s expiration in order to get one. Therefore, I have to renew it.

I have to make an appointment at the Embassy in order to get it done, and I haven’t been able to get them on the phone. For me, the phones are a challenge. Heck, everything is a challenge.

Anyway, there’s some issue of whether or not I need my birth certificate in order to renew a passport while overseas, and I need that answered, but again, I have to get the Embassy on the phone first.

Hopefully I can get through today and possibly get in Friday.

Other than that, I have absolutely no idea of how I will spend my first two days off in a row. It’s early for me to leave town, plus there’s the issue of it’s not yet payday.

But I’ll figure something out.