Cultural Adjustments

What used to be so simple, is becoming difficult.  The other night we decided to make a walmart run.  We are only 15-20 minutes from our friendly neighborhood walmart, so we left around 8pm.  After picking up a cart full of stuff, I realized I did not have my wallet.  So, I quickly ran out to the car to search for it.  Nope!  It wasn't in the car.  I knew I needed to make the 20-minute drive back to our home.  After doing a thorough search of our apartment, I could not find it.  I knew it was gone!  I called L and she quickly began to comb the store.  She decided to check customer service, but I told her not to waste her time, because "no one would return it."  Well, I am pleased to report, there is at least a few honest people in the city we live in.  Someone turned it in.  Thank you Mr. or Ms. Honest Person.

So, we've decided never to leave campus again.  Since we are locked up here now, this is how we pass the time:

Driving around in the countryside.  The leaves are beautiful this time of year.  We are enjoying the scenery.

Playing in the playground when there aren't 1,000 children in it.

And eating different foods.  This might be shocking, but she actually ate some rice on our first "special food" day.  This special food day was a day where they put something weird in front of you to eat and you have to eat it.  It is like the Amazing Race, but it wasn't bugs or anything.  It was just some sort of beef curry with rice and all of the traditional sides.  She did alright and managed to eat several bits of rice and curry, but stopped short of eating the onions.  The second "special food" day was some sort of spicy meatball with onion/tomato salsa on a flour pita bread.  I am proud to say L tried the food on both days.  We will have 3 meals like this while we are here.  I know she is thinking, "Two down, one to go."