Wednesday, July 15, 2009

From "Roti" to "Rusks"

Actually, to be more accurate, the title of this blog should be From "Rice" to "Roti" to "Rusks" because last July, I was still living in Thailand. What a year it's been! As far as the title goes, rice needs no explanation. Roti was the delicious Indian flat bread we enjoyed in Malaysia, especially at breakfast, and rusks are a dried cake similar to biscotti that we've learned that many South Africans dunk in their coffee or tea and enjoy as a snack.

After only 2 weeks, Sam and I are settling in nicely. In a way, each move has gotten a little easier as we both know more about what to expect. I've learned that loneliness is inevitable, but that it won't last forever, and I've also learned to laugh to myself at the frustration of needing help with even the simplest of things. For example, today I was in an elevator needing to go up. There were 2 buttons in which to choose from. One was a "G" and the other was a "B". Since I was in the parking garage, I assumed the "G" meant garage and I pushed the "B". Wrong! When the door opened and we were still in the garage, the 2 local men also riding in the elevator looked at me like I was an idiot for pressing the wrong button which I guess I was! Note to self- "B" means basement and "G" means ground. Next time I'll know. There is no greater teacher than experience!

One last thought for this posting is that I want to say thanks for reading my blog and joining me in experiencing yet another part of the world. As I mentioned earlier, loneliness is one of the pitfalls of moving about as much as I have in the last year. Sometimes I joke and claim that my computer and the Internet are my best friends! Of course the reality is that they're only the tools I use to connect to you, my friends and family. If you have a moment to leave a comment, I'd really appreciate it. It really lifts my spirits to know that someone has actually read my ramblings :) Thanks! or should I say "Dankie" (Thanks in Afrikaans)