Settling In
This was written on Wednesday, before we got connected to the Interwebs:
It is a frustrating and difficult time for us. We found a place Saturday and moved in Monday. The problem now is getting the things that connect us to the world. We made the mistake of moving in without arranging for phone and Internet hookups first. After a trip to Starbucks to find free Internet and figure out which services were offered and who offered them, we found out that the “free Internet” was only free to people who were already customers of a certain level. We ended up going across town to my aunt’s house and talking to them and arranging an Internet hook-up. So they are coming to hook-up the Internet on Sunday (they cannot come sooner because Friday is Good Friday and therefore a holiday but Sunday, as in Easter Sunday, is okay.)
The second problem is phone(s). We are going to forgo a house phone and opt instead for the two cell-phone option. The problem is that we are only going to be here a year and we want to not pay too much up front. However, since we have no phones, buying those up front is always an obstacle and that is the case whether we choose a pay-as-you-go plan or a monthly plan. One of the downsides of the Internet is that it has become my primary resource for finding everything and I have forgotten how I found anything before it. We want to find used phones but without the Internet we have no idea where to look. When we were at my aunt’s house, ㅈ went on an Korean website and found a woman offering two phones for free if the “buyer” would take over the monthly plan. We are going to find out more Friday or Saturday. We need a phone soon because until then we are incommunicado.
It has been a problem because my brother and sister-in-law had their baby on Tuesday. When I was at my aunt’s I called them and talked to everyone. It was a girl that they have named Christina James and she was 8 pounds 15 ounces. Lest you complain that the middle name is a little too boyish, you should know that that is my middle name and they wanted to name the child after me regardless of gender. I consider it a huge honour (remember, I am in Canada now) that was very unexpected. My brother is very overwhelmed, but in a good way. He could only say, “She is so beautiful!” over and over again.
ㅈ and I have been struggling with the lack of structure in our lives now. We are frustrated at the struggle to fill up our empty days. This morning we went running together and I discovered a huge pet peeve: running with people who walk too much. ㅈ kept stopping and walking and I ended up getting extremely pissed and pushing her (both literally and vocally). After we turned around I told her that she could run as slow as she wanted but she had to R-U-N the whole time. There was one time she walked and a few times I really had to push and nag her to get running after crossing some roads. We are now getting up earlier, exercising, and trying to develop some positive habits and structure to our day but we are still having trouble filling in our afternoons. I wanted to avoid tv but the apartment came with one that had cable and that is what we are using to fill in our days. (ㅈ’s favorite channel is TLC, especially the show about the family with eight kids.) Next week she’ll start looking for a job and soon we will fall into a rhythm that isn’t so wasteful.
It is a frustrating and difficult time for us. We found a place Saturday and moved in Monday. The problem now is getting the things that connect us to the world. We made the mistake of moving in without arranging for phone and Internet hookups first. After a trip to Starbucks to find free Internet and figure out which services were offered and who offered them, we found out that the “free Internet” was only free to people who were already customers of a certain level. We ended up going across town to my aunt’s house and talking to them and arranging an Internet hook-up. So they are coming to hook-up the Internet on Sunday (they cannot come sooner because Friday is Good Friday and therefore a holiday but Sunday, as in Easter Sunday, is okay.)
The second problem is phone(s). We are going to forgo a house phone and opt instead for the two cell-phone option. The problem is that we are only going to be here a year and we want to not pay too much up front. However, since we have no phones, buying those up front is always an obstacle and that is the case whether we choose a pay-as-you-go plan or a monthly plan. One of the downsides of the Internet is that it has become my primary resource for finding everything and I have forgotten how I found anything before it. We want to find used phones but without the Internet we have no idea where to look. When we were at my aunt’s house, ㅈ went on an Korean website and found a woman offering two phones for free if the “buyer” would take over the monthly plan. We are going to find out more Friday or Saturday. We need a phone soon because until then we are incommunicado.
It has been a problem because my brother and sister-in-law had their baby on Tuesday. When I was at my aunt’s I called them and talked to everyone. It was a girl that they have named Christina James and she was 8 pounds 15 ounces. Lest you complain that the middle name is a little too boyish, you should know that that is my middle name and they wanted to name the child after me regardless of gender. I consider it a huge honour (remember, I am in Canada now) that was very unexpected. My brother is very overwhelmed, but in a good way. He could only say, “She is so beautiful!” over and over again.
ㅈ and I have been struggling with the lack of structure in our lives now. We are frustrated at the struggle to fill up our empty days. This morning we went running together and I discovered a huge pet peeve: running with people who walk too much. ㅈ kept stopping and walking and I ended up getting extremely pissed and pushing her (both literally and vocally). After we turned around I told her that she could run as slow as she wanted but she had to R-U-N the whole time. There was one time she walked and a few times I really had to push and nag her to get running after crossing some roads. We are now getting up earlier, exercising, and trying to develop some positive habits and structure to our day but we are still having trouble filling in our afternoons. I wanted to avoid tv but the apartment came with one that had cable and that is what we are using to fill in our days. (ㅈ’s favorite channel is TLC, especially the show about the family with eight kids.) Next week she’ll start looking for a job and soon we will fall into a rhythm that isn’t so wasteful.