So we may have found a house, just waiting for the owner to sign the contract. I'm not looking forward to spending the next 3 weeks in this apartment but if there's a light at the end of the tunnel, then I can handle it. Someone has a dog which is probably really hoarse today because it was barking for at least an hour straight last night. Lovely. One of the houses we looked at was almost 7,000 square feet and Miranda had such a good time chasing the dog around that the owner said we could keep him there if we wanted to. It also had a cat which doesn't go well with Rusty's allergies. But there is no hvac in any of the homes here, just room air-conditioners (if you're lucky) and under-floor heating.
We ate at an American-themed restaurant called "Spur" a couple of times. Their menu is geared towards the US, the decor is Native American. Miranda had grilled cheese, I ordered from the section that stated "enough for two" thinking that I would have leftovers. Nope. It was chicken quesidillas, a medium-sized tortilla cut into fourths, just the perfect size for my dinner but too small for a second meal. They had a play area with 'child-minders' so we could hang out at the table while Miranda ran around. The second Spar we visitied was at the casino which was similar to Ameristar in KC. It was nice because the shops were open which usually are closed by 6:00pm every night. Makes it impossible to run errands after Rusty gets home from work.
The language barrier is a bit frustrating for me with the locals. They speak so fast and I cannot understand them most of the time. You have to be very blunt and forward and somewhat demanding when asking for something which I am not very good at yet. I wonder if it's just as hard for them to understand me. Grocery shopping is still interesting and time consuming because I'm not quite sure what some things are. Luckily I ran into another US citizen who has lived here for 2 years and she was able to guide me through the baking aisle. Still getting used to degrees celsius and 24-hour time.
The Lion Park on Sunday was a fun experience. It was not overly crowded and we happened to show up on the day where they let you watch them feed the animals. We had a very close spot in the lion area, maybe a little too close for comfort, and watched as a truck full of what looked like zebra legs drove through with a man in the back throwing them out as the lions chased after them. Then we got to drive through the rest of the park with cheetas and other animals. I liked the cub area where you could pay to pet them. They were like dog-sized kittens and would sometimes nip at your hands. You could also feed the giraffes but Miranda didn't want to get too close. Back at the food area they had a braii (BBQ) buffet with lots of grilled goodies. It was about a 30 minute drive from our apartment and I got to see a lot of Africa scenery. We passed by a very large settlement where the poorest of the poor live. It was like a giant shanty-town with 'homes' made out of whatever people could scrap together. I would guess over 15,000 people live in there and can't even imagine what it must be like.
Today I went to a Sam's Club-like store with a friend and then out to lunch at McDonald's. Miranda got a McNuggets Happy Meal with a choice of corn or fries and a side of sweet and sour sauce for dipping. For my extra-value meal I got the medium fries and drink which is equivalent to a small in the US, and there is no super-size here. Everything tasted the same except the fries seem to have less sugar and salt on them and weren't as greasy. The Sprite was cold even though I forgot to ask for it with ice. My bad.
I still do not have a phone, only Skype, but hopefully that will change this week. My next adventure will be attempting to drive. I haven't taken the required course yet, but I want to practice first.
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