Time

It's hard to believe tomorrow is already Wednesday.

This week has already been an eventful one!! Monday morning, I was surprised with some house warming gifts from my Director. He'd heard about my lack of decent kitchenware and decided to bring me some!! I ended up with some stainless steal silverware, some nice drinking glasses, and some cooking utensils!! I was totally blown away by how nice the gesture was...it was a fantastic way to begin the day!!

Later that day, I began filming something for an event the school is throwing on December 18th. I met with a group of boys who will be playing in the game, and we filmed for a bit. Later, I spent some time with Emilija at her house. She truly has such a sweet family, and I always feel like I'm at home when I'm at her house!! That night, I was able to do some much needed online chatting with friends and family back home. Thank goodness for having internet.

I'm actually having some problems with my apartment right now. For instance, my hot water boiler for my shower only provides hot water for about 2 minutes, if that. You can imagine how impossible it is for me to have a decent shower. I'm also experiencing problems with my bathroom actually flooding, because the pipes all seem to be messed up. I haven't wanted to complain too much to anyone about it, because I dont like to feel like Im burdening anyone. Not to mention, I like to see if I can fix things on my own first. Well, my Director ended up contacting Peace Corps about it, who ended up calling me last night to discuss what needed to be done. I had Emilija get my landlord over last night, and he honestly did not believe there was any problem at all. Basically, Peace Corps requires him to replace that boiler, if needed, so if he doesnt....well, I may be looking into a new home. Let's hope it doesnt come to that!!

This morning, I woke up and took my time getting ready. I attempted to make the lemon zest pasta I love so much, but not having the right red pepper flakes really dulled the flavor, but it was good non the less!! I filmed the guys for a second day, and they looked super in their uniforms!! Afterwards, I spent the entire afternoon editing the two videos. It was exhausting, so I ended up snacking on all the food I had in the house and turning on some good music. : ) Currently, both videos are done, so I'm feeling accomplished!!

Tomorrow will be a long day. I have a meeting at 12:30 for anyone who is interested in being a cheerleader for the event. I really hope girls show up!!!!! Afterwards, Emilija and I have our longest day where we have classes from 1:30-6:40pm, with no real break. I will be sleeping like a baby tomorrow night. Thursday and Friday shouldn't be too busy though, so I'll have some time to put into finalizing things for the basketball event.

All in all, everything is going really well for me. I am beginning to settle into living here, which is a great feeling. The difference in dialect is still a lot for me to take in, but I am slowly getting used to that as well. The hardest thing about being here so far is having to explain yourself to people so that they understand you. A lot of people here can't understand why I like to spend so much time alone or why I'm sometimes being so quiet. How can I actually explain what it feels like to be in a country so different from my own with no family and friends nearby? It's a difficult concept to grasp, because most people have never had to make such a transition in their life....so they can't understand why it takes me a little while to come around fully. You know?

What I really need now to is find some friends here....and non-American ones. Don't get me wrong, I ADORE my volunteers buddies, but I really need someone who actually lives in the city and will come over and cook some dinner with me. I need someone I can relate to, someone to shop with, someone to drink a glass of wine with on my balcony, someone to travel with....I was just telling Lilika today, that in America, I'd play volleyball every Monday and Wednesday with my friends in the park. Afterwards, Amanda and I would always go eat Mexican food. Just the routine was something I looked forward to every week, and I miss having a girlfriend I can share all my time with...I'm really looking forward to making some friends, I simply don't know where to find them. : )

Enough for now!! I've recently discovered that I can actually rent movies on Itunes for about $3.99 per rental, and I am loving it!! So tonight, I plan on hibernating in bed with a movie and some popcorn. Sweet dreams everyone!!