Day 5

July 23, 2012

We were able to sleep in until 430. Hopefully we will finally get over the time change. Joel boiled some eggs to go with our cereal and fruit. We did get a little unpacking in before attending staff worship where we were introduced to the other teachers. If you know me well enough then you are aware of my comfort level during that portion of the day with all eyes on me. Man Kin gave us an umbrella and told us the Typhoon had been moved to level 3 and would be at an 8 at the end of the night. It is a 1-10 scale.  Level 8 is when shops, schools and public transportation close for the day.

After my horrific experience being center of attention we were rushed off to the immigration office where the majority of our morning was spent.  An English teacher that arrived from the Philippines this morning also went to fill out his paperwork. The maintenance man, whose name we finally found to be Mr. Chan, drove us the 15 minutes to the office where hundreds of other immigrants had already starting the 3 visit process. Mr. Vong, a math teacher from the Philippines, joined us as our guide.  I now have a new mentality when it comes to these offices. They are very confusing and people are not nice. Joel and I took a small bag of chips and 2 bananas as a snack since it was now 9 and breakfast was so long ago.

While sitting at the office we were able to talk to our new friends. They invited us to join them on a trip to the Philippines in February. Plans to travel are coming into place and it gets me very excited. Having people there made the time pass quickly. This was the first appointment. Three total are needed with an additional medical exam. Then we should receive our blue card (green card in the US) in September.

After we arrived back at the school we decided to go out to eat lunch and then go to the store. We ate a restaurant called Quinella. The food was OK, but after seeing the chickens at the market the day before, it was hard to eat the meat. I am trying to be proficient in chop sticks so I use them wherever we go. While eating Joel and I talked about how many things are backwards here. Besides driving on the wrong side of the road, the light switches are on the outside of the room and have to be pressed down to turn on a light. I still have not gotten used to that.

When we were finished eating, Joel went to McDonald’s to get a shake before we went to the grocery store. In the "Walmart of Macau"  we bought cleaner, a laundry basket, food, and a converter power strip. Here I saw dead and skinned chicken with the head and limbs were still intact so I decided I am going to hold off on eating meat for awhile. We also bought our own umbrellas for the rains ahead. We knew it was possibly going to get worse so we stalked up on some things.  I attempted to find ant killer because our apartment is infested with them but I was without success.

By the time we left the store the rains had already started. We loaded up our backpacks and headed home. When we arrived we were soaked. After we put everything away we decided to take a short nap.

When we woke up I cleaned the entire bathroom on my hands and knees, made dinner and put a few other items away.  I face-timed with my nieces and sis-in-law and now I am ready to hit the sack. Hoping to get on the right time schedule.