Finally settled....sort of

We have finally arrived in our permanent apartment today! We are so happy to be able to unload all of these suitcases and truly call a place home for a change. Today has been a very busy day for us. We got up and packed all of our stuff, and then went grocery shopping while our new apartment was being cleaned. The grocery store we went to is called "Park and Shop." We have come to love this place. First of all, it is air conditioned so it is always a great break from the heat. Second, it reminds us so much of the grocery store back home, even if some of the prices are much more expensive. A loaf of sliced bread costs $10. Third, the place is like a club....no lie. They are constantly playing American Hip-Hop and R&B. Today, I am pretty sure we heard Akon, Usher, and Justin Bieber. We love it. Today we had to pick up alot of items that we needed for our home such as cleaning supplies, tupperware, and a few skillets. We also did our grocery shopping for the week. After that we came home and moved all of our suitcases from one room to another. Nate and one of the security guards, Udu (sp???), moved all of it down one flight of stairs, across the compound, and up another flight of stairs. It is the most Nate has sweated since being here. Udu is a very sweet man that is always willing to help around the compound.

After that it was off to do some more shopping, as Park and Shop didn't have everything we needed. We first walked to this street just a couple of blocks away that a bunch of local artists sell their pieces. We bought a carved elephant for $12 (retail $45 at Disney's Animal Kingdom) and three gorgeous paintings. It was amazing how cheap the handcrafted items are here. Family and friends be prepared to receive some African merchandise for Christmas and such!!

We then headed to Azia and Casino to finish off our shopping for the day. When we finally arrived back at our apartment we were very tired, but happy to have had such a fun day in the city. We promise to take some more pictures around the city soon. Unfortunately, both of us are very bad about remembering to bring a camera.

Allie had her first English class yesterday. There was probably about 12-15 employees in the class! Going forward, Allie will teach two classes a week. One will be for beginners and will take place on Wednesday morning. The other is for more advanced students and will take place on Fridays. The employees love having this class. They are so eager to learn, and Allie is having a blast teaching. She even taught them the word "y'all" yesterday!! Last thing we will mention because we know this blog is getting long. Last night the power went out and we thought we were going to have to sleep without the fan on. Thankfully, it came back on around 9:30 to which Nate exclaimed, "Victory!!" He might have woken up a few neighbors. Please continue to pray for us, especially with the language learning. It has been particularly frustrating so far. Love you all!