Language. Home. First Grade.

Yikes! It's been a week since I blogged?! Sorry. Our internet has been terrible but I think we've got it fixed now.


We're still settling in here in Salatiga. Sean started language classes on Monday. I'll be meeting with a tutor for the next month while we arrange a babysitter for our younger girls and get our house set up. We're very glad to be here! And we're also very anxious to get some more language under our belt so we can express ourselves better. I fumble around trying to talk to our house helper. Here's how it goes:

1. I look up what I want to say and I practice a million times before I work up the nerve to try it on my helper. I'm so excited because I've got this thing figured out!
2. I find her, interrupt what she's doing and fumble around a few terms that obviously aren't the Indonesian I thought they were.
3. She shakes her head at me in confusion.
4. Then the Spanish words start pouring forth from my mouth.
5. Then I stop myself, take a breath and....
6. Then I try some English.
7. Then I stop again when she just looks at me strangely.
8. Then she tries to say what she things I'm trying to say.
9. I stare dumbly at her.
10. She stares dumbly at me.
11. I blurt out some Spanish again.
12. Then, I run to find the Indonesian dictionary.
13. Oops. Sean took the dictionary to class.
14. A few words of Spanglish.
15. Then another blank stare from the helper.
16. She babbles out some more Indonesian and points.
17. I point, nod my head, try to repeat what I think I just heard.
18. She corrects me.
19. I gallantly try again.
20. She gives up.
21. We point again.
22. She smiles and nods.
23. I think I got through!
24. I say, "Si! Gracias! Lo siento!"
25. Then I turn and leave the room before I confuse her any more than I already have.
26. Then she goes about her way NOT doing what I thought I'd asked her to do. But she's so sweet about it that I decide to let it go. Who really cares if the garlic is stored in the fridge anyway?
    

I need to learn me some Indonesian!

Okay, so what you really want is pictures. All you get is two. So far, we haven't had much time for taking pictures. Once we get into the groove a little more, I'll hopefully have lots more to share with you!

Here is a picture of the front of our house. The house you see next door actually belongs to our landlord. His daughter speaks English, so she's helped us out some.

Brooklyn in our backyard all ready for her first day of First Grade! (She loves her school, by the way.)