Sep 10 (5 of 5) - As well, the locals have been nothing short of saintly in the patience they exhibit with our feeble language abilities. They are always happy and eager to try and help us, and though they might be laughing at us, hey, at least they're laughing. So eventually we always end up getting (sort of) what we were trying for. We might not get the exact food we thought, but we're not starving either. And each little daily task we accomplish becomes cause for celebration! So today when we figured out our hot water heater (ok, so our landlord had to show us), we danced the Dance of Joy for at least 10 minutes! Our level of appreciation for previously-taken-for-granted tasks is at all time highs! The first steps are always the hardest, but we constantly remind ourselves that they are also ultimately the most rewarding. We didn't expect the move to be easy, so now it's just a matter of putting in the hard time. While daunting, our life here improves every day and we are encouraged. I look forward to documenting increasing victories over the next many months, and decreasing frustrations!