Although it seems like a slow process, we are feeling more and more settled everyday.
Kalani, Kekai, and Prem at the soccer field
Tim had a freak-out event today when he realized how much stuff we'd managed to purchase and install in our kitchen (including a huge range of tupperware-style containers -- our cook keeps asking for a "hard box" and I kept going out and buying different sizes and shapes of hard boxes, but today finally learned what one is. I can stop buying tupperware now). This weekend, the kids finally hooked up with other kids from the apartment complex and they have been on the funny soccer field every afternoon since then. I brought my camera out at a time when only 4 of them were on the field but there are usually 8-10 jammed on the little field. It's a funny field: the stairs cut into one side of it in an arc and there is a row of palms on the other side (funny watching the kids make passes by bouncing off the trees). Kekai has been to Prem's house once this week and they seem to be having a lot of fun together.
nicer than the large empty expanse that was there
We are also finally getting some furniture. We went on a furniture-shopping trip last weekend to the furniture part of town. It turned out that the furniture area is near St. Mary's Church and it was St. Mary's Feast day. The area was jam-packed with revelers and almost impossible to walk through at points. We still made it to several furniture stores and rental places (rental prices are high enough that it makes no sense to rent for 9 mo) but the used furniture auction was closed. We were exhausted when we started to leave but went to "one more shop." The guy was selling mostly pretty cheaply made stuff but he guaranteed to buy it back from us when we left for half price. In our tired state, that was exactly what we wanted to hear and we bought a dining table with 6 chairs (room for you when you come visit!), a coffee-table (tea-table here) and a small folding table for a desk. It makes the house much more livable.
We also broke down and bought the boys the beanbag they'd been asking for since our first weekend here. They wanted it red&black Man U colors but by the time I got around to buying it that wasn't available any more.....