The mysteries of washing machines in foreign countries

Six o'clock, and a most beautiful sunset, which we can see well from our westward-facing apartment. The rainy season clouds provide a beautiful canvas for for the sun's last rays.

This week is all about getting settled and exploring, because I have a feeling that once classes start, there won't be much time for either of these. Today's project: laundry! Deciphering the washing machine is always an initial challenge when living in another country. This one provided to be slightly more challenging than my Japanese machine, which was surprising, for I couldn't read kanji. After all, I can read Spanish, and the machine has English translations, and pictures - but I've never seen a machine like it. There are two separate compartments, one for the wash and rinse cycle, and one for the spin, so you have to switch the close between the two, and monitor the water flow and draining. It requires more attention than your average washing machine, but once I figured it out, it worked well.

We also had a nice chat with Sucy and Arlan today in their house. They are really kind people and I feel very lucky to live here.

Another daily project at the moment, which I also think will fall by the wayside once school starts, is reading the newspaper in Spanish. I've been reading La Nacion, which is a San Jose daily paper. It's great practice, and I can understand enough that I just have to look up the occasional word in the dictionary, so it's not too laborious. Plus, the same words come up repeatedly, so I'm finding that each day, I have to look up a few less words. It certainly takes me longer to read than an English paper, but it's a good challenge and a fun way to study!

We've been enjoying Spanish TV, too. Alistiar is loving the sports coverage (football and baseball), with Spanish commentary. It's also fun to watch movies in English with Spanish subtitles and see how they translate things - another way to learn vocabulary and idioms.

Tomorrow we are going to walk to the University, which is 13 kilometers roundtrip. I'm excited!