We've Been Back a Week

And we're not settled in, yet!
I wasn't prepared for the adjustments, this time. After all, we remained in Southeast Asia for our vacation, right? So what's to adjust?

Well, just after returning we had a rude awakening about the car we'd been renting. We never know all that God's doing behind the scenes to keep us safe and sane. This experience has reminded us to be grateful ... even for the unseen!

In early October we'd signed a contract on our second attempt to rent a car. The lease clearly stated that we were not liable for any damage to the car, driver, passengers, and any other persons or property in the case of an accident.

And while were were gone for a month, some friends used the car. We'd decided that we'd share the cost of a car and driver because none of us could see the sense in paying for a car that largely just sits in the driveway with a driver who's bored.

Imagine our surprise when the "owner" of the car said that he wasn't the owner, was only an agent, and that the true owner only had insurance on the car, itself. And only on the owner as the driver.

Soooooooo, no car and no driver.

I got out today (as evidenced by the previous blog) with a by-the-hour hired car/driver and finally got some basics purchased. Jim and I got out on Friday night with a company pool car. They just drop you and then you have to call, again, for pick up and let's just say that the whole evening made us decide that eating out wasn't all that it's cracked up to be! (For those of you who like details: getting stranded at a restaurant that wasn't open, getting to another and eating outside near the ocean, on a boardwalk area -- nice recovery! ... strolling on the boardwalk after dinner while we awaited pick-up, trying to avoid the septic smells and the holes in the boardwalk, spotting 2 large rats right near the tables, having the pool driver go right past us and park beyond the restaurant and sit and then call his boss and say he couldn't find us, ... )

Yeah ... and then ...

We're in the rainy season, right? Before we left, we thought we had settled a potential problem during rainy season. It had been rumored that our house had flooded in past years, an idea that was easy to believe because the house is lower than anything in the area. The grated ditch in front of the house confirmed the hunch. With email assurances that the whole problem had been solved, we left for a month and asked Lusy to check on things in case of a long -- let's say 2 hours or more -- rain!

Well, after 20 minutes of rain I took pictures of the swimming pool that surrounded the house on all 4 sides with 1 1/2 inches of standing/not draining water and then I found the source of the stench -- the guest bathroom was flooding through the drain.

Many meetings and emails later (with, still, no response from Jim's company!), the compound management firm did some surveying of the area today and, with Jim's help, will design a drainage system that might work. Their first plan would have only helped the water from the higher areas get to us faster -- you can't build a drain that goes up hill and expect anything else!!! Denny, the camp boss whom I've raved about before is back. The whole compound has been falling apart so his boss brought him back -- out of the head office job he loved. I'm sooooooo grateful for Denny. He's taking action! So, Jim really wants it to rain hard so that he can put on boots and observe the water's path first-hand. I, on the other hand, would like the sun to shine forever!

We're so grateful for Lusy -- our steadfast problem-solver who works so diligently and truly tries to make everything work out! She called a maid who had worked here for a previous occupant and arranged for that maid to meet with us and Denny. The maid was a huge help in understanding the history of the flood problem. Lusy cleaned up the mess in the guest bath and threw out all of the toilet paper that was in a basket under the sink (about 10 feet away from the drain -- it's a long and narrow bathroom!) She's gotten all of our clothes washed and ironed after our trip. (Well, yeah, one blouse that I'd bought at the outlet mall and hadn't yet worn ... she washed it with something purple and now the beige lace accents on pale blue are lavender lace accents. Jim likes it. I think it's weird but I've worn it anyway!) And she just polished my silver with some polish I bought in Bangkok. And she's making Shepherd's Pie. And the house is always spotlessly clean!

And I can sit here and watch the gardeners who are raking up the grass cuttings from the weed-wacker's work whilst the weed-wacker is finishing up the side of the house.

And the rain is falling only lightly.