March 7, 2008

Yesterday, our son Oso arrived. When I went downstairs to get him he was very calm inside his
crate and as soon as he saw me he started whining. The lady who dropped him off was very nice and suggested the name of a vet (who does housecalls) and a kennel should we need one, I thought that was thoughtful, most people in the States would just leave him and be on their way. I found out quickly that the family pet is not as endeared as back home. I have to use the service elevator to transport him in and out of the hotel and if for some reason I have to leave him alone in our apartment he has to be crated, something Oso is definitely not used to. He is the prince of the house, first comes Daddy, then Mommy, then him. He has explored the apartment and has made himself at home, although our apartment is right by the elevators so when he hears someone in the hallway, he becomes protective and makes a little noise, something we have to work on. When I took him out for a walk is when the culture shock set in. I had more stares from walking a dog than wearing a tank top. Some people veered to the right to try and not come in contact with him, some people just crossed the street to avoid him altogether. I am being polite and when I see someone approaching I make him stay as close to me as possible until they pass, but that does not stop the staring. Jim has told me that the locals view a dog as a filthy animal, much like the pig, so disapproval will be high. It makes me feel better though, because if they won't eat pork, then they won't eat Oso...so save your "dinner" jokes. Pets also are not allowed in a lot of areas like a public park...I know! That is the one place you would think would be safe to take Oso. So I can't take him to the park, on the subway, for a walk to the corner store to get milk because I'm afraid to leave him outside, avoid all people walking on the street and lock him up in his own house...poor Oso, he'll survive, he has us.

I will start my house hunting on Friday, I'm so excited! The sooner we can get into a permanent place, the sooner we can get back to normal. We are working on it in stages. Jim is braving driving (even though he got lost going to work this morning) I am tackling the shopping and struggling with the european appliances but am able to produce dinner so far every night. I have 2 real estate agents who I'll be working with. I had to fill out questionnaire's for both so they would know what I'm interested in looking at and where we would like to live. I set up an appointment on my own for Saturday to view a townhouse that we have been interested in since November and chances would have that it is still available and accepts pets. Everything here is negotiable, which is why the office suggests using an agent. Whatever the posted rent is, that can all be changed to include tv, broadband, certain furniture even maid service. I know that we are to be immersing ourselves into the culture but there are some things even I need. Like this morning, I am planning on having fajitas for dinner tonight but they don't sell grated cheese. Even at home I never bought grated cheese because it was more expensive and I could grate it myself but I don't have a box grater here, so I had to improvise. I found that a vegetable peeler works just as well and makes pretty strips and if I want it finer I just chopped up the strips. But at home I would have bought grated cheese. I'm sure that once we get into a neightborhood the grocery stores will offer more selection that Hock Choon market who now recognizes me.