our stuff arrives!

Well, we didn't get our shipment delivered on Friday as we were promised. After hearing that some paperwork was "lost," Gene forwarded that email to the boss here and back home. Seems that some not-so-happy words were shared...and we're pretty sure the boss here made some phone calls or visits or something because as we were out attempting to shop on Saturday afternoon, we got a call on the cell telling us to get home because the shipment would be delivered at 3:00. We flagged a taxi just as quickly as we could, mango sorbet in hand, and rushed home. Seems that Sammy has much more "guanxi" (relationship/clout) than we do, which is no big surprise! We have no idea where the movers parked or how the got into our building (the main floor door requires a code; good thing, since our girls always need something to fight over) but they arrived with a pile of boxes right on schedule. We spent the next few hours putting clothing, games, books and kitchen items into their new homes...and discovering that we were not as careful as we had thought with checking the voltage (wattage? hertz output?) on many items. Thus, our two ipod alarm clocks, wii, coffee grinder and keyboard will not work without some kind of adapter! Boo hoo. We also had a few moments of abject panic when Gene plugged in the grounded power strip that we use for the computer and printer. A loud popping sound echoed through the concrete apartment and all the power on the upper level went out. Yes, this includes the precious a/c and the water heater for the showers. Resetting the breaker did nothing. Gene immediately got on the phone with Annie, the HR lady who is in charge of helping us, who called the rental agent, who called the maintenance department of the complex (we think). Apparently something had to be reset somewhere (I'm so mechanically inclined!) and we were back in business. I'm sure the maintenance guys think we're a bunch of idiots since we've already had them over here to fix the drip in the bathroom sink (he recaulked underneath, but it still drips!) and to get the hot water in the girls' shower working properly. I discovered this morning that the downstairs bathroom sink also drips onto the floor. Oh, the joys of renting never cease.
Now that we have our shipment, even though we still can't make coffee, the girls can participate in gym class with the shoes they sent from home and we will hopefully be able to play our video games some time soon. It seemed very silly to be unpacking sweaters and jeans in this high heat and humidity but I guess we'll be glad to have them during the damp winter months. We can now also cook meals that require more than one pan...maybe this shipment thing is a mixed blessing after all! This morning I'm off to attempt some more grocery shopping with the masses before the temp hits the 90s again. Wish me luck, all you car-driving, English-labeled-food-buying, single-family-home-living people!!