A work in progress

The house Phuong and I share looks great. It's three stories, has two bathrooms, three bedrooms and cable TV. Ah, but there are some issues. That's always the case, isn't it? About half the lights work, and it takes 5 to 12 seconds for the bathroom light to come on. The water pressure is OK, but the only warm water is in the upstairs shower. I use a kettle to heat water when I do dishes. And I've been told the water drains into our neighbor's walls. This is the karaoke neighbor, so I don't care. It's our landlord's issue, anyway. The stairs are steep, slippery, winding and moderately dangerous. If your feet are wet, all the floors, which are some sort of fake marble, are really slippery. I took a spectacular fall in our bathroom one night. And a while back, I closed the bathroom door, and it wouldn't open. I was stuck, until Phuong used a screwdriver and hammer and busted the door open, rendering the door knob useless. There are no vents in the kitchen, so when you cook the smoke leaves the room out the windows or open door. Fire alarms? Don't make me laugh. We run fans all the time. The good news is that the bedroom air conditioner works well. I do my school work in the bedroom, so it's where I spend most of my time.
I mention all this because a house is being built behind us, and one of the foundation pillars fell on Friday. Luckily, no kids were around, and no one was hurt. The pillar fell away from our house, but it still shook the earth. I hope they do a better job with the plumbing and electric. I'm always a little nervous when I stand on our third-floor balcony. It's a long way down.
Our friends David and Alexandra gave us fresh coffee beans as a gift when they visited. We used our new blender to grind the beans, but I went overboard and created coffee dust. The coffee is still excellent, but takes a really long time to make. I'm such a buffoon. I hope we can see those guys when we get to the United States. I'll make them a cup of coffee.
Phuong, who's a certified nurse, cured the ugly, god-awful heat rash on my arms. She found some liquid soap and cream, and within three days the rash was essentially gone. Phuong's also a certified IT person, so she can fix my computer and cell phone. She hooked me up with a second-hand printer that's made my life in my classes with real young students so much better. Phuong is one of those people who does just about everything well. She's been playing tennis for only a few months, but she wins about half our matches. I've been playing a long time, but then again, I'm one of those people who doesn't do much of anything well.
I've been a little tired lately, the result of cleaning up my lifestyle. Fewer cigarettes, less coffee, and more water. I had four classes Saturday and started the day exhausted, so I was expecting a rough time. Just the opposite. All the classes went well and I had a great day. Go figure. I've walked into classes super prepared with what I think is a super lesson plan, and the students have acted like I've got some ugly rash on my arms while I'm teaching. But overall, classes are super.
Speaking of super, Phuong and I have been together for a little over nine months. Happy, happy, happy.
We're waiting for Phuong's interview at the U.S. embassy in July to find out if she can get a visa and come to the U.S. with me. We're hopeful, but I've learned to expect the worst and hope for the best when it comes to this kind of stuff.