Letter 6 (page 1)

11 August 1996

Dear ............................,

As you can see, we have not moved as I had expected. Our lease ran out in April so we were free to go but Lan was still overseas and there was a possibility that she was going to change jobs. As a result, we decided to stay until the landlord comes back in October. I did not want to commit ourselves to at least 6 months in a new place and then have Lan get a job on the other side of town. I was also concerned that I would choose something but Lan would not like it.

My work has been quite busy and we have been asked to work up to 55 hours/week for a few months. I get paid for it but I think I would rather have the time. I notice that my attitude toward money is somewhat complicated. I will go halfway across town to save $20 if something is on sale but if the opportunity comes to earn an extra $20, I am not really interested.

Since I am now working longer hours, it is not possible for me to drop Lan at her office and to pick her up on the way home. In any case, Lan's company has moved to a new office 15 km away so she has to take the car. Her old office was only 4 km away and she occasionally rode her bike (below).

I have discovered a connecting bus where I wait just 4 minutes between rides on the way to work, so I get the 6.27am and get to work at 7.05. As I mentioned in a previous letter, the buses are clean and comforable and not crowded (good for the individual but sad that so few take public transport). On the way home the connection does not work at all and it is a half-hour walk to another bus stop to catch a direct bus. One thing that impresses me is that 92% of Denver buses have a lift platform built into the front step for wheel-chair users. I saw it in action and although it is slow, it must give wheel- chair users a much greater ability to be independent. Getting up so early has been easy in the summer but I don't think I could do it in the winter. Waiting for the bus in temperatures below freezing with no bus shelters is not appealing. By then we will have moved so I should not need to.

Lan will be starting a C++ computer programming course in a few weeks at a local college. We have benefited from a law passed last week that allows foreigners to pay the same fees as locals if they have been working and paying taxes in Colorado for more than 12 months. The course will now cost $300 instead of $1300. Good timing!

Next: Trip to South Dakota