New Home Sweet Home

Hi there!

I arrived safe & sound last week and have been spending my time just chilling out. Flip-flops and shorts or a sundress are the way to go here -- why did I pack any heels? I have three pair in my closet and they won't see the light of day till... well, who knows?

Joel and I are living in a very nice neighborhood in Antigua. An armed guard is at the gate to let you in and out and only people with resident permits are allowed in. We walked around the 'hood yesterday and took some nice pictures of the houses. Well, not the actual houses, but the streets and the giant concrete walls that go around people's houses. Houses here are like fortresses -- NO ONE has an open yard where you can just walk up to the front door. NO ONE. There are gigantic walls with big ol' gates around the houses. Oh, and some of the more paranoid folks have barbed wire lining the top edge of their fences. Nothing says "Welcome to my casa" like a layer of barbed wire. How in the world do Girl Scouts sell their cookies here???

The apartment is teeny tiny, but it's perfect. From our living/dining room windows you can see Volcan Agua -- which I thought was active but nope, it hasn't errupted since the 16th century, so I think we're ok. The people we are renting from (Norma & Alvarro) are soooo nice. They went to the market yesterday and brought us back a basket with fresh fruit -- pineapple, papaya, mango, cantaloupe, and plantains bigger than my wrist. The yard here is awesome -- check out the picture of the GIGANTIC man-eating ficus trees... Yes, the house plant that I can look at and kill in the United States grows so tall here you can carve decorative arches through them.

Joel has been making all of our meals -- and oh yeah, I could get used to that real quick -- but this morning I attempted to make pancakes and bacon. Oooh boy. It is really a good thing they don't have smoke detectors here. In my defense, I've never used a gas stove. Does that let me off the hook? I asked Joel, "Ummm, do you like your bacon crispy?" He said yes. Later, I asked, "Do you like your pancakes the same way you like your bacon???" Luckily, he said yes again -- I think he knew he didn't have a choice and was being polite. I cook cajun whether I am trying to or not -- everything coming out of Jen's Kitchen in blackened. Yummmm.

The used Subaru is doing fine. Ok, so it stalls every now and then and there's a strange whining noise coming from the engine... I think the stalling is a carbureator issue and the whining is a belt that needs replacing. See? Having a crappy car in college really DOES pay off in the long run -- you can diagnose problems in future cars... (Thanks, Mom!) And guess what -- the last 3 digits of the license plate are DSW. Ah yes, I was meant to be in this car.

That's it for this edition of "GuateJenniMalaFer's Jungle Stories." Stay tuned for our next installment!

I hope all's well with each and every one of you, wherever you may be. Stay thirsty my friends...

-Jennifer