Caroline here!  I am at the internet cafe and it feels so good! It is about the only air conditioned place around Samara  (besides the bank, but they don’t like it when I stand in there and watch tv for some reason!) I have to pay to sit here in this luxury, but it is worth it!

Things were rough at first, but they are getting better slowly.  I am learning how to live a completely different lifestyle.  Without the bugs and the heat, this place is heaven – really.  However, we are just learning how to deal with the bugs (lots of tricks now up my sleeve, but still none for sand fleas) and the heat gets a bit more bearable each day, a bit.

I have seen more animals in the past week than in my entire life.  I am trying to take pictures of every animal that goes in front of our house to post once we can get our own computers online.  This morning I woke up and there was a crab (a pretty big one) in the kitchen sink – how the f&*% did he get there?  Don’t know, but he was a feisty little sucker!  Our neighbor Mara helped me get him out.  I could have done it myself , but I was waiting for Jamie to get up and see it first.  Mara does our laundry and I hang it inside the house with fans so that no one steals it -well, more in case it rains.  She has also been helping me learn how to clean the Tico way.  I am reminded of Jessica constantly – elbow grease and bleach (I love you Jess!).

Our Spanish is a tiny bit better now, mainly we know how to ask for a jump start on our truck and tell the mechanic to come over.  Jamie called the taxi driver today, too, but unfortunately he was in another town (6 hours away) and couldn’t come get us.  So we walked here along the beach.  It is not far at all, you just sweat like a whore in church, and smell – oh god, don’t get me started on how we smell.  As if Jamie needed any help! (luckily he is sitting here with me and gave approval for that post).  We take like 3 showers a day, but we still smell.

Ok, I should go.  It is raining outside now so we might try to find cover until it passes over.  Can you say “?Cerveza por favor?”  ha ha.  We love everybody and miss you all so so so much!  I will post again as soon as I can.  Ciao!    ~C4 and Jamie