A few thoughts as I drink my morning coffee here, mildly excited about heading out.  I don’t dare drive up my expectations too high, but that’s where I’m at.

This past month and some has been such a wild roller-coaster ride, with solutions seeming so close, only to run off again with new challenges taking their place.  I’ve been reflecting on the silver lining that accompanies all things that appear negative at first.  They are many.

First, and foremost, my Spanish has improved significantly, such that I can now carry a decent conversation no matter the situation.  It had been such a while since I used that part of my brain, it had frankly atrophied, and the vocabulary I once had was mostly dormant.  Each different challenge revived another part of it, and what was previously described as archipelagos is now fairly bridged.

Cass is picking it up also, no slower than I at first, and has begun to respond automatically in Spanish to greetings.  It’s daunting, humbling, exciting when it works, and makes everything a challenge. (Food, manners and toilet paper 🙂 )

I now have a list in my head of suppliers in David for parts should I need them.  This is golden when you consider the car is our freedom.  To know this prior to traveling, is peace of mind.

Next, we have both acclimatized.  David is hot and humid, and often unbearably so, such that showering several times a day is the only solution.   Temperatures, now that the seasons are changing, are regularly in the 30’s during the day.  Ughh… Being here has taught us to manage it.

Friends!  Those that are, make themselves evident, and their importance can’t be overstated.  Life here is nothing without them, and downright boring also.  We’ve both met an eclectic cast of characters here that bounce in and out.   Every one of them has a story.  (Gracias gracias Ella for the bug bite cream!!!)

Culture shock.  Latino culture is full of enigmas, but what I notice here is what is missing in this “backward” country.  There are NO red-light cameras.  No automated checkouts at the grocery stores.  They bag your groceries for you, and cart them out to your car for tips.  There are lots of cops, but they are out copping, not collecting.  This is NOT a society that will hold your hand, and what that means is that the gov’t here isn’t in your face every second of the day.  Cass finally understands what I’ve been talking about.  It’s something you have to witness to understand, and only a month in and around it allows it to be noticed.  Almost all gas stations have attendants, and all have free air, and water for your radiator.  Self-serve is rare.  The attendants work for tips, 25-50c is good.  Mosquitoes are small, but bite hard, and often more than once.  Hens, chickens, dogs, and geckos are everywhere.  Silence is relative.

Diet.  Rice, beans, chicken, fish, and pork.  Get used to it.  Love it.  It’s not all good, but it’s all food.  Don’t complain, there’s no point.  More to the point is to be glad you don’t get sick, which we never have yet.  Buen provencio (sp), is our “bon appetit”, loosely translates to “good digestion”.  Far more important that having a good appetite.  LOL

Water!  OMG!!!  Don’t go anywhere of consequence without it.  Period.

All these things, and more I’m sure, have all been better learned here than out on the road, or not at all.  Here, where they gave us the keys, let us use the parking garage for a full month, loaned me tools, gave us help, tolerated my moods (mild for the most part), and have still not closed the offer.  I continue to look for ways to give it back.