Scribbles in the Sun

Well, time for a little update! We have moved into the Hiebert's house that they will be renting. I will be staying with them for the next few days, and seeing as there are 5 bathrooms in this house, it is easy to spread out a bit! I'm hoping to get documents signed with my landlord in the next day or two then get moved into my apartment. It is proving to be difficult to rent here in Caracas. The laws are in favour of the renters, not the landlords and so many people would rather their apartment or condo sit empty than risk renting it. But this is where being a "foreigner" is actually to our benefit, and they are more open to renting to us because we are connected with a church. These days have been exhausting trying to tie up loose ends and get some shopping done. My most awkward moments always seem to be when I'm shopping, maybe because I'm under pressure and just don't know the vocabulary. Those are the moments that are discouraging. Then th...

Well, we're still hangin' out at the hotel, but it has become a good temporary home. I am repacking some of my suitcases because I seem to be running out of clothes. I have been digging down deep into my bags to find clean pants and shirts, because I used a lot of my clothes to pack breakable things. Genius at the moment of packing, so annoying on a Sunday morning when I can't find my pants! We headed off to church Sunday morning and had a great time visiting afterward. We met our pastor's son, who is a Canadian citizen because he was born in Regina while his dad was attending seminary. Right now he lives in Victoria and attends UVic so it was great to chat with someone who has a frame of reference for our homes in Canada. He'll be heading back in two weeks to return to University. After church I headed out with 2 new friends, we had a great meal at a Lebanese restaurant (note to self: I MUST go back and get the labneh!!!). However, on our way back to the hotel...

Ok, so I haven't really been able to take any photos to share yet here in Caracas....but I still wanted to let you know that we arrived safe and sound on Saturday and have been laying low this week. It has been good to just relax after the whirlwind of finishing school, packing up my life in Costa Rica, jumping on a plane and getting settled here in Caracas. Right now I'm staying in a hotel. It's not ideal, but I'm comfortable and have a little kitchen so I'm having fun cooking for myself once again. Takes a little creativity too, when you only have 1 sharp knife, 1 burner, no oven, no microwave, a mini-fridge, and barely enough room to turn around! Last Friday we had our graduation at my language school in San José, and it went really well. And then Saturday morning we took off to Venezuela. I had a very hard time saying goodbye to my host family in Costa Rica. Mami and Papi have been like family to me for the past year and took very good care of me, I ...