La Muchacha

Here are the pictures of our apartment in Tegus.  The maid came today and cleaned, so I figured it would be a good day to snap some pictures while it looked really good.  It also gives me the opportunity to smugly say "Yeah, the maid came today".

So far we only have our "muchacha" coming twice a week.   She just cleans and eventually we would like to get someone everyday who will also cook for us.  It's amazing how quickly I came around to the idea of having a person in the house who would perform all the tasks I took care of at home just 2 short weeks ago!  But working full time and the availability of incredibly affordable house help makes the notion much easier to swallow.

When we got home after the first time she came, we walked around the house, giddy, saying "Look!  She lined up all our shoes!" and "Look! She folded all the shirts!" And also "Where in the hell is the baking dish!?" and "Where did she put the placemats?"  By the way, each time she has come, she has put the clean baking dish in the oven.  I'm not complaining though, I am so grateful to have the help!

So, now to our apartment.  Much different from our 100 year old Craftsman style bungalow in Sebastopol.  I feel like I'm living in a high rise in SoCal or something.  It has a lot of things I wasn't expecting in an apartment that we would ever be able to afford... granite countertops, bidet, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 balconies, 1 covered patio (maybe we'll have and indoor garden there?), 4th floor views of the beautiful mountains and twinkling city lights at night.

Hope you enjoy the pictures!!

Tomorrow is our first payday and we are taking ourselves out on the town!!

Political update - The Pro-Zelaya folks are at it these days and getting quite a lot of media coverage.  They know that when they throw rocks and burn hot button icons like a Popeye's Chicken restaurant or a school bus, it will garner a lot of dramatic press.  We are well informed by the administration at the school and we are personally taking precautions to be aware of the events of the city before we head out.  The rock throwers and arsonists are only a small fraction of the people in this city of almost 2 million, so take the mainstream media's reporting with a grain of salt.

Last night, Honduras beat Costa Rica in a soccer match, 4-0.  We watched the game at Colin &  Elisa's place.  As each goal was scored, we would turn down the volume on the TV and listen as our colonia erupted in cheers.  Air horns and gun shots were also heard (don't worry, the gun shots were not as alarming as it sounds - amazing what you can begin to tolerate about a new culture in a short amount of time).  Honduras needed this win on so many levels.  The political situation has been dominating people's psyches and it was good to focus on a positive element of this new culture that we are just beginning to scratch the surface of.