How Amazing!

It has been a great couple of days! We were picked up from the airport by our principal in the school bus (which is more like a hotel van) and taken to what was our home up until yesterday, the Costa Verde Bed and Breakfast. Most of this week was spent getting to know the school, the administrative staff, and finding a house. All of the new teachers (5 of us) were taken around by a person from the school named Maria Fernanda to look for housing. We were a little worried the first day because we could not find houses that we liked. However, on the second day we found our house! It is two stories with lots of nice art and beautiful woodwork throughout the house. It is pretty well furnished, but we had to do some shopping at Mundo Pequeno for dishes, pots, bedsheets, etc. Also, we bought plenty of candles for the blackouts, which seem fairly common. Not only is the house beautiful but the garden is amazing! It has many huge tropical plants iwth bright flowers, there is a banana tree behind the house and a papaya tree in front of it. There is a bridge that leads over the creek to a very large garden area with a small pool and waterfall in the center of it. There are two dogs named Tita and Negra, and also several kitties here. It seems like a great place to live for both human and animals. There are seven other people who live in house and little single apartments on the property, but because of all the wildlife it seems very private. There is also a guard who is very helpul! He speaks no English but we seem to communicate very well. We still have a long list of things to buy to make our house a home..but we are well on our way!