Water, Boxes, and Automobiles

On Wednesday, after a few calls and Jake using google translate to text with the installation tech, we have internet!  This makes us feel a little more connected to the world.  It also helps KC’s days at home go faster.

Jake went to the water facility today to get the account transferred to our name from the owner of our condo.  Everything here requires an ID, a contract, a social security card, a passport, and other forms of identification showing you are who you say you are and you live where you say you live.  It took Jake about an hour or so at the facility.  We're told that isn't too bad considering other peoples experiences.  Again, we're thankful to Gilbert's wife Yvette for helping us find the water facility...things here can be hard to find without help.

After work, Jake went to see a car.  Gilbert helped us set up the appointment the night before and the owner brought someone who spoke relatively good English.  We met in a public place for safety.  As soon as the car arrived, it was very obvious the entire car had been repainted.  It wasn't factory paint and the owners said they buy and sell cars and that they painted this one because the paint had faded.  This was Jake's first sign that something wasn't quite right.  He looked for the body part labels to see if they were present and looked legitimate, which they did not.  You could not clearly identify the VIN.  Next was the test drive.  The inside looked ok.  It needed brakes, a turn signal was out, and the tire pressure warning light was on.  It turns out a lot of cars here have issues with the tire pressure because all of the sensors get broken from the bumps and potholes.  Also, the headlights didn't work, but they claimed they hadn't checked them.  Again, suspicious.  By this time, Jake had already ruled out the car and was just using this as an experience to learn from.  When he returned to the mall parking lot, he found that the tires were cheap and had bulges, and his concern over the vehicle being in an accident were confirmed when he looked under the hood and could tell that portions of the frame had been painted in the front.  He told the owners he had a few more cars to look at and would call them if he was interested and headed home.  The car hunt continues...

Our first boxes arrived today!  Jake went to the Post and Shop and picked them up.  Some of the boxes fared better than others…  Now we get to open them up, and see what's inside! 

Fared well

Not so well...