Apologies for the delayed absence....things have been pretty crazy here, as usual.

A lot has happened since I last wrote - my 22nd birthday, getting more set up in my apartment, diving into individual projects for work, my first "reunion mensual" (monthly meeting for my job), and more.

My birthday was a lot of fun - my friend/coworker Izzy and I had a generally decadent day/evening/night and then got up the next morning for all-you-can-eat pancakes at Cafe No Se, a sort of gringo/local staple in Antigua. We also finally got our hands on an English version of the latest Harry Potter, which I'd been dying to see.

My apartment is coming together...I finally figured out how to get the shower to leak less (on a good day, not at all!) and got an internet connection here, which has been a lifesaver. It doesn't exactly feel like home yet, but it's getting there.

I mentioned this a few posts ago, but my primary project at this point is www.invennovations.com (check it out - I would love feedback!), a giant database of new ideas/products in the international development world. The idea is to start getting development professionals worldwide to start talking to each other - something they don't do nearly enough at this point. I'm in charge of a ton of stuff for the site, so I've been spending pretty much all my time working on it and trying to get it ready for our more-or-less "official" launch at the end of this upcoming week.

This past week at work we had our reunion mensual, which is when all the staff from all over the country come to Antigua for monthly meeting. It's basically hours and hours of discussion in Spanish about how things are going and what we're looking to do in the future. It was pretty interesting and a good insight into the inner workings of the organization, which I'm starting to understand more and more as I continue my work here.

Overall, things are good. I'm busy, which is important for me. I've joined a gym, am planning on exploring a potential rock climbing club next week, taken a salsa class (will NOT be doing that again), and am doing my best to meet people here. The 15th is Guatemalan Independence Day and I think I will be going to Xela (the center of the celebrations) with some coworkers. It should be fun.

My parents are coming to visit in October, which I absolutely cannot wait for. It will be great to see them. If anyone else wants to visit, let me know!

I also broke down and bought the iTunes season pass to Top Chef (streaming tv online really doesn't appear to be an option here). I am loving living in a different culture, but it's definitely nice to have little bits of home now and then.

Anyways, I'm off to go figure out what to have for dinner. It's looking like more vegetables, as usual....


:)