WARNING...I AM VENTING!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

I've been dying to get on this computer and chronicle all that has been going on. Things have been a little crazy. Before I start ranting, know that Kris and I were well aware that things here would be kind of crappy compared to what we were used to. We were expecting the usual: food shortages; ants, roaches and other pests infiltrating the food; being scrutinized by the Chavez government; being lied to by ICE HQ, etc. We were even expecting to be treated like 3rd class citizens by Kris' office back in DC. Even so, a healthy stress relieving B*%#$ session is in order.

Don't feel bad for us, it is still the price we are willing to pay to meet our end goals and of course, when you work for the US Government, you can expect to be treated like this at some point or another but there are always flip sides and benefits that sometimes outweigh the negatives. I may be down at the moment but I've still got the "bring it on" attitude that will get me through.

Today I have been frantically trying to deal with only having water turned on for 2 hours a day because of water rationing. We get an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. It has kind of been fun trying to manage and I've been able to rig up a neat little system. This is supposed to continue for the next week at least and we haven't been able to figure out what is going on or the reasons for the water rationing. It seems only our immediate area is affected.

Also, just to clarify the previous post (because of a comment from a friend...creating more work for me Fox!) those pictures are of the apartment we are going to be moving into in June. I am not going to post pictures of the apartment we live in now because it would upset my mother too much and probably garner too much sympathy or negative views of the conditions here in Caracas. I don't want our living conditions right now to make anyone think "wow, Caracas SUCKS! We aren't even going to think about visiting!". Don't judge Caracas by our current living conditions, our permanent apartment blows this place away.

Suffice it to say that I am 'enjoying' the current living situation because:
-If we were surviving a mass Katrina like natural disaster, this apartment would be paradise
-If I was a soldier serving in the deserts of Iraq, this apartment would be paradise
-If I was lost in the woods-or on a deserted island, and I got sick of roughing it after a few months of enjoying survival mode a la TV series LOST or Tom Hank's Castaway, this apartment would be paradise

So I'm just pretending I'm not a snob and that Kris, one of the primary embassy officers (there are 12 of them), doesn't really deserve better living quarters, temporary or not. I'm just saying...they really know how to make you appreciate the place you move into permanently...and yes I do expect better...which makes me a snob and proud of it so no use pretending.

This 'Luxury Corporate Apartment' (according to the bachelors at ICE HQ that so highly recommended this place) has all of the necessities by the way, 24 hour extreme porn on several channels you have to skip through to get to the kid's shows. We block the channels but they unblock themselves when the TV gets turned off and on...the remote is off limits so Kris or I change the channels for the kids just to be safe. Mostly the TV is turned off unless we have it on FOX News, thank goodness we get that channel! We won't have that problem with our new apartment because obviously we won't have the super-ultra-deluxe cable subscription but you really have to watch out even with the local TV stations, there are shows that would make US soaps look like Sesame Street.

Danger exists only if you aren't paying attention so as long as Jamison is securely fastened into his highchair at all times, this place is baby proof.

REMEMBER, TRYING TO VENT HERE! I'll feel better if you just let me rant...

I've nearly caused a fire. Turns out the oven is booby trapped, if you use the oven it heats up the surrounding cabinets and they start smoking after a few minutes. The heat is enough to melt the knobs so when you go to turn down the heat the plastic gives and molds to your grip which is why the knobs look the way they do. Also, don't walk too closely to the oven door because it will spring open with such force that the hinge will pop out...tying it shut or taping it shut only causes whatever you tie it/tape it to burn since the whole unit is hot even when it's turned off. I'm glad there is a stove though, that seems to work fine and if I were stranded in Alaska, this stove would be wonderful for hot cocoa and maybe a pot of ramen. Unfortunately, Jamison had the misfortune to crawl a little too close and bumped it as he passed by which set off the oven door booby trap clunking him on the head...it is now tied together hopefully disarming the stupid thing until it burns through its restraints. Jamison survived by the way and now tempts fate elsewhere...mostly by the bare wires that are held together by scraps of electrical tape and the jerry rigged electrical outlets...

Something is eating us. I hate to think it's bedbugs (what are the chances?) but each morning Jamison and I wake up with more bites that look like little blisters in small groups. Weston and Braedon have had a few but I have gotten a lot more bites than they have, I think I'm a bigger target and I gladly sacrifice myself. Kris hasn't gotten any. I didn't find any evidence whatsoever of what it is and have set my alarm throughout the night to try and catch whatever it is in the act (and hopefully add to our insect collection of course). I'd say that they are mosquito bites but we have those too and those bites are very different than the ones we wake up with. I spent the other day cleaning the rooms trying to find something but first I found out that the vacuum cleaner that I have been using since we got here has no bag in it and this whole time I have been using it has only been spewing crap back into the place...no wonder it felt like nothing was getting clean and stuff was all over the floor!

No worries, we were able to procure another vacuum. I really miss my Dyson.

Back to the possible insects in the bedroom, I did finally find a whole cache of what looks like mini bagworm-like casings about 1/8th of an inch long, all empty, attached to the underside of the box spring...what was in them? Also, when I took one of the rattan nightstands and banged it on the floor over the white tile in the bathroom and inspected the debris that was knocked off there were itty-bitty mites all over. Do either of these things bite? I have no idea. All I know is there is no pest control available while we are here in the place with the kids, there is no other place for us to go right now but it's OK because we are told this is a Luxury Corporate Apartment but we do have another possible option up our sleeves...

As it stands now, I have ordered 4 twin air mattresses from Target.com and hopefully they will be here in 3 weeks or so. I got 4 sets of sheets and blankets from Kohls.com which will be here sooner than 3 weeks I hope. We are going to leave this place once the kids get out of school on June 6th and "camp" out in our permanent apartment until our sea shipment gets here sometime mid to late July. I am going to thoroughly wash all of our clothes before bringing them to the apartment (do what I can to keep from transporting whatever infestation we have if there is one). Kris has managed to convince his office (in DC) that we are in need of a basic hospitality kit and they have pulled some strings in order for us to get one (gee, thanks guys, you shouldn't have! Wouldn't want you to break any rules or anything). It has the basic stuff, some dishes, pots, pans, utensils, cups. The boys will think it's fun to camp out and they will be able to swim everyday if they want to and pretty much go nuts in the place with no furniture to bump into. I was thinking it might be fun to grease the floor in the living room and the kids and I slide around on the marble floor...just kidding...hmmmmm, I'll be sure to take pictures.