Overload

Where to begin....  It's only day 2 and I can't even remember all of day 1!

First, let me start by saying the people here are SUPER nice and so eager to help.  I arrived at the airport and didn't have cash for the $10 tourism fee, so this guy escorted me to an ATM and got me back through security (you have to be a trusting person in Latin America and fly by the seat of your pants... unfortunately I'm really only good at the first).  Then I got my bags and walked outside to meet my ride, hoping he/she would be there.  Another guy asked where I was going and then started shouting my hotel name, so my ride found me.  Thank God there are people less timid than myself to do these kinds of ridiculous things.

Arrived at the hotel and pretty much went to bed.  Super excited, no nerves, very strange.  Can't help but feel supremely grateful for the fact that I'm finally getting to do what I want to do, even if at moments I want to do nothing more than run back to the states.

Day 1 was nothing if overwhelming.  Loads and loads of information about an industry I know nothing about, in Spanish, with tons of vocabulary I don't know.  Beans seemed so deceptively simple: plant, wash, package, sell (and maybe sell a couple more times throughout).  Apparently it's not so easy....

On top of feeling completely overwhelmed with this project I have to "lead" and complete in 40 days, I'm adjusting to new food, new language, new office, new coworkers, lack of car, lack of direction, etc. Exhausting!

So let's focus on the things I'm thankful for:
+ My hotel has hot water and AC.  Lap of luxury.
+ There's a Sr. Advisor here from the UK, complete with English accent, basic Spanish and lots of awesome stories about drunk elephants and world travels and tropical fruits...  So conversation has all been in English, stories have been great distractions for my nerves and I've got a friend to help think through all this information.
+ The office staff are absolutely wonderful, which makes it easy to ask stupid questions and rely on them for simple things like rides, finding the bathroom, meals, internet codes, printing, finding an apartment, etc.  No matter how many times I do this, I'm always caught off guard by the disorienting feeling of losing independence.
+ There are Americans here.  And not just one or two.  There is another expat Pete who works full-time at Technoserve who gives me rides to work everyday.  He lives close by with 2 American roommates in a complex where even more Americans live.  On my first night they had a birthday party for 2 girls and I walk in and there are 20 Americans all sitting around talking in English! Blows my mind 

Compare that to 3 months in the Dominican Republic and you'll understand why I'm so thrilled:
+ Less than 40 hrs per week to keep me busy
+ Hardly any friends
+ Only one American that I could only see on weekends
+ No AC
+ No hot water (in fact, I showered with buckets of rainwater most the time)

So with Day 2 perspective, I've got to say Day 1 was incredibly awesome.  I just keep telling myself I can do this, so that part of the time I actually believe it.  I don't think I was ever cut out to do this kind of thing, but I'm doing it.  I probably just need to cut myself some lack- it is only day 2. :)