Meet our new pets, Johnny Cash and June Carter. They've still got a little growing up to do, but hopefully we'll have fresh eggs soon. And, unbeknownst to Johhny, we will also be eating well this Thanksgiving : )
Ever wonder where cocoa comes from? This is it! The cocoa bean is covered by a white goo that tastes pretty delicious. Then you can dry the bean and make your own cocoa...how cool is that!?

Yes, this is a 2-headed fish. Be amazed.

Recently went to the north part of the island to visit some friends and check out the volcano. We went hiking and and came across two big waterfalls. This one was my favorite because you could crawl behind it and jump through...very cool!

This was our kitchen sink last month. The faucet fell off and water was bursting out at full force - flooded the kitchen. Thankfully, our friends from one of the villages had recently given us some cassava to grow. I used the root to plug the hole and we washed dishes in the backyard for a few days until we could get it fixed. Our bathroon also recently got a little makeover as there was no piping under the toilet so everytime you flushed everything in the toilet just leaked out onto the floor. It was a very stinky situation :) but after a little work and lots of bleach all is well again! Our team hopped on boat and spent the day on a tiny, secluded island about a 10 minute boat ride away. It was absolutely beautiful and I got to go snorkeling for the first time! I was really wishing I had an underwater camera because I saw a ton of crazy awesome fish, including just about every Finding Nemo character! :)

Another shot from our trip to the island.

Chillin' with the monkeys. Bring a few peanuts and you will instantly make friends with these little creatures. Honestly, being surrounded by a giant mob of these guys was a little intimidating, but I came out alive and it was a pretty cool experience.

Surfing!

Water buffalo crossing!

Getting ready to catch some waves!

I met some friends who invited me to go surfing with them on the south part of the island. It was hands down one of the most beautiful places I've ever been....and the waves are HUGE! It was a great time and I have a feeling I'll be investing in a surf board very soon : )

The Market

Street-side chicken cleaning...I'm pretty sure PETA would not be happy about this.

We went to the market recenty to snap some pics of the local food here. We're going to use them to make nutrition flash cards to teach moms and pregnant women how to eat healthier.

Turning 23, the Beach, and Bob the Birthday Monkey

Meet Bob, the giant inflatable birthday monkey. Bob is quite the party animal so we thought we'd bring him along on all our birthday adventures. Eating out with Bob, Building sand castles with Bob, burying Bob, banana boating with Bob, you get the idea.

Village Visit

Chicken anyone?

These pics are from a village I visited recently. The sweet baby girl in my arms is over 5 months old and still under 7 pounds. Mom is young and loves her baby very much, just has a lot of misconceptions about proper nutrition. This is very common as health education is not typically taught in school and there are little public health initiatives to promote awareness and prevention.

Takin' a Walk

A friendly game of tug-0f-war...

The watering hole. Everyone is thirsty after the long walk!

These girls were so cute! Their head coverings were made to look like butterflies. You can see the wings in the back and the front had antennas : )

Check out these tough guys! Don't miss the driver's bleached out beginner's mullet!

Enjoying a brisk, morning walk with the neighborhood as part of one of the many Independence Day celebrations. They also have lots of parades, but instead of marching bands they just march in costumes which range from p.j.s to cross-dressing...it's interesting : )

Ants are everywhere here, including our house! I found an army of them in a corner this morning devouring a giant cockroach...gross! Thank goodness for pesticides!

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Pickin' Papaya

I am now a skilled papaya picker. When one of the papayas on our trees gets ripe, I climb up our rickety ladder and use the neighbor's oversized tiki lamp to pluck it off. The fruit of this labor is quite delicious!