The Island Car!

Hello again, readers! The past week has been really busy, with a lot of different things having to be addressed. One of the biggest things i've had to be dealing with is transportation. I decided not to ship my car down from the mainland, since I figured the cost and added depreciation didn't make much economic sense. When I got here, I rented a car, and set about looking for something to last me for the duration of my contract. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a vehicle, but I wanted something I could at least recoup some of my money from when I leave the islands. After finding out about a mechanic who does work for several court employees, I ended up buying a 1997 Jeep Wrangler. Apparently these vehicles sell quickly on the island, it's easy to find parts for them, and they do have 4 wheel drive, which may come in handy during hurricane season. Yesterday I paid for it (thanks to the Post Office for having money orders) and went to the DMV, which was an interesting experience to say the least. The fact I was able to get the car bought, insured, and the title transferred in 4 hours is apparently considered quick. There are still some minor things that need to be done to it (new rear tires, the interior light bulbs need replacing, rear view mirror has to be glued back onto the windshield, new cover getting shipped in from the mainland, etc.), but I hope to have all that taken care of by Friday, and all in all I think the jeep should do the job:

I will hopefully be showing you photos of my new apartment soon as well. I finally was able to work out a lease, and I think the place I settled on is a good choice. Haggling seems to be the name of the game down here, but I feel pretty good about the deals i've gotten so far. Throughout this whole experience, the most valuable thing i've learned is to not let stress and anxiety overwhelm you. There are many things that are hard to deal with when coming from a faster paced, more results-oriented environment, but the flipside of that is that the pressure is off in situations where I would usually be under stress. Anyway, more soon!