Noticias de Juarez

Howdy, folks!  It has been a very busy couple of weeks down here in Juarez.  We're still frantically getting ready for the baby to arrive, and work is always going to be busy.  But we are still doing well and surviving here in the Borderland.  I figured the best way to give you all updates is through brief headlines.  Here we go:

Our HHE Finally Arrived

As you may recall from a previous post, all of our worldly possessions go into two piles: Unaccompanied Air Baggage (UAB), and Household Effects (HHE).  UAB comes by air and usually arrives at your house about a week after you do.  HHE, on the other hand, has to clear a more rigorous customs review, and can take up to three months.

Our HHE took just about two and a half months, but it was good to finally receive it.  So we have spent the last two weeks unpacking boxes, organizing furniture, laying down rugs, and doing a million other things to make our house feel more like home.  Plus, I finally have some more ties to wear.  I severely underestimated the amount of ties I would need for two and a half months, so it's good to have some variety again.

We Made These Cheesy Bread Bun Things

Sarah found a recipe for some amazing rolls, which come from a pretty simple dough with parmesan cheese and cheddar on top.  But the best part of all is that you put some mozzarella in the middle of the bun before you bake them.  Too bad I ran out of all that Mennonite cheese.

We're Waging a Battle with Pigeons on Our Balcony

So about six weeks ago, two pigeons moved onto a pillar on our balcony.  I'm not a huge fan of pigeons, so we decided we needed to knock out the nest they were building in the hopes that they would move on after their home was demolished.  Alas, by the time I got out there with a broom, I saw they had already laid two eggs in the nest.  Sure, I'll destroy some birds' home, but I'm not about to commit bird-icide.

So we let the pigeon family have their nest, all while their droppings continued to pile up on the balcony.  Over the next few days, I became an expert on the pigeon life cycle, and determined that the eggs would hatch in 14 days, and then the babies would fly away three weeks after that.  So, we decided to wait them out.

The eggs eventually did hatch (well, at least one of them did), and the baby, mom, and dad, seemed to be doing well for about two weeks.  But that's where the mystery began.  We started hearing strange squawking from the balcony, and one day we looked out and the baby was gone.  Plus, new pigeons started showing up.  And the mom pigeon appeared to be injured.  What happened outside?  Was this some sort of pigeon home invasion?

Sure enough, I did some research and pigeons apparently steal each other's nests.  However, they don't normally attack each other's babies.  As near as I can tell, the baby flew off on its own around the same time the intruder pigeons showed up and messed up mommy pigeon.  Eventually, mom pigeon healed and flew off, but then all these other pigeons started showing up and fighting for the nest.

The sad thing is, I almost began to care for the pigeons.  Maybe it's because we're expecting a baby, but I was content to witness the miracle of life on our balcony, at least when we were host to a single-family pigeon house.  But, man, the neighborhood has gone downhill fast.  There's fighting, injuries, missing children.  I am NOT running a pigeon slum on the balcony!

So the last few days I have spent my free time spraying pigeons in the face with a hose and generally evicting everybody.  I'll keep you posted on how things proceed, provided I don't get my eyes pecked out.  

We Took a Trip Downtown

Sadly, much of Juarez is off limits to us FSOs, but we got permission to drive through the downtown area with a few friends of ours to get a feel for central Juarez.  It was nice to be able to get out and walk around a bit.  Many parts of the border feel kind of like the US, so it was fun to feel like you were really in Mexico.  There's not a ton to see downtown, however, besides a small plaza and the old Cathedral (and a pet store that sells cute Chihuahua puppies). 

We Made Homemade Pop Tarts from Scratch

We had a couple birthdays in the Consulate over the last few weeks, and Sarah was kind enough to do some baking for the celebration.  I was just expecting some muffins or something, but this is Sarah we're talking about, which meant we spent Thursday evening whipping up some homemade pop tarts.  We went with cherry-filled and nutella-filled, and let me tell you, they are worth the effort.

I Beat that Stupid Peg Game at Cracker Barrel  

If you have eaten at a Cracker Barrel in the last 20 years, then you know what I'm talking about.  Every table has that little game where you jump pegs until you have no more moves left.  For perhaps the first time in my life I finally made it to one peg.  This is perhaps the crowning achievement of my 30 years on earth.  I mean, that bald dude behind me seems pretty impressed.