...and the strangest things seem suddenly routine.

My armpits are blue. I guess it's not that surprising - I wore a blue shirt to work, and it is HOT here today. And I was sweaty. If you'd told me a year ago that I'd be un-phased by blue armpits, or by any of the things that are now just a part of my daily life, I'd have told you that you were high. Like only having hot running water in my shower. Or the roosters that crow outside my window at 4:30 every morning (EVERY morning). Or the tarantulas. No - I lie. Still very much phased by the tarantulas.

I've been on the "rock" for about 8 months now. What rock, you ask? It's a little tiny island off the coast of Puerto Rico. While still technically part of the US, it is very much a different world down here at 18 degrees North. The island is somewhat remote and underdeveloped, meaning that sometimes basic necessities are hard to come by. But it is stunningly beautiful, and infinitely sunnier than my hometown of Rochester, NY. I moved here with the man I was ready to marry. Four months later I found myself homeless, with no car, and single. With the help of some truly amazing people, and the healing powers of sun and ocean, I put myself back together. Now, like the mythological phoenix, I feel reborn. I have built a life down here that is my very own. Nobody but me has a say in how I spend my time. Funny for someone who's always considered herself independent - this is the first time I am really out here on my own. And I am loving every minute of it!

But to build this life, I've had to adjust my expectations a little bit. In a land of hurricanes and concrete structures, I live in a trailer. Yes, a trailer. My office is in a trailer too, but that's a story for another time. I think this is karma; I always used to make fun of my parents for having lived in a trailer early in their marriage. And now - just call me trailer trash. I drive a 1994 Toyota Tercel, with a tape deck, crank windows and no A/C, and it cost me almost as much as what I made when I sold my 2001 Ford Focus, with power everything, back home. My internet comes through an aircard, and I have no TV. But I do have my own space, with a fenced-in yard, and lots and lots of mangoes. And best of all, I have two kitties (one brought from home, one adopted here) and a puppy (also adopted here). I'm a regular Dr. Dolittle. In a trailer.

And now that the sun is starting to creep down, and it's cooling off a little, I'm going to sit on my porch with a friend and finish a bottle of wine. An excellent way to wind down a week.