Limbo

I think we're starting to come out of shock and into an acceptance/resignation state of mind. Miami has a lot of extremes--extremely beautiful land, extremely humid weather. In many parts, even downtown, the place looks like a tropical jungle. We spent the first few days shrieking and guffawing over things like wild peacocks and geckos:

I tried to go grocery shopping the second day. Really I tried. There was an entire section of fruits and vegetables that I had never heard of or seen--strange names, knobby, dirty tubers and 2 foot long aloe leaves. I had to try this Slimcado. It's Florida's version of the avocado but without the fat or calories. This is a very weight conscious place and I've hardly seen any overweight people. It makes me feel chunky all the time. Anyway, don't bother trying the Slimcado. It tastes like a Louisiana bayou.

I have no pictures of the 4th since both phones ran out of batteries. Or they got too hot and humid and quit before we got any pics of anything decent. I honestly can't even talk about it because the thoughts of what we did are so exhausting and I haven't recovered. It involved a lot of heat, a 3hour bus ride through Miami Beach and South Beach, a bus crash in which we all had to evacuate, and a $20 taxi ride WHILE the fireworks were going by a ten year old driver who couldn't run the credit card. 

The biggest issue we've dealt with is trying to rent something. The market here is incredibly difficult and everyone is scared of renters because of the housing market crash a few years ago when everyone fled their homes and rented places with bad credit. Combined with the fact that we live in a shady place, renting an apartment involves:

--3 months rent

--Credit check

--Background check

--Fingerprints

--Character references

--Interviews with the Homeowners Association

--Approval from the landlord and the association

--$100 application fee, plus deposits for keys and ID badges

Plus, no one has the same rush to get us into an apartment that we have. We've spent our past few weeks bouncing from the bishop's house, a sublet in a swanky high rise in downtown (the two pictures below were taken from here), multiple hotels, and finally the Relief Society president's house. No one has a lot of living space, so staying with families is stressful.