{"id":7868,"date":"2025-08-24T11:13:59","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T15:13:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.criplomats.com\/?p=7868"},"modified":"2025-08-24T11:13:59","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T15:13:59","slug":"migrating-ducks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.criplomats.com\/?p=7868","title":{"rendered":"Migrating ducks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"307\" height=\"320\" src=\"http:\/\/www.criplomats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_4946.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7869\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.criplomats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_4946.jpeg 307w, https:\/\/www.criplomats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_4946-288x300.jpeg 288w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 307px) 100vw, 307px\" \/><figcaption>The ducks flew in!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Our UAB (small air shipment) arrived this week &#8211; we found these two ducks inside one of the boxes, and they have made themselves at home! We giggle every time we see them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tuesday I hired a driver to run some errands around town &#8211; an eye doctor appointment, get a SIM card for Guyana, and buy some groceries. Grocery shopping here is much better than it was in Monrovia, although like Monrovia, pretty much everything is imported. Yesterday the Ambassador took me on a grocery tour &#8211; she showed me some local vegetables at the store closest to our houses, then we went to a butcher\u2019s where I found frozen tuna steaks, and a small grocery store that sells frozen salmon of good quality. I hope to get to one of the open vegetable markets with a local to guide me at some point.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wednesday I went to the embassy with John so I could have the security briefing, then we met the Ambassador for lunch at a local restaurant where I had a delicious curry. Friday night we went to trivia\/karaoke night at a co-worker\u2019s house &#8211; it was fun to meet some new folks and see people having fun together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We continue to marvel at the birds and are happy our binoculars were in our UAB shipment! This roadside hawk posed for me in a nearby tree during a morning walk:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"240\" height=\"320\" src=\"http:\/\/www.criplomats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_4937.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7870\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.criplomats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_4937.jpeg 240w, https:\/\/www.criplomats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_4937-225x300.jpeg 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>John\u2019s arrival was posted on the embassy\u2019s Facebook page &#8211; looking good, Mr. Crippen!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"207\" height=\"320\" src=\"http:\/\/www.criplomats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_4945.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7871\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.criplomats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_4945.jpeg 207w, https:\/\/www.criplomats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_4945-194x300.jpeg 194w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 207px) 100vw, 207px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I finished reading Casey Johnston\u2019s \u201cA Physical Education\u201d about lifting weights. John and I finished watching a fun British thriller, \u201cHostage.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our UAB (small air shipment) arrived this week &#8211; we found these two ducks inside one of the boxes, and they have made themselves at home! We giggle every time we see them. Tuesday I hired a driver to run some errands around town &#8211; an eye doctor appointment, get a SIM card for Guyana, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.criplomats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7868"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.criplomats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.criplomats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.criplomats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.criplomats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7868"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.criplomats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7868\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7872,"href":"https:\/\/www.criplomats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7868\/revisions\/7872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.criplomats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.criplomats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.criplomats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}