~This past week we had 6 people from the States on campus for a couple days. Two couples who both had a little daughter, and two other guys. All the guys are pilots and one of the couples is planning to come down to live on campus and fly out of our airstrip as soon as their house sells. Its been nice having them all here, and I hope Kyle, Shelly, and their daughter Nova come soon. I've really realized how much I miss flying.
~Today on the taxi ride back from G-town, where I was picking up another volunteer, I got a rather extensive cooking lesson from our little East Indian driver. I'm planning to try some of the recipes out that he verbalized to me. He was such a nice guy, one of the nicest taxi drivers I've met yet.
~We've finally been reaping the fruits (and vegetables) of our labors recently in the garden. The last 2 weeks we have been picking the sweet corn we planted, it has been excellent. We've been having lots of bora (long green bean like vegetables) recently, makes a nice addition to soups, and sauces, and even steamed and seasoned. The pumpkins are growing, and soon we will be having pumpkins coming out of our ears. Soon we should be having cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, and peppers. I just wish the fruit trees would start bearing soon. They've been planted for several years and just this year we got about 4 pineapples...I would like them to hurry it up a little.
~I really miss playing the piano. Electrical keyboards aren't the same, and don't quilify. I think by the time I finally have a piano to play regularly I will forget most everything that I ever knew.
~Every time I go into G-town, it just helps me to appreciate more the peace of our campus. Although the internet is wonderful, the city gets old very quickly. The interior is such a wonderful place to be.
~Traveling to other countries and different cultures is such a wonderful experience, and also a learning experience. I think everyone should try it, and chances are it will get in your blood and you won't be able to stop.
~The second Bible worker for Mashabo just got here today. I'm so happy that we'll have full-time workers there now, the village will really benefit from them. Now we just need a mission house for them to stay in, hopefully a group will be coming to help build it in March.
~Having my sister here with me is the so nice. She really likes the campus, and everyone is glad that she is here, but most of all I am glad that she is here. I like to crawl into her mosquito net at night right before I go to bed so we can talk for awhile. Its nice to be with her since we've been in such different places for the last few years and barely get to see each other.
~Rainy season is almost over. Its nice that we are starting to have more sun during the day to charge our batteries for the electrical system, and to pump our water. It does mean, however, that we will have to start watering the garden again sometime soon. Thankfully Michael is working on quite the watering system design.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Prince Charming that Wasn't to be
Once upon a time, away over in our jungle home, we stumbled across an enormous toad in the dark of night. As we examined his warty exterior, snatches of old fairy tales flitted through our mind. This was the result...The first reaction of one young lady bordered on disgust and repulsion. She quickly cast the animal aside and left it to the others...
Upon seeing the rather ugly toad, the next young lady (I wouldn't want to stretch this tale by calling her a princess=) eagerly snatched it into her hands. She was overjoyed to have found such an animal. Immediately she wondered if this could be her handsome prince...
Before much further adeue she decided to find out if it was in fact a handsome prince disguised as an ugly toad...
As her lips touched those of the toad...well quite frankly, nothing happened. All too soon her hopes were so cruely dashed, she couldn't help but wonder what might have been...
You can be sure that this young lady will not be so quick to believe fairy tale's in the future, prince charming is probably not even out there...The End
A Tippy Canoe and Mashabo Too
It is Thursday morning, outreach day, the first since school resumed last week after the break. The choice of which village to spend the day in was unceremoniously left up to each individual’s discretion. The result: all but three individuals opted to go to the nearer village of Bethany. The irony: they would be riding the tractor the shorter distance of two miles. Our story, however, is not about the other ease loving individuals, Alexis included, but rather about the three who walked the longer trail of five miles to Mashabo.
Since it is rainy season out in the jungle, it was no surprise when, ten minutes into their walk the saturated clouds began to unload some of their liquid burden. These three simply procured their umbrellas, or rain jackets, as they continued their hike, chatting amiably about their Christmas vacations.
The rain stopped just before their arrival in Mashabo, where they were greeted with friendly waves, hugs, happy greetings, and cries of pleasure at their return from weeks away.
Then one of the young ladies decided that the only logical thing to do would be to cross over the lake that intersected the village, dividing it into two parts. After careful consideration it was decided by the three that if there was a boat available to take them across they would cross the lake, if not they would visit the houses on this side of the lake.
To the delight of the three young ladies, there was in fact an engine boat down on the lakeshore, preparing to cross over to the other side. They quickly secured passage, and soon were safely on the other sandy shore. These three young ladies proceeded to the houses of some of their friends in this side of the village, sharing words of encouragement, small talk about how the holidays were spent, and prayers.
Too soon it was time to begin the hour-and-a-half walk back to the school, so that Kimberly would not miss her class in the afternoon, and off they trekked back to the lakeshore. They quickly discovered that there was not a single boat to be seen. Unless, that is, you counted the large boat sitting half pulled up to shore that was half filled with water with a gaping hole in the side. It was decided that one of the ladies would go back up to the nearest house to inquire if a boat might be coming soon, but that proved to be fruitless since no one was home.
As the three sat pondering what to do, they saw two small school boys paddling out on the lake
in a small dugout canoe. Then they saw the two boys heading in their direction. When the boys were closer they pulled into some reeds and emerged each in their own canoe, one of the two paddling his canoe with his hands since they only had one paddle between them. The three young ladies were to be rescued by two small boys!
One of the canoes was larger, and everyone thought it would be the best possible option to fit everyone. Even though the dugout’s stability appeared somewhat questionable, two of the young ladies climbed aboard, sitting on the only two small seats, ant the third gave the canoe a healthy push from shore before climbing into the bow of the second small craft.
Before the boat had traversed more than two feet, almost in slow motion, it unceremoniously tipped over. While two of the young ladies managed to jump to their feet without getting too wet, since the water was still only knee deep, the third received a thorough dousing to her backside. The little boy sitting in the stern nearly fell over with laughter. It appeared that the group must take a different approach.
The boat was dragged ashore, its hull-full of water dumped out, and it was made ready for crossing yet again. This time it was decided that one of the young ladies would cross in the other, smaller, canoe with the other boy, and two of them would attempt to cross in the same boat again. As the boat was being emptied the smaller boat seemed to have much success, although the small boy was paddling with his hands, they made progress rather rapidly toward the other shore.
Meanwhile, the other two were preparing to embark yet again on their journey to the other shore, somehow thinking that swimming across might be much faster and easier. One of the girls climbed into the boat, while the other, again, began to push the boat away from shore. The boat made it a whole two feet further this time before again lurching to the same side and filling with water, delivering another wetting to the already wet young lady.
Again the boat was dragged onto the shore, and the process of expelling water from the interior was repeated. Then, as the two young ladies were deciding what to do next, their dialogue was interrupted by a high pitched scream, followed by a splash. There, in the middle of the lake, they saw two heads bobbing up-and-down, attempting to flip their boat back over, and Kimberly holding her bag over head in an attempt to keep its already wet contents from getting any wetter. Despite their sympathy, the other three sailors on the safety of shore, couldn’t help but burst out into laughter until their sides began to ache.
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In the middle of the mêlée a larger paddle boat was seen moving toward the two flailing individuals. It picked up the young lady before heading toward the other two on shore, leaving the poor boy to climb back into the small canoe, half filled with water, and begin to paddle back to shore with his little hands.
When the boat arrived, it transported the three young ladies across the lake, without anymore watery incidents. We arrived on the opposite shore an hour after we should have started our trek back to school. As the three waved goodbye to their small rescuers they had no doubt that the two boys would have quite the story to amuse their schoolmates with about trying to cross the lake with the white girls.
Since it is rainy season out in the jungle, it was no surprise when, ten minutes into their walk the saturated clouds began to unload some of their liquid burden. These three simply procured their umbrellas, or rain jackets, as they continued their hike, chatting amiably about their Christmas vacations.
The rain stopped just before their arrival in Mashabo, where they were greeted with friendly waves, hugs, happy greetings, and cries of pleasure at their return from weeks away.
Then one of the young ladies decided that the only logical thing to do would be to cross over the lake that intersected the village, dividing it into two parts. After careful consideration it was decided by the three that if there was a boat available to take them across they would cross the lake, if not they would visit the houses on this side of the lake.
To the delight of the three young ladies, there was in fact an engine boat down on the lakeshore, preparing to cross over to the other side. They quickly secured passage, and soon were safely on the other sandy shore. These three young ladies proceeded to the houses of some of their friends in this side of the village, sharing words of encouragement, small talk about how the holidays were spent, and prayers.
Too soon it was time to begin the hour-and-a-half walk back to the school, so that Kimberly would not miss her class in the afternoon, and off they trekked back to the lakeshore. They quickly discovered that there was not a single boat to be seen. Unless, that is, you counted the large boat sitting half pulled up to shore that was half filled with water with a gaping hole in the side. It was decided that one of the ladies would go back up to the nearest house to inquire if a boat might be coming soon, but that proved to be fruitless since no one was home.
As the three sat pondering what to do, they saw two small school boys paddling out on the lake
in a small dugout canoe. Then they saw the two boys heading in their direction. When the boys were closer they pulled into some reeds and emerged each in their own canoe, one of the two paddling his canoe with his hands since they only had one paddle between them. The three young ladies were to be rescued by two small boys!One of the canoes was larger, and everyone thought it would be the best possible option to fit everyone. Even though the dugout’s stability appeared somewhat questionable, two of the young ladies climbed aboard, sitting on the only two small seats, ant the third gave the canoe a healthy push from shore before climbing into the bow of the second small craft.
Before the boat had traversed more than two feet, almost in slow motion, it unceremoniously tipped over. While two of the young ladies managed to jump to their feet without getting too wet, since the water was still only knee deep, the third received a thorough dousing to her backside. The little boy sitting in the stern nearly fell over with laughter. It appeared that the group must take a different approach.
The boat was dragged ashore, its hull-full of water dumped out, and it was made ready for crossing yet again. This time it was decided that one of the young ladies would cross in the other, smaller, canoe with the other boy, and two of them would attempt to cross in the same boat again. As the boat was being emptied the smaller boat seemed to have much success, although the small boy was paddling with his hands, they made progress rather rapidly toward the other shore.
Meanwhile, the other two were preparing to embark yet again on their journey to the other shore, somehow thinking that swimming across might be much faster and easier. One of the girls climbed into the boat, while the other, again, began to push the boat away from shore. The boat made it a whole two feet further this time before again lurching to the same side and filling with water, delivering another wetting to the already wet young lady.
Again the boat was dragged onto the shore, and the process of expelling water from the interior was repeated. Then, as the two young ladies were deciding what to do next, their dialogue was interrupted by a high pitched scream, followed by a splash. There, in the middle of the lake, they saw two heads bobbing up-and-down, attempting to flip their boat back over, and Kimberly holding her bag over head in an attempt to keep its already wet contents from getting any wetter. Despite their sympathy, the other three sailors on the safety of shore, couldn’t help but burst out into laughter until their sides began to ache.
.jpg)
In the middle of the mêlée a larger paddle boat was seen moving toward the two flailing individuals. It picked up the young lady before heading toward the other two on shore, leaving the poor boy to climb back into the small canoe, half filled with water, and begin to paddle back to shore with his little hands.When the boat arrived, it transported the three young ladies across the lake, without anymore watery incidents. We arrived on the opposite shore an hour after we should have started our trek back to school. As the three waved goodbye to their small rescuers they had no doubt that the two boys would have quite the story to amuse their schoolmates with about trying to cross the lake with the white girls.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Our trip in Pictures
We missed our flight in Miami so we had to spend the day there. Let me tell you, it took alot of self control for me to "have" to go to the beach, but somehow I managed =)
My sister feeding the seagulls the leftovers of our yummy Cuban food lunch
My sister enjoying a yummy mango the day that some of the school went to pick some free mangos that a church member offered us. Tropical fruit is delicious!
Our afternoon spent in Supanaam waiting the head up to the school
Two of the Amerindian girls from church
One of the friendly visitors that resides in our bathroom. Isn't he adorable?Footsteps into Guyana...again
As we stepped off the plane into the blackness of the night, I could smell the familiar scent of rain hanging in the air around me. The wet pavement glistened with water in the light escaping from the plane behind me. As I breathed in the clean smell of the air, while feeling exhausted from little sleep and travel, I couldn't help but also feel entirely happy to be back in this country, that in three short months has stolen my heart.
Behind me, my sister struggled with her heavy backpack, and I wondered what she would think of this country with all its varied people, landscapes, and nuances. I thought about how this
arrival was so different than my first introduction to Guyana. Rather than watch from the windows as we passed green fields, local houses, emense rivers, and richly green trees, all we could see out of our windows was blackness until suddenly the lights of the runway appeared beneath us. I was happy that she was here with me, and I hoped that she would enjoy her experience.
We quickly passed through customs, collected our bags, and found a taxi. As we hurdled down the road toward Georgetown, and the mission house where we would spend the night, I couldn't help but recall my first encounter with driving here. Now, nothing usually phased me, as we drove in the darkness toward our destination. The spedomitor on the car hung at zero, so I had no idea how fast we were driving as we whipped around curves, and drove mostly in the middle of the road since there was little traffic at 3am.
Finally we arrived at the mission house. I was praying that someone was staying there, and that the door would be left open since I hadn't had the chance to make a copy of the key for myself before leaving in December. My prayer was abundantly answered, not only were people staying at the mission house, but both rooms were full, and someone was asleep in the larger living/dining room/kitchen area. I managed to quietly procure the last matress from one of the rooms along with a mosquito net (which we quickly decided against using since it was so hot) without waking the slumbering occupants. So my sister and I
both crowded onto a single mattress for what remained of the night.
The next morning she was introduced to the fun of the market place as we bought some fruit for breakfast, and I suggested some delicious roti and channa (seasoned chick peas in a tortilla-like fried bread) she was immediatly hooked. Another hit was the cold coconut water that can be purchased on street corners. All-in-all we had a delicious breakfast, then it was time to head out to the school.
A bumpy mini bus ride, followed by an even more bumpy river crossing brought us to the village of Supenaam where we met some staff and students from the school. Then we proceded, in perfect Guyanese fashion, to wait the rest of the afternoon and into the hours of darkness for the rest of our enturage to arrive before we could head up the remaining river to the school. It seems to be a trend to make this journey in the pitch black of night for all new individuals traveling to these parts for the first time, and this time proved no different. After we arrived at the dock, we discovered that the tide was too high so our tractor would not be able to make it over the bridge for several more hours so either we would have to wait, or we would have to walk the 2 miles to school. Since it was already nearly 9pm we decided to walk, so after leaving our suitcases at some church members house in the village, we set out with our backpacks. It appears that my sister would get an even more thourough initiation into jungle living that even I did on my first day arriving.
Behind me, my sister struggled with her heavy backpack, and I wondered what she would think of this country with all its varied people, landscapes, and nuances. I thought about how this
arrival was so different than my first introduction to Guyana. Rather than watch from the windows as we passed green fields, local houses, emense rivers, and richly green trees, all we could see out of our windows was blackness until suddenly the lights of the runway appeared beneath us. I was happy that she was here with me, and I hoped that she would enjoy her experience.We quickly passed through customs, collected our bags, and found a taxi. As we hurdled down the road toward Georgetown, and the mission house where we would spend the night, I couldn't help but recall my first encounter with driving here. Now, nothing usually phased me, as we drove in the darkness toward our destination. The spedomitor on the car hung at zero, so I had no idea how fast we were driving as we whipped around curves, and drove mostly in the middle of the road since there was little traffic at 3am.
Finally we arrived at the mission house. I was praying that someone was staying there, and that the door would be left open since I hadn't had the chance to make a copy of the key for myself before leaving in December. My prayer was abundantly answered, not only were people staying at the mission house, but both rooms were full, and someone was asleep in the larger living/dining room/kitchen area. I managed to quietly procure the last matress from one of the rooms along with a mosquito net (which we quickly decided against using since it was so hot) without waking the slumbering occupants. So my sister and I
both crowded onto a single mattress for what remained of the night.The next morning she was introduced to the fun of the market place as we bought some fruit for breakfast, and I suggested some delicious roti and channa (seasoned chick peas in a tortilla-like fried bread) she was immediatly hooked. Another hit was the cold coconut water that can be purchased on street corners. All-in-all we had a delicious breakfast, then it was time to head out to the school.
A bumpy mini bus ride, followed by an even more bumpy river crossing brought us to the village of Supenaam where we met some staff and students from the school. Then we proceded, in perfect Guyanese fashion, to wait the rest of the afternoon and into the hours of darkness for the rest of our enturage to arrive before we could head up the remaining river to the school. It seems to be a trend to make this journey in the pitch black of night for all new individuals traveling to these parts for the first time, and this time proved no different. After we arrived at the dock, we discovered that the tide was too high so our tractor would not be able to make it over the bridge for several more hours so either we would have to wait, or we would have to walk the 2 miles to school. Since it was already nearly 9pm we decided to walk, so after leaving our suitcases at some church members house in the village, we set out with our backpacks. It appears that my sister would get an even more thourough initiation into jungle living that even I did on my first day arriving.
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