Friday, September 26, 2008

In which Tim tells you what he's been reading...

Here are the books I have finished since last I gave you a list...

"Lake Wobegon Days" by Garrison Keillor
I loved it. It is like a 300 page long version of the radio skit. Although I was a little confused to learn that the same characters I have been following in recent years appear to have been the exact same age when he wrote the book in 1983...

"All Creatures, Great and Small" by James Herriott
The tales (from life) of a young vet in rural Yorkshire in the 1930's. It is interesting to spot the parallels between my rural existence and his.

"Theodore Rex" by Edmund Morris
A biography of Teddy Roosevelt, covering his years in the White House. I recommend it for anyone who is into Presidential history.

Regarding Tim´s roommate(s)...

I have been here long enough that I have a pretty set routine when I go to bed at night. I take a cool bucket bath, I fill out the days events in my diary (by the light of a kerosene lamp), read my bible, brush my teeth, put up the mosquito net, read with the flashlight for a few minutes, and then sleep.

Normally my sleep goes undisturbed.

But sometimes I hear the noise of small claws skittering along the wall, or across the floor. The smacking of small lips. The nibbling of crumbs that I carelessly left out. RATS!!

No need to worry, I don't have an infestation. But I live in the middle of the countryside, in a house that has a few nooks and crannies through which a creature of the outside world can make its way in. And they haven't hurt me so far.

Still, it is awfully creepy when you can hear something moving in the next room. I always make sure to tuck my mosquito net in very very tight, so that nothing can crawl up onto the bed and visit me.

I also keep the machete close at hand, in case the sounds come to close. I have not yet killed a rat with a machete, but a friend of mine did at my house a few weeks ago. The rat was up on the wall, and the guy swung the machete like a baseball bat, almost cutting the thing in half. We threw it outside where it was promptly gobbled up by the local dogs.

I am currently in the market for a cat. If anyone has ideas for names, I am open for suggestions.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

In which Tim goes swimming (by accident)...

My last entry or two may have given you the impression that hurricane season is mind numbingly boring. It definitely has times where I want to tear my hair out due to the frustration brought on by days and days of inactivity, but those are accented by episodes of excitement verging on terror that quickly get the adrenaline flowing again. I experienced one of these episodes last week.

There are two roads that go up to my site. Most people use the "old road" all the time. It is not terribly steep, and you have to wade through the river at the end. The "new road" is about twice as long, much steeper, but avoids water. So when the storms are here and the river is up, people revert to the new road. That was how I went home after having been sequestered at my friends house for a week.

One day, I noticed that people were crossing the river on foot again, so I decided to hike down to investigate. The water is full of sediment due to the flooding, so one cannot tell how deep it is just by looking. What I could tell is that it was a lot lower than it had been a few days earlier, so I decided to cross. I didn't have anywhere in particular to go. I just wanted to see if the river was crossable.

So I secured my rubber peasant sandals, and picked up a stick to use to test the depth, and in I went. It was fine. Well below my knees, though moving pretty fast. Then I found the hole. I guess when the river is moving faster than usual, it picks up the big rocks that normally just stay put in the river bed, and starts rolling them along. My stick somehow missed an eight inch drop, but my foot found it. I stumbled, but retained my footing, breathing a sigh of relief.

Then I looked up, and noticed something floating away on the current. My left sandal had come off, and was heading for the ocean. So I naturally did what anyone would do in the situation; I took off running after the thing. It's a good sandal, after all!

I didn't really pay attention to the fact that the water was getting deeper until I was in up to my chest, and the current was actually carrying me. I managed to swim over to the bank, and pull myself up on some conveniently placed vines. I never got the shoe back.

So I hiked back up the steep, rocky hill wearing only one sandal, and dripping wet. My neigbors thought it was the funniest thing they had ever seen. I had to agree that I looked pretty ridiculous.

So what did I learn from this exercise in stupidity? 1. Always cross the river either barefoot, or with sandals that are strapped on. 2. Know how deep water is before I go charging into it like a crazed hippo.

All's well that ends well! I have new sandals now.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

In which Tim loses his mind...

It is still raining around here. A week ago (when last I wrote) I reported that there were more storms bearing down on us. I was at home when Hannah passed by and gave us three straight days of rain. Then the sun came out, but there were rumors that someone named Ike was following close behind, so I went to investigate my river. It was passable on foot, but muddy and deeper than usual. No vehicles were making it across. So I called up HQ and told them that I could get out, but if it rained for another day or two I would not be able to. So on Friday morning I shouldered my bag, and hiked down the mountain to my fellow volunteers apartment in the town. I expected to be there for maybe two days, then hike back up. So I thought.

Today is Wednesday, and I had expected to go back up today. Another call came in from Peace Corps telling me not to cross any rivers, so I am still here. Stuck. Bored. Watching television. I feel like my brain is turning to mush. There is nothing to do besides read, watch tv, cook, clean, watch a movie, listen to music, call a friend, watch more tv. It is still kind of rainy so all the people around here are staying in their houses, and this isn't my town so I don't have any friends besides the guy whose apartment this is, but he is in the capital due to illness.

There was another volunteer stuck here with me, but she got permission to go home yesterday. So here I sit, alone. I have nothing interesting to write because nothing interesting has happened. I feel useless. Forgive the tediousness of this blog entry

Hopefully I will be able to go home soon.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

And now for something different...

I made it back to my home after the hurricane. I had to wade through water up to my waist, but that was made right with a towel when I got home. There was no damage to my community. The were cut off from the world for about a day and a half, so there wasn't much food, but life has more or less returned to normal now.

But I am not encouraged by the presence of three (3!!) tropical storms over the Atlantic right now. Please pray that God might protect us from these consequences of our having abused his world by pumping carbon into the air.



On a lighter note, I have gotten involved with a project to produce a textbook that uses environmental themes to teach the English language. I have been nominated the "master of the spoken word" on the project. For some reason I have become the poet laureate of Peace Corps DR. Not sure how...

But anyway, I thought you might enjoy seeing some of my scribblings.

Enjoy!
---------
Garbage is a problem
when piled in the street.
But if we just recycle
the world will be more neat.

------------

River, river, flowing clear,
full of fish from far to near.
Throwing trash and killing wood,
for its health is just no good.

------------

Though our languages are many,
and our differences are vast,
we must struggle together
if our good world is to last.

-------------

As I watch the bird pass by,
flitting, gliding through the sky,
his graceful flight, a work of art,
wonder overtakes my heart.
This tiny pilot of the blue
is closely bound to me and you.
For all that on this planet live
in harmony must take and give.
Lest one day should one small thing shift
and bring a horrid change most swift.
We of conscience must take care
to keep these beauties in the air.
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