The last few weeks have been both fun and exhausting. The kids are out of school for summer vacation so our porch is continually filled with youngsters wanting to color, sew, do puzzles, play zingo/UNO, bake cakes, etc. The dry season seems to have come early (though I'm told it has been raining in the capital) so our durotanks are running low and we're sweating non-stop between the hours of 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM. It's amazing how exhausting doing nothing can be when your world is converted into a sauna!
Between babies urinating and defecating on and around our house (diapers are not frequently employed in our village), and children lying about their birthdays to get cake and American coins, other mischief is in the air. Our resident Sapakaa (a large lizard), whom we have named Frank (pronounced Frahnk), decided to attack Colonel Sanders (our neighbors chicken who likes to sneak into our house). Colonel Sanders was displeased by the act of war and was only sparred thanks to the generosity of my 13 year-old neighbor who forcibly separated the two.
Another adventure transpired when two of our good friends in the village offered to take Suzie Kay and I to grounds, their farm land in the jungle. We hopped in their hand-made wooden canoe with a machete, a hoe and four fishing poles and headed down the river to one of the many local creeks. After paddling down the creek for five minutes or so, we "parked" the boat between a large stick and the creek bed and trecked off into the bush. After balancing on felled trees in the swamp area, we following a footpath to where a large section of the jungle had been cleared. A huge hardwood stump remained where someone had cut a tree to make a boat. In the cleared area plantains trees are mixed in with ginger, sugar cane and pom taya (a kind of taro) plants. A small lean-to has been constructed of wood and corrugated zinc to provide shade. After digging for an unsuccessful sweet potato crop, we took a seat and munched on fresh sugar cane.
A short while later, having no sweet potatoes to pick, we hiked into the bush looking for baka beti (night crawlers) with which to fish. Unfortunately, due to the recent dry spell, there were none to be found so we had to head off to another clearing on yet another creek. This time, about 15 minutes and several mosquito bites later, we were triumphant! In the center of a decaying log we hit worm-bait bingo. Back in the boat we rigged our poles (a rudimentary hook, line and wooden hand-widdled pole) and dropped our lines. Less than five minutes later the first fish was caught. I think we got eleven in the end--from several fishing holes on different creeks--and, of course (being as I am the only one afraid of fish) I caught the only carnivorous one--a small Pataka with razor sharp teeth! Thankfully, no Piranhas.
The ride home was worth a laugh and a half. Although I had muscled the paddle on the way to the bush, I had not steered the boat. This time round, our hosts handed the paddles over and I took the "helm." Suffice it to say that Aucan canoes do not steer in the same fashion as American ones. I zigzagged us across the Cottica the whole way back :oP
Some not so pleasant updates:
- Tree frogs LOVE my room. I found yet another one (not sure of the total count) in my room this week. This time in my sock.
- I have developed a dark, raised rash on my hand which the doctor informs me is some kind of Eczema likely brought about by the soap I was using to wash clothes. He's provided some sort of cream and suggested (rightly so) that I switch soaps. Goodbye Ozone.
- Constant sweating has also caused a fungal infection, a form of Tinea, to grow on my upper arms, cheeks and chest. It's totally harmless as far as I know but has the unfortunate effect of removing the pigment from my skin. So as the rest of me gets tanned the Tinea-affected regions are turning white. Think of Michael Jackson circa 1994...
- Some of my fellow villagers BBQ monkey...WHOLE. It looks so precious and innocent as it turns on the spit (as my bewildered roommate explained it to me I had to cringe).
- The same villagers who told me not to run alone on the path because it's not safe are now asking me why I've only signed up to run the half marathon on November 19th, as opposed to the full. Apparently the lure of competition trumps their fear for my safety. While I'm encouraged by their safety I'm peeved that I didn't think to use the excuse of a race sooner...perhaps I could have been training for the last month!
Special thanks to Jeremy and Patrick for letting me crash on their floor for the night. And even more thanks to the villager (and mentor) who very cleverly (and generously) paid the wagiman for my ride today so that I wouldn't have to wait for the government bus. That's all for now. I can't load pictures because the internet connection at the office is less-than-speedy at present. Will do so on my next trip to the city when I have more time.
PS: If you've sent a package and have not received a "thank you,"please don't think I'm being rude--it's not for lack of manners but rather for the slow post service (meaning I haven't gotten it yet). It can take over a month for packages to arrive. Letters, on the other hand, seem to get here within a week or two. So if you still own a pen and paper, set your keyboard aside and shoot me a note :) Thanks for reading--more to come!
No comments:
Post a Comment