I've moved out of MACU. All of my things that were in my dorm room are now sitting on my more permenant bedroom floor. I do not like being in a flithy room. But I am also less than fond of cleaning. ESPECIALLY since I JUST cleaned and packed my dorm room. Another event of such thorough cleaning is less than appealing. But a large pile just vanished as it was introduced to my washing machine and now I sit, knowing that progress is being made. Slowly.
I have a two week break. Something that those returning to MACU tease me about as they have four weeks of break. But really, I tease them. Who would want to have nothing to do for four-weeks? It's not like this is designated "hang out with friends" time. All my friends are home for the break. I love to shoot the breeze sipping a macchiato and reading a novel just as much as the next bloke. But I like it as a means to unwind after stress. After four weeks of unwinding... I think I'd become unwound.
During my break, I will:
- unpack and repack my life
- get an oil change and 21 point inspection prior to a 24-hr drive to TX
- get in contact with a couple names that might be able to help me with support
- shoot the breeze sipping a macchiato and reading my new textbook
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Summer Story - Intriguing Intruder
I was staring at the ceiling. Both of my roommates had long since fallen asleep but my mind was still filtering through all the thoughts that the day had prompted. A small sound disturbed me from my thoughts, a scratching sound. "Rats!" I thought. Now I'm not afraid of rats, I am aware that they cannot hurt me, so, with the sound now identified, I returned to the swirl of thoughts in my head. But in the midst of this chaos, a small voice came to me, screaming, "the coffee!" I snapped out of my thoughts and returned to the immediate major problem of the 8 bags of coffee on the ground, the same ground that the rat was on. Do rates eat coffee? I don't know. I think rats eat everything. I knew I had to act. So I grabbed my flashlight and pressed it against my mosquito net, shining it toward the coffee, looking for the red pin-pricks of the rat's eyes. But I saw none. The scratching had stopped. The rats must have gotten savvy and hid from the light. So I hid the light until the scratches were heard again. After the scratches became steady, I snapped the light up and watched as a huge tail, an inch in diameter, slithered down the backpack and hid behind the coffee. "This is no rat." Just then I heard scratches from the corner of the room. The beam of light jumped over to illuminate a large snake. This is good news actually. In PNG, snakes are either big or deadly. So big is good. "But snakes don’t make scratching noises!" The snake that my beam was focused on began to crawl toward it's friend. It's legs moving rapidly. Now you may be thinking, as I once naively did, that snake + legs = lizard. But this is not the case. Lizards have bodies and then tails. Snakes have much less obvious transition between these body parts, and I assure you, it was not a lizard. It was a snake with legs.
Suddenly, the first snake began moving again, the beam snapped back to observe it's progress. It's tail must have gotten snagged on the empty bottle of Coke on the floor, because as it retreated to the shadows under my roommates bed, I watched the bottle of coke being slowly dragged under the bed until it disappeared in the dark. The giggly sort of fear bubbled in my throat (which I stifled for the sake of my slumbering friends) and I thought about how cheesy that scene would be in a movie.
The second snake progressed around the perimeter of the room and I was thrilled as he approached my bed, because then I would get a really good view of him (in the safety of my mosquito net). So I watched him approach, walking with the front of his body and slithering with the back. I watched him crawl under my bed and then jumped to the other side of my bed to watch him crawl out. But he didn't.
After several minutes, I came to terms with the fact that he was staying under my bed. I returned my attention to the ceiling and at that moment, wished more than ever that I had my cell phone. So badly, I wanted to text my team leader and ask her if snakes with legs could hurt me.
I practiced how I would tell this story in Tok Pisin until I fell asleep.
Epilogue
The next morning, the roommate who's bed the snake hid under was packing to go spend the weekend in Madang. She gasped. Another woman asked what the problem was.
"I think it's a really big gecko."
"Oh don't be a baby!"
A few minutes went by and my roommate spoke again.
"I really don't know what to do with this!"
"What are you talking- Oh dear."
The massive snake had coiled itself in her suitcase. Nationals were asked to come and exterminate the intruder. They informed them that this was not a common critter.
I should be so lucky.
No coffee was harmed in the making of this experience.
Suddenly, the first snake began moving again, the beam snapped back to observe it's progress. It's tail must have gotten snagged on the empty bottle of Coke on the floor, because as it retreated to the shadows under my roommates bed, I watched the bottle of coke being slowly dragged under the bed until it disappeared in the dark. The giggly sort of fear bubbled in my throat (which I stifled for the sake of my slumbering friends) and I thought about how cheesy that scene would be in a movie.
The second snake progressed around the perimeter of the room and I was thrilled as he approached my bed, because then I would get a really good view of him (in the safety of my mosquito net). So I watched him approach, walking with the front of his body and slithering with the back. I watched him crawl under my bed and then jumped to the other side of my bed to watch him crawl out. But he didn't.
After several minutes, I came to terms with the fact that he was staying under my bed. I returned my attention to the ceiling and at that moment, wished more than ever that I had my cell phone. So badly, I wanted to text my team leader and ask her if snakes with legs could hurt me.
I practiced how I would tell this story in Tok Pisin until I fell asleep.
Epilogue
The next morning, the roommate who's bed the snake hid under was packing to go spend the weekend in Madang. She gasped. Another woman asked what the problem was.
"I think it's a really big gecko."
"Oh don't be a baby!"
A few minutes went by and my roommate spoke again.
"I really don't know what to do with this!"
"What are you talking- Oh dear."
The massive snake had coiled itself in her suitcase. Nationals were asked to come and exterminate the intruder. They informed them that this was not a common critter.
I should be so lucky.
No coffee was harmed in the making of this experience.
Summer Story - Intriguing Intruder
I was staring at the ceiling. Both of my roommates had long since fallen asleep but my mind was still filtering through all the thoughts that the day had prompted. A small sound disturbed me from my thoughts, a scratching sound. "Rats!" I thought. Now I'm not afraid of rats, I am aware that they cannot hurt me, so, with the sound now identified, I returned to the swirl of thoughts in my head. But in the midst of this chaos, a small voice came to me, screaming, "the coffee!" I snapped out of my thoughts and returned to the immediate major problem of the 8 bags of coffee on the ground, the same ground that the rat was on. Do rates eat coffee? I don't know. I think rats eat everything. I knew I had to act. So I grabbed my flashlight and pressed it against my mosquito net, shining it toward the coffee, looking for the red pin-pricks of the rat's eyes. But I saw none. The scratching had stopped. The rats must have gotten savvy and hid from the light. So I hid the light until the scratches were heard again. After the scratches became steady, I snapped the light up and watched as a huge tail, an inch in diameter, slithered down the backpack and hid behind the coffee. "This is no rat." Just then I heard scratches from the corner of the room. The beam of light jumped over to illuminate a large snake. This is good news actually. In PNG, snakes are either big or deadly. So big is good. "But snakes don’t make scratching noises!" The snake that my beam was focused on began to crawl toward it's friend. It's legs moving rapidly. Now you may be thinking, as I once naively did, that snake + legs = lizard. But this is not the case. Lizards have bodies and then tails. Snakes have much less obvious transition between these body parts, and I assure you, it was not a lizard. It was a snake with legs.
Suddenly, the first snake began moving again, the beam snapped back to observe it's progress. It's tail must have gotten snagged on the empty bottle of Coke on the floor, because as it retreated to the shadows under my roommates bed, I watched the bottle of coke being slowly dragged under the bed until it disappeared in the dark. The giggly sort of fear bubbled in my throat (which I stifled for the sake of my slumbering friends) and I thought about how cheesy that scene would be in a movie.
The second snake progressed around the perimeter of the room and I was thrilled as he approached my bed, because then I would get a really good view of him (in the safety of my mosquito net). So I watched him approach, walking with the front of his body and slithering with the back. I watched him crawl under my bed and then jumped to the other side of my bed to watch him crawl out. But he didn't.
After several minutes, I came to terms with the fact that he was staying under my bed. I returned my attention to the ceiling and at that moment, wished more than ever that I had my cell phone. So badly, I wanted to text my team leader and ask her if snakes with legs could hurt me.
I practiced how I would tell this story in Tok Pisin until I fell asleep.
Epilogue
The next morning, the roommate who's bed the snake hid under was packing to go spend the weekend in Madang. She gasped. Another woman asked what the problem was.
"I think it's a really big gecko."
"Oh don't be a baby!"
A few minutes went by and my roommate spoke again.
"I really don't know what to do with this!"
"What are you talking- Oh dear."
The massive snake had coiled itself in her suitcase. Nationals were asked to come and exterminate the intruder. They informed them that this was not a common critter.
I should be so lucky.
No coffee was harmed in the making of this experience.
Suddenly, the first snake began moving again, the beam snapped back to observe it's progress. It's tail must have gotten snagged on the empty bottle of Coke on the floor, because as it retreated to the shadows under my roommates bed, I watched the bottle of coke being slowly dragged under the bed until it disappeared in the dark. The giggly sort of fear bubbled in my throat (which I stifled for the sake of my slumbering friends) and I thought about how cheesy that scene would be in a movie.
The second snake progressed around the perimeter of the room and I was thrilled as he approached my bed, because then I would get a really good view of him (in the safety of my mosquito net). So I watched him approach, walking with the front of his body and slithering with the back. I watched him crawl under my bed and then jumped to the other side of my bed to watch him crawl out. But he didn't.
After several minutes, I came to terms with the fact that he was staying under my bed. I returned my attention to the ceiling and at that moment, wished more than ever that I had my cell phone. So badly, I wanted to text my team leader and ask her if snakes with legs could hurt me.
I practiced how I would tell this story in Tok Pisin until I fell asleep.
Epilogue
The next morning, the roommate who's bed the snake hid under was packing to go spend the weekend in Madang. She gasped. Another woman asked what the problem was.
"I think it's a really big gecko."
"Oh don't be a baby!"
A few minutes went by and my roommate spoke again.
"I really don't know what to do with this!"
"What are you talking- Oh dear."
The massive snake had coiled itself in her suitcase. Nationals were asked to come and exterminate the intruder. They informed them that this was not a common critter.
I should be so lucky.
No coffee was harmed in the making of this experience.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Buckling Down
After I got back from Papua New Guinea, I promptly wrote my thank you note, enveloped them and put as many in the mail as I had stamps. A large stack is unsent. But I never made it to the post office.
I made a couple phone calls on my long list but there was so much going on when I got back! Appointments, enrolling in school, starting school, grasping the fact that I was no longer in PNG, etc. That I decided to take a breath and focus on the things which could not be done late (registering for classes) until I was reinculturated enough to get back to work.
Yesterday, I says to myself, I says "Elizabeth, it's been almost a month since you got back, I'm pretty sure you can get back to working now."
So today, I'm going to make crazy headway! Today I have nothing to do except PD! Today I'm buckling down!
I made a couple phone calls on my long list but there was so much going on when I got back! Appointments, enrolling in school, starting school, grasping the fact that I was no longer in PNG, etc. That I decided to take a breath and focus on the things which could not be done late (registering for classes) until I was reinculturated enough to get back to work.
Yesterday, I says to myself, I says "Elizabeth, it's been almost a month since you got back, I'm pretty sure you can get back to working now."
So today, I'm going to make crazy headway! Today I have nothing to do except PD! Today I'm buckling down!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Ode to Mine
Oh bed!
Thank you for being Mine!
For being soft at first
letting me seep into your cushions with a sigh
quite unlike the bed of Madang
but not letting this be a curse
but having a firmness upon which I can rely
keeping my back from tremendous pain
sinking too far into a too soft pallet
the pains of Nobnob are long forgotten
Oh pillow!
Thank you for being mine!
for being thick enough that I know you're there
supporting me and my humid-frizzy hair
The couch pillows never reassured me so
and for being not so overstuffed that you keep me up
a 45 degree angle from my body made sleeping tough
the Madang never let my head lay low
Oh room!
Thank you for being mine!
devoid of roaches and mold
the duplex had no such claim to fame
for being lacking in rats and bats
whereas the clinic overflowed with this small game
Oh shower!
...
thank you for giving me something to look forward to
so that the thought of Madang wouldn't make me blue
but your pressure is depressing
and the water tank I'm missing
And Madang has you beat.
Thank you for being Mine!
For being soft at first
letting me seep into your cushions with a sigh
quite unlike the bed of Madang
but not letting this be a curse
but having a firmness upon which I can rely
keeping my back from tremendous pain
sinking too far into a too soft pallet
the pains of Nobnob are long forgotten
Oh pillow!
Thank you for being mine!
for being thick enough that I know you're there
supporting me and my humid-frizzy hair
The couch pillows never reassured me so
and for being not so overstuffed that you keep me up
a 45 degree angle from my body made sleeping tough
the Madang never let my head lay low
Oh room!
Thank you for being mine!
devoid of roaches and mold
the duplex had no such claim to fame
for being lacking in rats and bats
whereas the clinic overflowed with this small game
Oh shower!
...
thank you for giving me something to look forward to
so that the thought of Madang wouldn't make me blue
but your pressure is depressing
and the water tank I'm missing
And Madang has you beat.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
The Cockroach Chronicles
Samban was too easy for me apparently. Apparently, I needed to experience a trial. Well, I did promptly on my return from the village, in the same house as I was before, in which there was no incident, now there were many.
July 10th, 3am – Deep in sleep, something tickled my shoulder. Unconsciously reaching to soothe irritated skin, I felt something that jerked me awake, something suspiciously similar to a spider’s leg. (I hate spiders). I got up. Black. Couldn’t see. Swept my hands over the bed. The search for the little devil was fruitless. I reached to touch my offended shoulder. I found a tangle as I reached into my hair. Content that it might have been the culprit, I fell back soundly asleep.
But once again my same shoulder was disturbed. This time when I went to touch it, I seemed to grab the villain. As the side of its body cut into my hand, I threw it away from me. Leapt to the light. Searched the room. Nothing was found.
So I crept into the living room where Lindy slept on the couch and curled up on the other couch until daybreak.
July 11th, 4am – I woke to the feeling of the perpetrator crawling between my knees. I jumped up and turned on the lights. Now that I was no longer thrashing, it began to resume crawling all over my sheets. All over my sheets! I took a photo. Proof. I then decided that it needed to be murdered in an aggressive fashion. But if I tried to crush it while it was on the bed then it wouldn’t be efficiently squashed and would be aware of my ill intent. So I waited until it scurried to a hard place. It ran up the post of the bed and, sadly, under the towel hanging there. So I picked up the towel and dropped it hastily on the floor. But as I did so, I noticed something fall with style to the side. The Roach. I couldn’t see it. I bent to inspect the dirty clothes basket to see if that was where it hid, but in my peripheral I saw a shot of movement and the roach was on
the bookshelf a mere 6 inches from my face. I slowly moved back and drew up my shoe. Just as I was about to administer the lethal blow, it flew at my face. I scream, dropped the shoe, and frantically pulled at the unlocked door’s lock, cursing a gecko as it laughed at my plight. I then sat on the couch I had visited the night before and cried for an hour. If there’s anything I hate more than spider’s it’s roaches. I hate them passionately! And not only are they in my room but I can’t sleep because they’re crawling on me! I just want to sleep and these horrible disgusting pasts won’t leave me be. So I cried. I wondered if I could stay awake until morning and just not go back to sleep, but as my eyes drooped, I knew that wasn’t possible. An hour or so later, I slept.
July 12th, 12am – I had just gotten out of the shower and was preparing to curl up on the couch in the living room (nevermind my room, that was obviously unsuccessful). I had climbed into my sheets and rolled over to face the wall. When a huge roach scurried down the wall behind the couch.
“For real!” I roared in indignation as I leapt from the couch.
“It’s just a gecko,” Lindy assured me.
“No it’s not!” but after a moment I decided that Lindy must have had a reason to say such a thing, so I inquired.
“I saw a gecko climb down there when you were in the shower. I even went to check that it was a gecko.”
I flipped the switch and pulled the couch from the wall. The gecko of which Lindy spoke was long gone and in its place was the Roach.
I let out another roar of anger. Lindy killed it and I pulled the couch into the center of the floor so that wall crawling roaches would be obligated to take another step in order to run their filthy feelers over my body again.
In following days, roaches have been sighted a many a time, but, thank God, they have stayed to the floor and not to my flesh.
July 10th, 3am – Deep in sleep, something tickled my shoulder. Unconsciously reaching to soothe irritated skin, I felt something that jerked me awake, something suspiciously similar to a spider’s leg. (I hate spiders). I got up. Black. Couldn’t see. Swept my hands over the bed. The search for the little devil was fruitless. I reached to touch my offended shoulder. I found a tangle as I reached into my hair. Content that it might have been the culprit, I fell back soundly asleep.
But once again my same shoulder was disturbed. This time when I went to touch it, I seemed to grab the villain. As the side of its body cut into my hand, I threw it away from me. Leapt to the light. Searched the room. Nothing was found.
So I crept into the living room where Lindy slept on the couch and curled up on the other couch until daybreak.
July 11th, 4am – I woke to the feeling of the perpetrator crawling between my knees. I jumped up and turned on the lights. Now that I was no longer thrashing, it began to resume crawling all over my sheets. All over my sheets! I took a photo. Proof. I then decided that it needed to be murdered in an aggressive fashion. But if I tried to crush it while it was on the bed then it wouldn’t be efficiently squashed and would be aware of my ill intent. So I waited until it scurried to a hard place. It ran up the post of the bed and, sadly, under the towel hanging there. So I picked up the towel and dropped it hastily on the floor. But as I did so, I noticed something fall with style to the side. The Roach. I couldn’t see it. I bent to inspect the dirty clothes basket to see if that was where it hid, but in my peripheral I saw a shot of movement and the roach was on
the bookshelf a mere 6 inches from my face. I slowly moved back and drew up my shoe. Just as I was about to administer the lethal blow, it flew at my face. I scream, dropped the shoe, and frantically pulled at the unlocked door’s lock, cursing a gecko as it laughed at my plight. I then sat on the couch I had visited the night before and cried for an hour. If there’s anything I hate more than spider’s it’s roaches. I hate them passionately! And not only are they in my room but I can’t sleep because they’re crawling on me! I just want to sleep and these horrible disgusting pasts won’t leave me be. So I cried. I wondered if I could stay awake until morning and just not go back to sleep, but as my eyes drooped, I knew that wasn’t possible. An hour or so later, I slept.
July 12th, 12am – I had just gotten out of the shower and was preparing to curl up on the couch in the living room (nevermind my room, that was obviously unsuccessful). I had climbed into my sheets and rolled over to face the wall. When a huge roach scurried down the wall behind the couch.
“For real!” I roared in indignation as I leapt from the couch.
“It’s just a gecko,” Lindy assured me.
“No it’s not!” but after a moment I decided that Lindy must have had a reason to say such a thing, so I inquired.
“I saw a gecko climb down there when you were in the shower. I even went to check that it was a gecko.”
I flipped the switch and pulled the couch from the wall. The gecko of which Lindy spoke was long gone and in its place was the Roach.
I let out another roar of anger. Lindy killed it and I pulled the couch into the center of the floor so that wall crawling roaches would be obligated to take another step in order to run their filthy feelers over my body again.
In following days, roaches have been sighted a many a time, but, thank God, they have stayed to the floor and not to my flesh.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
The First Day in the Bush
I consider the first day to be the first FULL day.
The night was miserable. No pillow plus little support from the one inch thick mattress made my neck scream in misery. I woke in the middle of the night and had to use the filthy bucket toilet. (definitely not going to fly when I live here long-term) and in the morning I got my first bucket shower. The freezing water was not awesome.
I longed for better times out and about. And I got them.
Lindy took Kristen and I to where the women were making saksak, a starch similar to flour. After sitting down and talking a little with the women, Kristen asked if she could try sigrapim saksak (scraping saksak) out of the sago tree. They let her and after a bit she passed it off to me. It was hard work and we weren't very good at it at all. It involved taking a pick-ax like thing and hitting it againt the inside of the tree to scrap it out into a bunch of little splinters.
The next step in the process is wasim saksak (washing) where you put the splinters into a mesh and pour water over it. then the splinters are wrung and the water drips white. A finer mesh better filters the white water and it falls into a canoe. In this process the baby IS the bath water. The canoe is then covered until the excess water evaporates and a powder is all that's left behind. The powder is the saksak.
The night was miserable. No pillow plus little support from the one inch thick mattress made my neck scream in misery. I woke in the middle of the night and had to use the filthy bucket toilet. (definitely not going to fly when I live here long-term) and in the morning I got my first bucket shower. The freezing water was not awesome.
I longed for better times out and about. And I got them.
Lindy took Kristen and I to where the women were making saksak, a starch similar to flour. After sitting down and talking a little with the women, Kristen asked if she could try sigrapim saksak (scraping saksak) out of the sago tree. They let her and after a bit she passed it off to me. It was hard work and we weren't very good at it at all. It involved taking a pick-ax like thing and hitting it againt the inside of the tree to scrap it out into a bunch of little splinters.
The next step in the process is wasim saksak (washing) where you put the splinters into a mesh and pour water over it. then the splinters are wrung and the water drips white. A finer mesh better filters the white water and it falls into a canoe. In this process the baby IS the bath water. The canoe is then covered until the excess water evaporates and a powder is all that's left behind. The powder is the saksak.
Plane Day
We went to the airport.
We came back from the airport.
We waited for an hour.
We waited for another hour.
We where told when our plane would leave.
We went to the airport.
We waited another hour.
We finally got on the plane.
Upon our arrival, a singsing was preformed to amamas us (show us their joy at our arrival).
It was a long mile to the house of the missionaries as we walked between two walls of scantily clad, chanting and dancing men and children. When we got to the house we were given a kulow, a wet coconut unlike the dry coconuts we buy at the store. The wet coconuts have more milk and less meat. Kulow was never so good as on that day!
We then walked another mile to the house where we would stay. There I found a ginormous spider. The size of my hand. The house was covered in spider webs. Bugs everywhere. Clutter too. In a very little house. It took a moment or two to adjust to it and then I was fine. The some of the other team members didn't adjust so well.
But such is life in the bush. And life in the bush is whatever you make it to be. The missionary there didn't have arachnophobia and appreciated the spiders consumption of mosquitoes and their webs ability to catch them. So she let them linger in order to spare her the mosquitoes unorthodox weight loss program.
We came back from the airport.
We waited for an hour.
We waited for another hour.
We where told when our plane would leave.
We went to the airport.
We waited another hour.
We finally got on the plane.
Upon our arrival, a singsing was preformed to amamas us (show us their joy at our arrival).
It was a long mile to the house of the missionaries as we walked between two walls of scantily clad, chanting and dancing men and children. When we got to the house we were given a kulow, a wet coconut unlike the dry coconuts we buy at the store. The wet coconuts have more milk and less meat. Kulow was never so good as on that day!
We then walked another mile to the house where we would stay. There I found a ginormous spider. The size of my hand. The house was covered in spider webs. Bugs everywhere. Clutter too. In a very little house. It took a moment or two to adjust to it and then I was fine. The some of the other team members didn't adjust so well.
But such is life in the bush. And life in the bush is whatever you make it to be. The missionary there didn't have arachnophobia and appreciated the spiders consumption of mosquitoes and their webs ability to catch them. So she let them linger in order to spare her the mosquitoes unorthodox weight loss program.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Samban overview
For two weeks, I've been in the jungle.
I lived in a bush house with a bucket shower and bucket toilet. For the first 4 days, a 6*2 1" thick mat covered in a mosquito net was my sanctuary. After that we moved down to the main part of Samban (we were originally in Nupela Painiten), where missionaries from Outreach International were located. They lived in an Americanized house. (During the first year or so, missionaries stay in bush houses until they've found just the right plae amidst just the right dialect to set up a more costly establishment.)
While in Samban, I learn how to scrap saksak (a starch akin to flour), wash saksak, cook saksak, make a belum (a purse of sorts), and I got along on my Tok Pisin. I also recorded the story of how to make a pui (a water dipper made of a coconut and a stick of bamboo) in the local language, ApMa. I then took that recording, transcribed it, found someone to help me translate it, took pictures of the process, and then made a literacy booklet that will be used in the schools there.
We had a great time talking with women and children (it wouldnt be appropriate for me to talk with men). I'd love to come back for a visit in the future.
I lived in a bush house with a bucket shower and bucket toilet. For the first 4 days, a 6*2 1" thick mat covered in a mosquito net was my sanctuary. After that we moved down to the main part of Samban (we were originally in Nupela Painiten), where missionaries from Outreach International were located. They lived in an Americanized house. (During the first year or so, missionaries stay in bush houses until they've found just the right plae amidst just the right dialect to set up a more costly establishment.)
While in Samban, I learn how to scrap saksak (a starch akin to flour), wash saksak, cook saksak, make a belum (a purse of sorts), and I got along on my Tok Pisin. I also recorded the story of how to make a pui (a water dipper made of a coconut and a stick of bamboo) in the local language, ApMa. I then took that recording, transcribed it, found someone to help me translate it, took pictures of the process, and then made a literacy booklet that will be used in the schools there.
We had a great time talking with women and children (it wouldnt be appropriate for me to talk with men). I'd love to come back for a visit in the future.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Last day in Madang (for now)
Yesterday I was in the Buy/Ship room all day packing up all the cargo for the Samban and Igoi trips. ALL DAY. My other job was to find the flight times. But the person who was supposed to tell me couldn't because the Caravan, carrying 1000k, was sick and in the shop and until it was decided whether it would be fixed or not, she wouldn't know.
This morning, it was said we would get the Twin Otter which carries 1,500k. But at 8:15, it was decided we would get three little planes, and the first would leave at 9:15. When we got there at 9:30, it was said we aren't taking the little planes but we would wait until the twin otter now.
We were spposed to find out what was going on at 10:30. At 12:30, we just got the phone call. The otter is ours. We leave at 2. Yay.
We're going to the bush and I'll have no internet for 2 weeks. woo.
This morning, it was said we would get the Twin Otter which carries 1,500k. But at 8:15, it was decided we would get three little planes, and the first would leave at 9:15. When we got there at 9:30, it was said we aren't taking the little planes but we would wait until the twin otter now.
We were spposed to find out what was going on at 10:30. At 12:30, we just got the phone call. The otter is ours. We leave at 2. Yay.
We're going to the bush and I'll have no internet for 2 weeks. woo.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Jais: Paradise is Danger
8 out of 9 interns injured.
I am not the 1.
After lunch on Saturday we went to the Jais Resort. The sign read "This way to Paradise." It was stunning. It's one thing to know God made beautiful things. It's quite another to watch it steal your breath. It was almost unreal. As if the palm trees seperating the plush white clouds laced in golden sunshine from the rich bluest of blue ocean was just a painting, as if such beauty was too marvelous to actually been seen in person.
But after two minutes in the waters (a perfect tempeture, not so cold one has to ease in, but a great relief from the sun), two interns emerged with blue dots on their feet. Sea Urchins. Lindy called us out to put shoes on. It was then that the odd burning sensation on my foot was explained. I, too, had the tell-tale blue dot of the sea urchin.
But with shoes encasing our feet, we were good to go again.
I prepared to snorkel with the others. At first I had swimming goggles on (ones that didn't cover my nose) and in addition to my nose being filled with burning salt, I got a little panicky and would inhale sharply thru my mouth and, despite that that was a successul manner of breathing, I couldn't steady my breathing. Finally, another intern threw in the towel and threw me her snorkel goggles. With my nose encased in air, I could breathe out of my mouth without fear.
The water was pretty choppy and so the sand was stirred up making the water less than crystal clear. But the coral was still lovely. It was pretty high to the surface, so sometimes I would take a moment to breath and try to stand on it. Of course the waters were moving and I'd find myself pushed from my perch.
Swimming farth out, to the edge of where I could see the coral. I danced with a jelly fish.
After that I decided to go in.
I meet my battle buddy going in. She was lifting her foot out of the water and another intern was bent over it. The pins of an urchin were being pluced from her flesh. The intern (a nursing student) looked up from her work at my arrival and asked me to hold my battle's leg out of the water to keep the waves from jostling her work. When I walked up to the more shallow waters, the nurse caught a glance of my legs. "What did that!" she exclaimed. I looked down to my skinned knee bleeding profusly. I shrugged. "Coral, probably. No big deal."
"Have you ever been scrapped by coral before?"
"No."
"It has a tendency to try to grow inside of you."
Lovely.
I try to keep a light hearted attitude as I picture the coral I had just seen underwater growing on my knee.
I crawled out of the water to Lindy.
"Lindy, coral is pretty. But coral is danger."
Lindy sighs. "That makes 8 of 9," she says.
Inventory of wounds:
One blue dot on top of foot, next to blister from shoes.
four coral scrapes on legs (two on each)
one coral scrape on ankle
Angry jellyfish welts on forearms.
angry jellyfish redness all over arms.
I am not the 1.
After lunch on Saturday we went to the Jais Resort. The sign read "This way to Paradise." It was stunning. It's one thing to know God made beautiful things. It's quite another to watch it steal your breath. It was almost unreal. As if the palm trees seperating the plush white clouds laced in golden sunshine from the rich bluest of blue ocean was just a painting, as if such beauty was too marvelous to actually been seen in person.
But after two minutes in the waters (a perfect tempeture, not so cold one has to ease in, but a great relief from the sun), two interns emerged with blue dots on their feet. Sea Urchins. Lindy called us out to put shoes on. It was then that the odd burning sensation on my foot was explained. I, too, had the tell-tale blue dot of the sea urchin.
But with shoes encasing our feet, we were good to go again.
I prepared to snorkel with the others. At first I had swimming goggles on (ones that didn't cover my nose) and in addition to my nose being filled with burning salt, I got a little panicky and would inhale sharply thru my mouth and, despite that that was a successul manner of breathing, I couldn't steady my breathing. Finally, another intern threw in the towel and threw me her snorkel goggles. With my nose encased in air, I could breathe out of my mouth without fear.
The water was pretty choppy and so the sand was stirred up making the water less than crystal clear. But the coral was still lovely. It was pretty high to the surface, so sometimes I would take a moment to breath and try to stand on it. Of course the waters were moving and I'd find myself pushed from my perch.
Swimming farth out, to the edge of where I could see the coral. I danced with a jelly fish.
After that I decided to go in.
I meet my battle buddy going in. She was lifting her foot out of the water and another intern was bent over it. The pins of an urchin were being pluced from her flesh. The intern (a nursing student) looked up from her work at my arrival and asked me to hold my battle's leg out of the water to keep the waves from jostling her work. When I walked up to the more shallow waters, the nurse caught a glance of my legs. "What did that!" she exclaimed. I looked down to my skinned knee bleeding profusly. I shrugged. "Coral, probably. No big deal."
"Have you ever been scrapped by coral before?"
"No."
"It has a tendency to try to grow inside of you."
Lovely.
I try to keep a light hearted attitude as I picture the coral I had just seen underwater growing on my knee.
I crawled out of the water to Lindy.
"Lindy, coral is pretty. But coral is danger."
Lindy sighs. "That makes 8 of 9," she says.
Inventory of wounds:
One blue dot on top of foot, next to blister from shoes.
four coral scrapes on legs (two on each)
one coral scrape on ankle
Angry jellyfish welts on forearms.
angry jellyfish redness all over arms.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Second day
So since I've been here, I've had a few funny stories.
1. Riding to the duplex where we're staying while in town, I noticed an uncomfortable poke in my back. It was like a pole hidden in the seat. I was careful about it but the roads in PNG aren't exactly smooth. Soon a large rut caused me to come slightly out of my seat and firmly into it, falling hard on the metal pole. A gasp of pain. "Are you all rigt, Vahey?" a fellow intern asks. Trying to blink back the instant watering of my eyes, I hoarsely reply, "I'm not bleeding... i think." I slid over, almost on top of the person sitting next to me to clear the pole. From then on I made sure I wasn't sitting in that seat.
2. 3am. My first night in PNG. I awake because nature calls. I walk to the bathroom and flip the switch. Crazy strobe lighting begins. Never fully illuminated either so still really dark. I look around for any unwelcome wildlife and see none. Things went smoothly. But! Have you ever tried to flush an australian toilet at 3 am while under the inflence of jet lag and under a strobing light? There's no handle! After a few desperate attempts of feeling for a handle that wasn't there, I noticed a button on the top. At this time I did what one should always do when discovering a mysterious button: I pushed it. What did it do? No idea. It was 3am and very dark. But it did something involving water. So I pushed it again and hoped for the best before going to pass out once more until 6 am.
3.8am. Second morning in PNG. I walked over to my commorades, who were attempting to chase a rooster across the yard (but then they found out that it was a chicken and trying to lay eggs for breakfast), on my way to them I noticed a large and ugly toad in the dog's food bowl. "katie" I called. As she walked over, I contemplated reaching out and grabbing the toad. Just as I went to bend down. Katie came up and said "Oh yeah, that's poisonous." I straightened up.
4.8pm. Second evening. Dinner at the house of some missionaries. As we walk in, on of the dogs nuzzles up against one of the interns skirts, pulling it up. Awkward, I thought, so I reach down to hold down my skirt. It was then, not when I left the house, nor when I got in the car, nor the whole car ride over, nor when I got out of the car, but when I was walking into the house with nationals inside that I realized that I was not where a skirt but my mid-thigh shorts. Mid-thigh. Appropriate you'd think! I mean, I wouldn't get written up for wearing them at MACU. But in PNG, where the thigh if the part of the body men lust after, this is not ok. Lindy was stupified. The missionary man jestingly told me to go to my room as he sent me to the back and pulled out one of his wife's laplap's. Lindy assured me that this would become one of those tales that started out "some there was this one intern" and ended with "now dont you all do that"
Good times
1. Riding to the duplex where we're staying while in town, I noticed an uncomfortable poke in my back. It was like a pole hidden in the seat. I was careful about it but the roads in PNG aren't exactly smooth. Soon a large rut caused me to come slightly out of my seat and firmly into it, falling hard on the metal pole. A gasp of pain. "Are you all rigt, Vahey?" a fellow intern asks. Trying to blink back the instant watering of my eyes, I hoarsely reply, "I'm not bleeding... i think." I slid over, almost on top of the person sitting next to me to clear the pole. From then on I made sure I wasn't sitting in that seat.
2. 3am. My first night in PNG. I awake because nature calls. I walk to the bathroom and flip the switch. Crazy strobe lighting begins. Never fully illuminated either so still really dark. I look around for any unwelcome wildlife and see none. Things went smoothly. But! Have you ever tried to flush an australian toilet at 3 am while under the inflence of jet lag and under a strobing light? There's no handle! After a few desperate attempts of feeling for a handle that wasn't there, I noticed a button on the top. At this time I did what one should always do when discovering a mysterious button: I pushed it. What did it do? No idea. It was 3am and very dark. But it did something involving water. So I pushed it again and hoped for the best before going to pass out once more until 6 am.
3.8am. Second morning in PNG. I walked over to my commorades, who were attempting to chase a rooster across the yard (but then they found out that it was a chicken and trying to lay eggs for breakfast), on my way to them I noticed a large and ugly toad in the dog's food bowl. "katie" I called. As she walked over, I contemplated reaching out and grabbing the toad. Just as I went to bend down. Katie came up and said "Oh yeah, that's poisonous." I straightened up.
4.8pm. Second evening. Dinner at the house of some missionaries. As we walk in, on of the dogs nuzzles up against one of the interns skirts, pulling it up. Awkward, I thought, so I reach down to hold down my skirt. It was then, not when I left the house, nor when I got in the car, nor the whole car ride over, nor when I got out of the car, but when I was walking into the house with nationals inside that I realized that I was not where a skirt but my mid-thigh shorts. Mid-thigh. Appropriate you'd think! I mean, I wouldn't get written up for wearing them at MACU. But in PNG, where the thigh if the part of the body men lust after, this is not ok. Lindy was stupified. The missionary man jestingly told me to go to my room as he sent me to the back and pulled out one of his wife's laplap's. Lindy assured me that this would become one of those tales that started out "some there was this one intern" and ended with "now dont you all do that"
Good times
Thursday, June 17, 2010
The afternoon of the first day
I spent the day in the office in Madang. It wasn't as miserable as it sounds because Team Albatross (I'm part of Team Awesome. I'm sure there's no need for further explaination) lives above the office so we could go up and recline and be "home." So, not bad.
Anyway! Internet all day is amazing. We planned the meals we'll be eating for the two weeks while we're in Samban before lunch. We had a late lunch today (when breakfast is a 6am, it needs to be BIG if lunch is late) of tiger noodles (think Ramen).
After lunch, I went to the butcher with a few interns and an office worker. There are foreign sodas here. "Well, duh," you say, but no! There's Fanta, but crazy flavors. I found a strawberry ice cream one. It was VERY sweet.
Afterwards we sat down to take our meal list and turn it into a grocery list. During our team building week in Dallas, there was a complaint that nothing was really stress provoking. This would have been a good activity for that. It was late in the day, before dinner, Lindy, our team leader, (being a very important person in the office) was in and out of our meeting, we didn't now some recipes, and had to guess. We found ourselves stepping over each other and tensions were high. But the job got down and we all left, perhaps mildly miffed, but very relieved that THAT was over. I think we apporpriately aimed our irritation at the event and not each other.
Now, I'm putting up this last post for the night before going upstairs to dine on the lovely cuisine Team Albatross prepared for us.
Good night!
(or good morning, as it's 4:13am there and 6:16pm here. So welcome to Thursday. Don't worry, it wasn't too bad.)
Anyway! Internet all day is amazing. We planned the meals we'll be eating for the two weeks while we're in Samban before lunch. We had a late lunch today (when breakfast is a 6am, it needs to be BIG if lunch is late) of tiger noodles (think Ramen).
After lunch, I went to the butcher with a few interns and an office worker. There are foreign sodas here. "Well, duh," you say, but no! There's Fanta, but crazy flavors. I found a strawberry ice cream one. It was VERY sweet.
Afterwards we sat down to take our meal list and turn it into a grocery list. During our team building week in Dallas, there was a complaint that nothing was really stress provoking. This would have been a good activity for that. It was late in the day, before dinner, Lindy, our team leader, (being a very important person in the office) was in and out of our meeting, we didn't now some recipes, and had to guess. We found ourselves stepping over each other and tensions were high. But the job got down and we all left, perhaps mildly miffed, but very relieved that THAT was over. I think we apporpriately aimed our irritation at the event and not each other.
Now, I'm putting up this last post for the night before going upstairs to dine on the lovely cuisine Team Albatross prepared for us.
Good night!
(or good morning, as it's 4:13am there and 6:16pm here. So welcome to Thursday. Don't worry, it wasn't too bad.)
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
First Day in PNG
After the third plane, I was on the verge of tears at the thought of getting on another on. But I managed (not particularly well).
Getting into PNG was mind-blowing. I almost cried when I realized that I finally made it here. After investing so much of myself in getting to PNG, I am not finally here.
After getting off the final plane, I was meet with familiar faces and brought to the place where I'm staying. I got a shower and then went back for dinner. I hadn't even finished my burrito when I started having trouble keeping my eyes open.
I DID take the time to put a fitted sheet on before I passed out at 8pm.
At 6am, I was wide eyed and bushy tailed.
It was very odd to wake up with the realization that I am in Papua New Guinea. Walking into the kitchen, my leader asked me how I was. "i'm in PNG," I mumbled. "You're in PNG!" she exclaimed. And she hugged me.
I drank PNG coffee, breakfasted on little lemon poppy seed muffins. A pineapple was cut up and I am here to tell you that USA pineapples are nasty! I can not believe I liked those. PNG pineapples are the way to go!
I also ate passionfruit. Passionfruit tastes really good but it as the texture of monkey brain.
Ryan ate an ant right off of tree!
Now I'm in the PBT office.
There's a lot of traffic here. Always someone walking in or calling.
We're supposed to be going to the market soon. THAT'll be an experience.
Getting into PNG was mind-blowing. I almost cried when I realized that I finally made it here. After investing so much of myself in getting to PNG, I am not finally here.
After getting off the final plane, I was meet with familiar faces and brought to the place where I'm staying. I got a shower and then went back for dinner. I hadn't even finished my burrito when I started having trouble keeping my eyes open.
I DID take the time to put a fitted sheet on before I passed out at 8pm.
At 6am, I was wide eyed and bushy tailed.
It was very odd to wake up with the realization that I am in Papua New Guinea. Walking into the kitchen, my leader asked me how I was. "i'm in PNG," I mumbled. "You're in PNG!" she exclaimed. And she hugged me.
I drank PNG coffee, breakfasted on little lemon poppy seed muffins. A pineapple was cut up and I am here to tell you that USA pineapples are nasty! I can not believe I liked those. PNG pineapples are the way to go!
I also ate passionfruit. Passionfruit tastes really good but it as the texture of monkey brain.
Ryan ate an ant right off of tree!
Now I'm in the PBT office.
There's a lot of traffic here. Always someone walking in or calling.
We're supposed to be going to the market soon. THAT'll be an experience.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Here I go.
Today I went to Duncanville Church of Christ, an a capella church. Then I went to Deliverance Bible Church, a punk rock church. It was a little different.
Tomorrow I leave for Papua New Guinea.
That's a crazy thought.
Here I go.
Tomorrow I leave for Papua New Guinea.
That's a crazy thought.
Here I go.
A feet of a missionary
I just spent the past 3.5 hrs of my life at the feet of a missionary who has been in Papua New Guinea for 30 years, asking him questions about life there from how to be an inside outsider to the animal population to how to walk in the streets of the city.
Also, I got the honor of being giving the traditional Waran greeting. The missionary walked up to me, the foolish one who volunteered to be greeted, and grabbed my head and began to rub his nose all over my face. Of course, the first time this happened some sitting in the circle had a bad view of the event and so it was repeated at a different angle for their enjoyment. I was not informed of the manner in which the greeting was given. Needless to say, I responded better the second time around than the first.
The conversation was delightful and illuminating. I can't wait for tomorrow for yet another opportunity to hear and learn.
Also, I got the honor of being giving the traditional Waran greeting. The missionary walked up to me, the foolish one who volunteered to be greeted, and grabbed my head and began to rub his nose all over my face. Of course, the first time this happened some sitting in the circle had a bad view of the event and so it was repeated at a different angle for their enjoyment. I was not informed of the manner in which the greeting was given. Needless to say, I responded better the second time around than the first.
The conversation was delightful and illuminating. I can't wait for tomorrow for yet another opportunity to hear and learn.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
PFO-PMI
Tomorrow is the last day of Pioneer Missions Institute and thus the final day of pre-field training. This training began on May 31st. The first week was Pre-field Orentation, a time to have lectures on what we would need to know in order to have a successful ministry on our trips and do some team building. The second week was PMI. PMI is a two part training and you take one each year. The first is a Discovery course, in which PBT gives a tantalizing taster of who it is, the second is Orientation, which is a "Ok, now what?" course of seminars to help guide budding missionaries to have a lucrative ministry. All of the interns are dispersed between the courses. Except for me. I have done both which makes me staff (a.k.a. kind of a big deal). I thought this meant that I would have a relaxed week. This is not so. While I did get to sleep in an hour and a half. I run sound for chapel, go to lunch, go to childcare before classes start again, go to afternoon chapel early to run sound there again, go to dinner, engage in the after dinner activities, return to my room and crash. Only to gain an hour and a half sleep over my roommate who is no silent ninja in the morning. The other interns, who have been coped up and quiet in a room all day, can't imagine why I'm so tired all the time!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Ticks
For a few days, I went up to Orange County, VA with a friend. He gave me a tour of his town (which didn't take very long) and one of the sites we drove by was a haunted house. A family had died there in the 50s and no one had lived there since. The place was overgrown and the house was not visible from the road. My friend merely pointed it out and drove on. But there's something about a haunted house that entices me. I didn't forget about it and the last day I was there, I begged him to take me to see it.
We began to pick our way through the brush that had grown over the drive. We were still in sight of the road and not yet in sight of the house when he began to perform a crazy dance on the path in front of me.
"Ticks!" he shouted, stomping them off his feet and swatting at them.
I took a deep breath and tried not to get irritable. Seriously? I thought. They're just bugs. I'm the city girl. I should be freaking out about bugs, not the country boy who grew up here. But he refused to go on and promised we would another time, when we both had pants and shoes on instead of shorts and flip-flops. We got back to the road (although, I admit, I did snap once or twice for him to get going when he stopped in front of me to wipe at more ticks. (but seriously, if you stop in the brush, more will get on you as you remove the others. Wait till you get to the road!))
When we were on the road, and he had become content that he was clear of ticks, I asked him, "Do I have any on me?"
He said, and I quote, "you're good."
He lied to me.
After this, I went back to his house, packed my car and drove home, taking about 4 hours total. I arrived home at about 11pm and, tired from the drive, promptly changed into some pajamas. This is when I found the first four ticks on my legs. I came to realize why my friend flipped out about the ticks. These were not just bugs. They were bugs that wanted to bury their heads in my flesh and suck my blood until they became gargantuous and then depart, obese on my life blood! I scrambled to remove the bloody little parasites and was relieved when I threw the four in the toilet to meet a watery grave. Relieved until I began to search the rest of my body. 5 more ticks joined their friends in the Whirlpool of Doom and finally I was satisfied that I was tick free. (I did, however, have that creepy crawly feeling for the rest of the night.)
The next morning, I was pleased to recall that that far from lovely incident was in the past and today was a new day. I got in my car. Evidently, during the three hour drive, a number of ticks had crawled off me in my car in a (successful) attempt to evade the Whirlpool of Doom and a (successful) attempt to crawl on my at a later point and dine on my blood.
13 ticks total.
Two lessons from this:
1. It is completely reasonable to freak out when ticks are discovered on self
2. After adrenaline rush from freaking out about ticks on self, friends become blind and fail to see the dozen+ ticks scurrying across your legs.
We began to pick our way through the brush that had grown over the drive. We were still in sight of the road and not yet in sight of the house when he began to perform a crazy dance on the path in front of me.
"Ticks!" he shouted, stomping them off his feet and swatting at them.
I took a deep breath and tried not to get irritable. Seriously? I thought. They're just bugs. I'm the city girl. I should be freaking out about bugs, not the country boy who grew up here. But he refused to go on and promised we would another time, when we both had pants and shoes on instead of shorts and flip-flops. We got back to the road (although, I admit, I did snap once or twice for him to get going when he stopped in front of me to wipe at more ticks. (but seriously, if you stop in the brush, more will get on you as you remove the others. Wait till you get to the road!))
When we were on the road, and he had become content that he was clear of ticks, I asked him, "Do I have any on me?"
He said, and I quote, "you're good."
He lied to me.
After this, I went back to his house, packed my car and drove home, taking about 4 hours total. I arrived home at about 11pm and, tired from the drive, promptly changed into some pajamas. This is when I found the first four ticks on my legs. I came to realize why my friend flipped out about the ticks. These were not just bugs. They were bugs that wanted to bury their heads in my flesh and suck my blood until they became gargantuous and then depart, obese on my life blood! I scrambled to remove the bloody little parasites and was relieved when I threw the four in the toilet to meet a watery grave. Relieved until I began to search the rest of my body. 5 more ticks joined their friends in the Whirlpool of Doom and finally I was satisfied that I was tick free. (I did, however, have that creepy crawly feeling for the rest of the night.)
The next morning, I was pleased to recall that that far from lovely incident was in the past and today was a new day. I got in my car. Evidently, during the three hour drive, a number of ticks had crawled off me in my car in a (successful) attempt to evade the Whirlpool of Doom and a (successful) attempt to crawl on my at a later point and dine on my blood.
13 ticks total.
Two lessons from this:
1. It is completely reasonable to freak out when ticks are discovered on self
2. After adrenaline rush from freaking out about ticks on self, friends become blind and fail to see the dozen+ ticks scurrying across your legs.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Two Months!
I am two months away from being on a plane headed to Papua New Guinea. That's an exciting thought. I'm still $2000ish short of what I need. But I'm sure that God has that taken care of. Thank you all for your support. I'm excited to go on this adventure and thrilled to ave an opportunity to help with the translation process.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Oasis at MACU
Right now, I'm sitting in the balcony in the chapel of Mid-Atlantic Christian University, listening to awesome worship and waiting to hear an excellent speaker. I'm so glad that I got an opportunity to serve and hang out on campus with the students. It's been a really fantastic weekend for me.
But there are a lot of high school students on campus enjoying time hanging out with one another and the services hosted by MACU. It would be awesome to see some of their faces here next year and in the years that follow. Pray that they hear God this weekend.
But there are a lot of high school students on campus enjoying time hanging out with one another and the services hosted by MACU. It would be awesome to see some of their faces here next year and in the years that follow. Pray that they hear God this weekend.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Pass it forward
Meet with Forefront today. I'm really stoked about some things we talked about and hope to see some things get fleshed out soon. I'm hoping that a couple of these ideas will help me with finding some amazing people who'd like to partner with me in this mission that I've found myself to be a part of.
I went to Barnes and Noble and finished reading a book I started yesterday. (I've come to discover that it's cheaper to buy Starbucks and read at Barnes and Noble than it is to buy the books it takes to satisfy my habit). It was about this girl who killed herself but sent cassette tapes to all of those who in one way or another contributed to her decision to kill herself. They're actions were seemingly small but snowballed rapidly.
I started thinking about how a snide comment and other little deeds can hurt alot more than we ever knew. And as these thoughts of how mighty small things can hurt, a man taking my parking ticket said, "I'm not trying to flirt, but you look very pretty." And then I started to think of how such things worked in a positive way to. A small positive thing like a compliment can have great repercussions.
I went to Barnes and Noble and finished reading a book I started yesterday. (I've come to discover that it's cheaper to buy Starbucks and read at Barnes and Noble than it is to buy the books it takes to satisfy my habit). It was about this girl who killed herself but sent cassette tapes to all of those who in one way or another contributed to her decision to kill herself. They're actions were seemingly small but snowballed rapidly.
I started thinking about how a snide comment and other little deeds can hurt alot more than we ever knew. And as these thoughts of how mighty small things can hurt, a man taking my parking ticket said, "I'm not trying to flirt, but you look very pretty." And then I started to think of how such things worked in a positive way to. A small positive thing like a compliment can have great repercussions.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Rain
Today I was woken by a mighty clap of thunder at 5 am.
I thought, "oh dear, I have to drive to Elizabeth City in great rain today."
Before I left, I was sure to check my email to make sure school had not been canceled due to the torrential downpour. It had not.
Driving down I was pleased to discover that, while steady, the rain was not hard, impeding visibility.
However, upon arriving just a turn away from campus, I discovered the final road on my normal route to be flooded. Not losing heart, I turned to take the next parallel road. Only to find that too flooded, and the next, and the next. I decided that this was quite ridiculous and turned to take a more main road, which we all know are less susceptible to flooding. Dear Elizabeth St, however, had been blocked off by the police due to high water levels. And the officer suggested I try Road St, the street I had just been on. When I returned to "risk it", I was lucky to find a larger vehicle fording the road and followed quickly in its wake.
I did not enjoy discovering that Mid-Atlantic Christian University had become an island. Nor did I enjoy driving down those roads at the end of the day, for all indications that it had once been a river were gone. And while that made driving easier, it was a little frustrating to see that what had caused me so much grief was now, after so short a period, gone without a trace.
Good times
Good times
I thought, "oh dear, I have to drive to Elizabeth City in great rain today."
Before I left, I was sure to check my email to make sure school had not been canceled due to the torrential downpour. It had not.
Driving down I was pleased to discover that, while steady, the rain was not hard, impeding visibility.
However, upon arriving just a turn away from campus, I discovered the final road on my normal route to be flooded. Not losing heart, I turned to take the next parallel road. Only to find that too flooded, and the next, and the next. I decided that this was quite ridiculous and turned to take a more main road, which we all know are less susceptible to flooding. Dear Elizabeth St, however, had been blocked off by the police due to high water levels. And the officer suggested I try Road St, the street I had just been on. When I returned to "risk it", I was lucky to find a larger vehicle fording the road and followed quickly in its wake.
I did not enjoy discovering that Mid-Atlantic Christian University had become an island. Nor did I enjoy driving down those roads at the end of the day, for all indications that it had once been a river were gone. And while that made driving easier, it was a little frustrating to see that what had caused me so much grief was now, after so short a period, gone without a trace.
Good times
Good times
Saturday, February 6, 2010
I gave my first injection!
Today, in Primary Health Care, I learned how to do a Physical exam, dental care, put on gloves in a sterile fashion, give injections, and do a catheterization. My partner was an experienced nurse, taking the class to learn about how to handle medical situations in the non-western world. She was really great and gave me extra pointers on how to do the injections. We practiced on one another with saline. She said I did really well. So for the first time, I gave an injection, but not just one, 3! 3 different kinds!
Tomorrow, I get to sleep in. But Monday, we get to engage in more fun!
Tomorrow, I get to sleep in. But Monday, we get to engage in more fun!
Friday, February 5, 2010
I've completed the Certificate Program!!!
Today was my last class of Language and Society. When I went to GIAL in July, I had then intention of taking the Certificate Program over the course of a year. However, I found that pace to be too slow for my taste and swtiched to the half year route. Unforturnately, I didn't make the switch in time to pick up the Language and Society course. So I just took it and am done with my undergrad work at GIAL. The next time I come to GIAL will be to start my master's work.
Tomorrow I will begin my Primary Health Care class. Three days of intense study concerning how to deal with medical sitations when in the jungle. I'm excited to start, although not to wake up before 7.
Tomorrow I will begin my Primary Health Care class. Three days of intense study concerning how to deal with medical sitations when in the jungle. I'm excited to start, although not to wake up before 7.
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