April 9. 2010 "Guyana from Above"
We are back under the comfort of a mosquito net, only this time in our own home! a 14 seater plane took us and our 440 pounds worth of stuff to our site. We had the chance to see Kaiteur Falls from the air which is absolutely breathtaking. At 741 feet, it's the world's largest single drop waterfall and the water seems to stop in places it falls for so long. The view of the rest of the flight was miles upon miles of green, the trees so dense we appeared to be flying over millions of broccoli crowns. We met some of the the bigger names in the village, purchased our mattress and stove fittings , made some Mac and cheese, and went to sleep.
April 10, 2010 "The House of 1,000 Leaves"
The village built us a house. Our FIRST house! We have no running water or electricity which is surprisingly no big deal. I just don't like the latrine at night but convinced Paul to let us get an extra bucket with a lid so I don't have to go out in the middle of the night. Our house is made of mud with a thatched roof (made of 1000 Palm leaves) that likes to drop caterpillars. We need to smoke them out one of these days,. The mud and roof keep it incredibly cool during the day and warm enough at night. It is awesome. In general, the location is cooler than most places. Outside we have a pit latrine which really isn't that bad except they built it for someone shorter, so you duck when you're inside and there is not a lot of leg room to stand. Our bathing area is outside and open to the sky. We take bucket baths, and at night you bathe under the starts. It is amazing - you can see all the stars here on a clear night.The only thing I'm trying to figure out is showering when it is raining. If you go outside in your clothes or towel, they get wet. I think I might be bathing in a swimsuit some days. We have a pipe that runs fresh mountain water up near our house. Sometimes the pressure is too low and we have to go to our neighbor's house but they are all very friendly.
There are beams throughout our house so we have a hammock hanging, and then some permanent clotheslines to dry clothes when it is raining outside. Our floors are concrete so we have to sweep up the dirt often, but there should be less once they smooth our walls. The mud was still drying when we moved in so they couldn't cover it. Right now the mud is almost dry and is cracked (hence the insects). They will smooth it soon and that will help a lot. Every time Paul goes to hammer a nail in the wall, mud chunks fall. It is pretty funny.
Brenna is probably wondering about the insects we've seen so far... Several spiders, not too big, a dong beetle (yeah!), a centipede which is another story and he met his death, flies, beetles, cockroaches, moths and a lot of caterpillars and ants. For now, we sleep tightly under the mosquito net. We use kerosene lamps and candles a lot at night because moths really like to fly at your headlamp which isn't a lot of fun seeing as its on your forehead.
April 11, 2010 "Uninvited Guests"
Bugs are a part of life here, even in your home, but they are always better than snakes. Even with that said, bugs are not the best. Paul and I had just come home in the late evening to inspect the mosquito net and go to sleep when, from the bedroom, I hear, "Alyssa, get me the cutlass," which is a machete. Turns out a 6+ inch centipede was hiding in the wall between our bedroom and eating area, Unfortunately, Mr. Centipede did not like a headlamp shining in his face so he tried going back to the eating area, but by this point I was waiting with another Cutlass. (Let me just say I'm really glad Paul convinced we need 2). I nudged the nasty thing back to Paul, of course, where it started running away, of course. Paul chopped in half with the cutlass, and we just stood there watching in awe of this crazy little dying creature.
We learned 3 things about centipedes:
1. They don't die quick
2. They can survive fro quite a while with their head separated from their bodies, and
3. they have nasty little pinchers on their moths.
e was thrashing about with the him into two, trying to bite the metal. We continued to chop and chop, eventually carrying half dead in the dustpan to his grave, by this pint in separate pieces, each of which was still wiggling about. Triumph over possible painful bite from centipede was not enough for me. I searched every corner before realizing that the only creature out here that can actually kill me is a snake and that there are no snakes under the mosquito net. So it was time to call it a night.
April 13, 2010 "And I thought no computer in the classroom was a Lack of Resources"
Try not having a teacher. The primary school here is six grades with r5 teachers, all under one roof, divided into "classrooms" by chalkboards that shake violently when two teachers are writing on opposite sides. There are few books and educational materials on the walls. No other resources exist. Some kids don't have pencils, even worse some don't have shoes. Some kids, even 4 & 5 years old, walk 2 hours to get to school each day, and another 2 back home. When a teacher is absent, there is no substitute, and the kids make the best of it. The teachers work hard and do their best, but there is a lack of trained teachers, especially in remote sites, and none of them ave formal training. Many students cannot read or write, and some don't eat until the school ives them their free lunch packaging up half to take home with them. Their school uniforms are neatly kept or washed at night for the next day because they only have one. After they finish eating lunch they go to play but there is no playground, so they draw in the dirt wit sticks, push wood blocks like trucks, or play with the one volleyball worn thin that is used like a soccer ball. Thy funny thing is that most of the time they're still smiling, and any attention you give them is a welcome treat they are ready to repay.
By the way, there is one computer in our village run by solar electricity, but the battery that stores the electricity has died.
April 16, 2010 "Upon Careful Inspection"
I observed the nursery school today, which is preschool back home. Most of the kids there are very shy, but some will come talk to me. One little boy was brave enough to come sit on the bench with me. Seconds later he grabbed my hand, but not like he wanted to hold it, but as a manicurist would. He examined my palm and back of my hand, becoming particularly interested in my fingers and nails. At one point he had his head up close to my hands, his little brows furrowed in concentration. That's when he stated saying it, over and over, "white, white".
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