January 31, 2008
There are spiders in the microwave. I draw the line. There is something about webs and little crawly things in the food heater that just doesn’t appeal to me. I’ve become immune to the little ants that crawel over me and my keyboard as I’m typing, I’ve succumbed to cleaning up the detested termite alas de muerte (wings of death), and I’ve gotten used to sleeping on my sandpaper sheets. But, I will not clean arachnids from the microwave. Not that I can’t mind you, I just don’t want to and that’s that.
I feel like a mosquito is buzzing in my brain. It’s bouncing around in the dark and empty crevices of my cranium looking for a way out. But no, it’s just the helicopter about 50 ft from my head. I live across the street from Alas de Socorro (wings of mercy). These are the mission aviation flights that bring tribal members from deep in the jungle to the hospital. Usually the airport kick’s in about 7am in the morning and is active until about 7pm at night. For some reason they sound like they’re trying out a new engine at 10pm in the evening. And it’s not a quiet one. They’re not installing the whisper lite that’s for sure.
And now for the local news. The phone system is once again up and running and Carnivale is looming. This is basically a nationwide waterfight. For some reason they have a national holiday where the object is to get everyone wet. It had already started last week. When I was on the bus coming back from my weekend in Napo, we had a very large tub of water thrown at us. It managed to enter the bus at a midway window, projectile through the aisle, and land on me in the very last seat. Apparently another game is to throw oil at someone and then douse them with flour. A kind of tar and feather act. I even heard that some unlucky folks get urine dumped on them. So you see the Ecuadorians are creative. It sounds like any liquid substance is fair game.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Detritus and drawings
1/29/08
The termite wings are beginning to accumulate again. In the morning I see their wormy bodies writhing in the last throws of death before becoming prostrate carcasses on my kitchen sink. In the agony of death they must let loose of their flying appendages which then scatter in irradescent hues across the counter tops. I am loath to clean up the nasty detritus. I’ll have to find a vacuum I think.
With my artistic skills in full swing now, the plans for the clinic are almost complete. Today I finished up overhead views to scale including all interior and exterior walls and doorways. I’ve completed side views with a 1:4 roof ratio and front and back views with the windows and doors included. Next I hop on the electrician band wagon and will be designating all outlets, circuit breakers, light switches, and lighting units into my plans. No, I’ve never done any of this before, but Arthur the hospital administrator gave me some paper with boxes on it, his ruler, and his really good erasure, and I’ve given it my best shot.
News of note: The entire phone system is down from 1 to 2 days to 2 weeks secondary to being completely fried in the last electrical storm. (Refer to close encounters of the lightening kind on 1/28/08)
The termite wings are beginning to accumulate again. In the morning I see their wormy bodies writhing in the last throws of death before becoming prostrate carcasses on my kitchen sink. In the agony of death they must let loose of their flying appendages which then scatter in irradescent hues across the counter tops. I am loath to clean up the nasty detritus. I’ll have to find a vacuum I think.
With my artistic skills in full swing now, the plans for the clinic are almost complete. Today I finished up overhead views to scale including all interior and exterior walls and doorways. I’ve completed side views with a 1:4 roof ratio and front and back views with the windows and doors included. Next I hop on the electrician band wagon and will be designating all outlets, circuit breakers, light switches, and lighting units into my plans. No, I’ve never done any of this before, but Arthur the hospital administrator gave me some paper with boxes on it, his ruler, and his really good erasure, and I’ve given it my best shot.
News of note: The entire phone system is down from 1 to 2 days to 2 weeks secondary to being completely fried in the last electrical storm. (Refer to close encounters of the lightening kind on 1/28/08)
Monday, January 28, 2008
Butterflies, rats, and snakes
1/27/08
I’m tired. Rode out to La Casa del Suiza (The Swiss House) in the Napo province yesterday and back today. Suffered through the infamous bonejarring journey over unpaved and pot-holed roads. When we did have paved roads they seem to have gone crazy on speed-bumps which just adds a ramp of sorts for the bus to launch off of. My but-cheeks are actually sore from clenching too much in an effort to stay in the seat and not be vaulted down the center aisle!
It was a short but beautiful trip. To get to the resort they took you in a motorized canoe about 15 minutes downriver from the “ferry landing”. The resort was on top of a bluff overlooking the Napo river with beautiful views of the surrounding jungle. Plenty of hammocks around to while away the hours and we went to a butterfly farm and jungle animal rehabilitation zoo as well.
1/28/08
Last night was close encounters of the lightening kind. For two hours I feared for my life through the most intense thunder/lightening storm I have ever witnessed. For two solid hours there was thunder and lightening about every 5 seconds. It was within 1 to 6 miles away this entire time (I know this because I was counting; one, one thousand KABOOM, one, KABOOM, one one KABOOM) I was afraid I was going to be electrocuted through my fishbowel windows and just fried up like eggs in the microwave.
Ate dinner with the HCJB school principal for the missionary kids. Margie and her husband are on the search for a rat trap. They have a large rat in their attic whose eating there bananas when they’re away. The last one her husband caught he gave to his pet boa who mistook him for the rat and bit his hand and then coiled around his arm and tried to squeeze the life out of him. He showed me the bite scars on the web of his left hand to prove it. Hmmm, think it may be time to get rid of that boa too….
I’m tired. Rode out to La Casa del Suiza (The Swiss House) in the Napo province yesterday and back today. Suffered through the infamous bonejarring journey over unpaved and pot-holed roads. When we did have paved roads they seem to have gone crazy on speed-bumps which just adds a ramp of sorts for the bus to launch off of. My but-cheeks are actually sore from clenching too much in an effort to stay in the seat and not be vaulted down the center aisle!
It was a short but beautiful trip. To get to the resort they took you in a motorized canoe about 15 minutes downriver from the “ferry landing”. The resort was on top of a bluff overlooking the Napo river with beautiful views of the surrounding jungle. Plenty of hammocks around to while away the hours and we went to a butterfly farm and jungle animal rehabilitation zoo as well.
1/28/08
Last night was close encounters of the lightening kind. For two hours I feared for my life through the most intense thunder/lightening storm I have ever witnessed. For two solid hours there was thunder and lightening about every 5 seconds. It was within 1 to 6 miles away this entire time (I know this because I was counting; one, one thousand KABOOM, one, KABOOM, one one KABOOM) I was afraid I was going to be electrocuted through my fishbowel windows and just fried up like eggs in the microwave.
Ate dinner with the HCJB school principal for the missionary kids. Margie and her husband are on the search for a rat trap. They have a large rat in their attic whose eating there bananas when they’re away. The last one her husband caught he gave to his pet boa who mistook him for the rat and bit his hand and then coiled around his arm and tried to squeeze the life out of him. He showed me the bite scars on the web of his left hand to prove it. Hmmm, think it may be time to get rid of that boa too….
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Friday night
1/25/08
It’s Friday night in Shell. Let me tell you about Friday night in Shell. I did the wash. I watched 4 episodes of Seinfeld from a DVD set a missionary loaned me. I watched the bugs on my window.
It’s Friday night in Shell. Let me tell you about Friday night in Shell. I did the wash. I watched 4 episodes of Seinfeld from a DVD set a missionary loaned me. I watched the bugs on my window.
Friday, January 25, 2008
belly buttons and such
1/24/08
I have two more annoying bus driver habits to add to my previous list. One is looking down at your cell phone to dial while going around a blind corner (with the aforementioned 1,000 ft drop off and no barrier), and two is changing drivers while the bus is moving. The bus driver actually stood up, stepped to the side, and then waited for the other driver to slide into the seat while the bus was cruising along driverless at about 40 mph. Not only that but the two bafoons congratulated themselves with cheeky grins when the maneuver was finished as if they couldn’t believe they had done it themselves!
I also have my favorite church name: La Iglesia de la Senora Terremoto. Basically the Blessed Church of the Lady Earthquake.
Joined Denise for a trip out of town to check out some locations for a future retreat. We passed through Banos again, but the volcano was still obscured by fog and smoke. Locals report that she’s blowing more ash and that they can see fire coming from her mouth at night.
This evening I joined a group called “Spotlight”. This is a program put on by HCJB to help people learn to speak English. They play an audio CD with someone speaking v e r y s l o w l y on a certain topic and then discuss it in English. Tonight’s topic was all about belly-buttons. Try to explain the difference between an “innie” and an “outie” in English. Who thinks up these topics anyways??
I have two more annoying bus driver habits to add to my previous list. One is looking down at your cell phone to dial while going around a blind corner (with the aforementioned 1,000 ft drop off and no barrier), and two is changing drivers while the bus is moving. The bus driver actually stood up, stepped to the side, and then waited for the other driver to slide into the seat while the bus was cruising along driverless at about 40 mph. Not only that but the two bafoons congratulated themselves with cheeky grins when the maneuver was finished as if they couldn’t believe they had done it themselves!
I also have my favorite church name: La Iglesia de la Senora Terremoto. Basically the Blessed Church of the Lady Earthquake.
Joined Denise for a trip out of town to check out some locations for a future retreat. We passed through Banos again, but the volcano was still obscured by fog and smoke. Locals report that she’s blowing more ash and that they can see fire coming from her mouth at night.
This evening I joined a group called “Spotlight”. This is a program put on by HCJB to help people learn to speak English. They play an audio CD with someone speaking v e r y s l o w l y on a certain topic and then discuss it in English. Tonight’s topic was all about belly-buttons. Try to explain the difference between an “innie” and an “outie” in English. Who thinks up these topics anyways??
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
La Selva
1/23/08
I actually jumped at my own shadow tonight. I saw it coming out of a door in the night and it looked like a big scary person. That was right after I jumped because I heard someone else following me on the bridge and then realized it was just me. I tell you this jungle can play tricks with your mind. Tonight the moon is full and blood red with dark cloud trails floating by. I crossed the 50 ft high suspension bridge in the dark which is still unnerving in the daylight. I haven’t quite gotten the knack of timing my steps correctly so I don’t get bounced all over the place. Never the less, it is still my favorite part of the trip to and from the hospital. You feel as if you are in the heart of the deep jungle. There are birds calling, frogs chirping, and the rush of waters effervescing below. The vines hang from the top of the jungle canopy and stretch in Tarzan like cords to the river below.
This morning I got to help one of the maintenance guys get his tractor unstuck. As I was walking to work he called me urgently, “venga, venga”, and motioned for me to come help. I was instructed to stand on a long pipe he had placed over the fulcrum of a rotted stump to help lever the tractors wheels up. I stood there on the pipe while he placed various wooden planks and implements to give the wheels purchase. We gave the tractor a mighty heave and the mud was forced to relinquish its victim. Then I was on my way again. A bit different from my previous commute, but all in a day’s work in the Amazon.
I actually jumped at my own shadow tonight. I saw it coming out of a door in the night and it looked like a big scary person. That was right after I jumped because I heard someone else following me on the bridge and then realized it was just me. I tell you this jungle can play tricks with your mind. Tonight the moon is full and blood red with dark cloud trails floating by. I crossed the 50 ft high suspension bridge in the dark which is still unnerving in the daylight. I haven’t quite gotten the knack of timing my steps correctly so I don’t get bounced all over the place. Never the less, it is still my favorite part of the trip to and from the hospital. You feel as if you are in the heart of the deep jungle. There are birds calling, frogs chirping, and the rush of waters effervescing below. The vines hang from the top of the jungle canopy and stretch in Tarzan like cords to the river below.
This morning I got to help one of the maintenance guys get his tractor unstuck. As I was walking to work he called me urgently, “venga, venga”, and motioned for me to come help. I was instructed to stand on a long pipe he had placed over the fulcrum of a rotted stump to help lever the tractors wheels up. I stood there on the pipe while he placed various wooden planks and implements to give the wheels purchase. We gave the tractor a mighty heave and the mud was forced to relinquish its victim. Then I was on my way again. A bit different from my previous commute, but all in a day’s work in the Amazon.
La Clinica
1/22/08
The site for the new Hospital Vozandes del Oriente clinica terapia fisico will be to the south side of the laundry facilities. I decided this after pacing to various proposed sites through out the hospital and weighing pros and cons of: distance to front door, distance to toilets, not blocking windows, room for expansion, least disruption with construction, located within hospital secure zone, proximity to inpatient wing, and the all important proximity to the caja (cashier). I discounted the site offered next door to the morgue for obvious reasons. (On an aside, Denise the radiologist is on the search for bodybags. Apparently there is a country wide shortage. In the meantime they are going to use large sheets of plastic. If you have any leads let me know). I also took a census of the hospital staff and all were in favor. So now the hospital administrator would like me to complete some drawings to scale with all the proposed equipment accounted for. I’ll let you know how it goes. My drafting skills are a little rusty. Actually, I forgot, I never took any drafting classes. Oh well.
The site for the new Hospital Vozandes del Oriente clinica terapia fisico will be to the south side of the laundry facilities. I decided this after pacing to various proposed sites through out the hospital and weighing pros and cons of: distance to front door, distance to toilets, not blocking windows, room for expansion, least disruption with construction, located within hospital secure zone, proximity to inpatient wing, and the all important proximity to the caja (cashier). I discounted the site offered next door to the morgue for obvious reasons. (On an aside, Denise the radiologist is on the search for bodybags. Apparently there is a country wide shortage. In the meantime they are going to use large sheets of plastic. If you have any leads let me know). I also took a census of the hospital staff and all were in favor. So now the hospital administrator would like me to complete some drawings to scale with all the proposed equipment accounted for. I’ll let you know how it goes. My drafting skills are a little rusty. Actually, I forgot, I never took any drafting classes. Oh well.
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