a new adventure

Journal entry: the sky is overcast this morning and they say we are expecting more rain. It is humid and hot here and I am not sure when I will be dry again. My tent seems to work well enough but the Mosquito netting is a bit tedious. I got tangled up in it again this morning when I had to get up and go pee. I am having trouble getting used to the silence, or at least the lack of the drone of artificial noise. The sounds of nature can be just as deafening but I have been assured that I will soon get used to it. I know I resolved to stop sitting on the sidelines and to finally step out of my comfort zone, but this might be a bit more than I bargained for!

So it has become a daily routine to catalog my adventures in my a journal. A record of the new life, be it a temporary one in a faraway place among a people I have yet to understand. I spent years back home working and studying, now I am out in the wide open world. Here to lend a hand and teach others what may or may not be wanted or needed. The people seem nice enough and my daily routine varies with each morning. Some of the older people here are not too thrilled by my presence, but the younger adults and the children are curious about me and about the others in my group. Come to think of it, the group that I arrived with in this Central American paradise, are just as interesting as the people we have come here to help.

Journal entry: I has been two months today since I arrived by boat to this remote location. I am a teacher by vocation, but I have been helping to build a drainage system for the past week. The inherent rain was washing away the topsoil form an area that we were helping to clear for agriculture. So we had to install a new water diversion system. It seems like I was thrown back into my old vocations. While In college I worked one summer with a construction company and using a pick and shovel was my stock and trade as a laborer. We have a civil engineer among our group, she is amazing at what she does. If you look past the purple hair and piercings, you will find a highly motivated and intelligent person, the locals took to her immediately. Many of them have pierced ears, noses and tattoos. It is their natural state of existence, more to follow.

When I finished my degree in education and took my first job teaching middle school, I thought I would be happy. I had young minds to mold and shape. Then 3 years into my so-called career, I began to feel restless. I kept looking at old brochures that I had picked up. I kept seeing people in faraway and exotic places. The Peace corp., Catholic missionaries and a few other organizations that I thought I might be interested had gotten placed on a shelf and pushed aside as I tried to find contentment in my cookie cutter box of existence. That was what finally pushed me to jump in the water with both feet and plunge headlong into something that I felt would help me find a piece of myself that I felt had been missing.

Journal entry: It was hot today and I mean hot; you could steam cabbage outside. The good news is that the rainy season has abated for now and we have lots of sun, too much if you ask me. Despite the SPF 50 that I am using, I feel as I could use something more powerful. Perhaps they make a sun block in the 5000 range. All I know is that if I get any darker, my family will not recognize me when I get home.

Well, I got a letter from my parents today. My sister is pregnant and expecting her 2^nd child. I am pleased to hear that I will be an uncle for a 2^nd time, but the mail takes a while to get in and out of here. I am waiting to get a chance to speak to them via shortwave radio. We have a satellite phone here, but it is reserved for emergencies, the village chief and the director of our project. Satellite time is costly, so no personal calls on it. Only necessity dictates its use. Hopefully my return letter will find its way to my folks soon enough. It usually takes about a week for a letter to make it back to the states once it gets out of the jungle.

Journal entry: The local villagers are going to be celebrating a holiday soon and all of us who are working here have been invited to be guest of honor. Apparently, our strong work ethic and willing to assimilate into the local culture have garnered us some good will. I have had a bit of trouble at first coming to terms with the local cuisine. I mean large roasted insects, the pungent taste was a bit much, but then I guess you can say that it was no worse than liver. Still, it took some getting used to.

So, I have been here about 8 months now, time seems to be flying by fast. The coordinator of our group told me that in 2 months we will be getting relieved. It took a month of preparation to get ready to come down here. I will have 10 months here when the next group shows up. There will be a turnaround time of about a week, then we ship out and return stateside for an informal debriefing. I am not sure what is next for me. I have really enjoyed being down here in an exotic location. The unusual climate, the language and culture of the people has been exhilarating. I have made many new friends and hopefully grown some. I think I have a new perspective on the world beyond my comfort zone. I am actually more unsure of who I am than I was when I came down to this place, but I believe that is a good thing. It means that I can now look for better ways to grow beyond my boundaries.

Journal entry: It has now been 10 months and a boat arrived yesterday with our relief party. The group contains some 30 odd people from various backgrounds. There are 2 doctors and 3 nurses. More schoolteachers, some trades people, but a pretty lively. One husband and wife team are back for the 2^nd time. I talked with them, and they said that they were here 2 years ago and decided after being away from the program that they were not ready to return to their former lives just yet. So, after learning some new skills, they decided to come back and try to do give some more of themselves and grown a little more. I am not sure what I will find when I get home, but I am sure I have a lot to unpack, and I am looking forward to meeting my new nephew.