Friday, February 19, 2010

Captain’s Log for Chris and Jess’ Mabaruma Trip

To read the journal that accompanies this log, please click here: Mabaruma Recap!
Monday, January 11th
  • 8am Flight to Mab, easy peazy except that Peace Corps forgets to extend Jess' visa.  Possible reprimand is avoided.  Whew!
  • 9:30 Jess and Chris arrive and go to PCV house
  • After unpacking Chris goes to see Reg 1 resources center with Chris Miller
  • Jess sits on her lazy ass
  • 2pm Everyone goes to bathe at waterfalls in Hosororo
  • Jess and Chris walk home in order to see Mabaruma.  A Pink house is being built
  • Jess Y and Mike make Kufta and mixed grain curry.  Yum!
Tuesday, January 12th
  • 11am Chris and Jess set out to hike to Skull Point
  • Trail guides are Ronaldo, Ryan, and Marissa.  Ages: avg. 7 or 8
  • 1pm Everyone Slides down Skull point on banana leaves into the marsh where the archaeological dig is.  Jess and Chris do not see the pits.
  • 2pm There are snail shells everywhere.  Jess and Chris learn how to use them as whistles.  Then they teach their trail guides how to make whistles out of razor grass.

Wednesday, January 13th
  • Everyone sleeps in.  Breakfast: eggs
  • Mike, Jess W. and Chris go with Karishma to visit Morawana with the Red Cross
  • They visit a school and talked to kids
  • It rains buckets on the way back.  The boat ride is fun like always. Wahoo!
  • We see Scarlet Ibis flying around us
  • Chris has a great conversation with Mike about Peace Corps and then music
  • They all return to Mabaruma, Jess W. catches a tour of Mabaruma hospital with VSO Harriet. "Harriet!  Sweet Harriet!"

Thursday, January 14th
  • 8am - Semi early rise.  Breakfast: eggs
  • Chris phones Alexandra in New York and admires technology for its ability to connect family in the most appropriate times.  Thanks nerds!
  • 9am Jess and Chris depart for Rachelle community in White Water
  • 3pm Jess, Chris, and Rachelle bathe in the creek near her house.  "Oh black water, keep on comin'..."
  • 5pm Rachelle tells the story of the Yakman ants and everyone can still smell them underneath her cupboards
  • Dinner: tacos from scratch
  • 8pm: Bats fly around the house
  • 9pm Everyone looks at the stars and the fireflies

Friday, January 15th
  • 7am Jess and Chris go to see the health hut and learn about malaria from Rachelle
  • 9am Jess, Chris, and Rachelle hike out to check a patient’s BP and then continue to visit the landing where canoes come in from the Venezuelan border.
  • Dinner: soup
  • 9pm the three look at the stars and Chris talks about the Universe and astronomy.  He’s so smart.
  • 10pm the three play cards together before bed

Saturday, January 16th
  • 10am Jess, Chris, and Rachelle hike to Hilltop with Ignatius' and Victor’s family
  • Lunch: fried rice
  • Everyone visits the family farm, and then walk through the Guyana palm estate
  • 4pm Return to White Creek
  • Chris goes with Ignatius and Victor to play guitar: Victor is really good
  • Jess and Rachelle swing on swings
  • 5pm Chris joins up with Jess and Rachelle
  • While Chris plays soccer with a bunch of Amerindians, Rachelle and Jess listen to Victor play guitar.  Jess plays guitar, too
  • 6pm Rachelle, Jess and Chris do crosswords together
  • Dinner: Rice and stir fry callilou

Sunday, January 17th
  • 11am Jess, Chris, Rachelle, Ignatius, and Victor paint Rachelle’s wall mural
  • 1pm Jess, Chris, and Rachelle eat cassava bread for lunch.  Putting salt on the cassava makes it taste like bacon.  This pleases everyone
  • 1:30pm Harriet, Mike, and other VSOs come to visit from Mabaruma
  • 2pm Everyone goes to the creek to swim and practice canoeing
  • Everyone explores the Bamboo Forest
  • 4pm VSOs leave.  Jess, Chris, and Rachelle hang out on porch and talked until dark
  • 5pm Chris passes out in a hammock never to be heard from again
  • 6pm Rachelle and Jess go on a medical trip to Black Water to see Margaret
  • 8pm Rachelle and Jess return, make rice and veggies dinner, and have a great conversation
  • Chris Has trouble sleeping and doesn't know why

Monday, January 18th (MLK day)
  • 9am Chris and Jess leave Rachelle to return to Mabaruma.  They feel bittersweet
  • -missing data-
  • 3pm Jess and Chris go to visit Aussie/VSO Mike and Mike and Jess Y.  Aussie/VSO Mike is building bee boxes and explains to Chris his sustainable livelihood project
  • 6pm Everyone enjoys food from Kumaka
  • 8pm Electricity goes out in the house.  The fuse is thought to be blown.
  • 8:30pm It is an early bedtime.

Tuesday, January 19th
  • 7am Jess gets up early to go watch baby fall out of a womb (i.e. child birth at the hospital).  
  • 9:30 Chris sleeps in gloriously, then gets up and goes on hunt for eggs
  • 10:30 Jess returns to wash baby goo off her clothes
  • 10:45 Chris is invited to help build a house with Brad (SDA missionary) and two Rastas named Pencil and Chance Lee.
  • 11am Rachelle comes into town, Jess hangs out with her while she waits for medicine. All. Day. Long.
  • 3pm Rachelle finally gets medicine, Jess hangs out with Aussie/VSO Harriet a little longer at the maternity ward
  • 4pm Jess walks to Mike and Harriet’s house and visits with Arielle (VSO)
  • Meanwhile, Chris meets up with Jess Y and Mike and walks to Mike and Harriet’s
  • 4:30pm All watch for monkeys together while drinking tea out of Hello Kitty cups and coconut water out of a pitcher.  Mike enjoys destroying cocnuts and attempts to climb a tree in the adjacent yard with little success.  No Monkeys are seen.  Mike holds VSOs responsible.  All is enjoyed, though
  • Chris and Jess have deep convo about self perception and gender roles.  Thanks Jess, you’re wicked smaat!
  • 6pm Everyone goes down to Kumaka to have dinner.
  • Seeing as it is Jess, Mike, and Chris’ last nights in Mabaruma, all fun is had in Kumaka.  Shots of High Wine, Brad gets wasted, Chris and Jess pack their stuff in the dark.

Wednesday, January 20th
  • 4:30am day begins as Chris and Jess leave Mabaruma and head back to Georgetown
  • -The rest of this log is truncated.  If you are interested in reading the conclusion, email me and I'll send it to you.-

1 comment:

Three Cups Full said...

Nice blog, I can across it when I was searching something else random and unrelated. I lived overseas for a while teaching, not through peace corps, but definitely made friends with people who were and my language teacher worked for them as well.

Hope you're enjoying your time. Living in another culture was so many emotions of frustration and liberation all at the same time. Enjoy your journey :)