A Year Later

After receiving subtle hints from friends and some less subtle hints from family, I thought I would make an effort to get this blog thing rolling again. Although my friend Nura did inform me that "second year volunteers don't blog". We swore in as volunteers a year ago yesterday and as we celebrated the landmark last night, we reminisced about the excitement of heading out to start our adventure, in a tiny village tucked into the rainforest that has since become our home. Our celebration consisted of a typical meal, beans and rice, improved by valentina's sauce (a luxury item from home) and fresh lime juice margaritas which pretty much make any meal a "special" occasion.

Part of the reason for the lapse in writing is, while our life continues to be interesting and at times exciting, the wow factor has been replaced by a feeling of comfort in our surroundings. For instance, the first time we drove to post I was in a panic at all the domestic animals lying in the road that the car barreled towards at what I considered unsafe speeds. Now when we hit a chicken or two on our way to the capital, no big deal, someone is going to have a good dinner. Getting stuck in a mud pit for two hours is barely worth noting in my journal, let alone a blog entry, and having our neighbors suddenly appear on the road from somewhere deep in the forest is just life as usual.

In other everyday news, Matt has taught some friends the expression "beer-thirty", which they have morphed to serve their own purposes and it now means anytime a person is drinking. I saw our friend this morning who told me last night they had "beer-thirty" at the junction and today was "beer thirty" at his friend's house. In fact as I write this, Matt is having his own "beer-thirty" at the school director's place, they're having a little moonshine and while I hesitate to say that it tastes good, it is quite potent. The moonshine was actually a thank you gift that came along with some fresh peanuts from his farm. My mom's first and second grade class at the Aspen Community School raised money for the school in our village and we just bought the second round of supplies; school books, grading notebooks, and chalk for the teachers. They lacked all these items before and were thrilled to have them, thus today is the second time Matt has had local whiskey this week.

We will be celebrating our second Christmas in the bush and while last year it was kind of tough, this year we are having difficulty conjuring up images of cold weather and holiday shopping. After a year in a hot humid climate, we now consider the weather quite pleasant. Our clothes do mold regularly while sitting on the shelf but my lips have yet to be chapped and my hands never get cold reading at night. We are both happy and healthy; life here continues to be challenging and rewarding, and we still think often of all of you loved ones at home.

-Sarah