It’s Been a Few Days

Jul 29, 2010 – The first thing I had to do today when I started up my laptop was use the tweezers from my pocket knife to remove the pieces of lake flies that littered my keyboard.  Wasn’t to bad.  I had to leave it on last night because the backup I was doing took foorreevveeerrrrrr.  And the flies had plenty of time to find my lit screen.

I find that I’m already talking to the locals with a strange accent – the way that the locals speak English.  I’m wondering if it is going to show up in the way I type soon.  I don’t remember talking that way the last time I was here.  But then most of my talking was to my family that was along, this time it is mostly to locals.

This place is really very beautiful, particularly where we are located.  The school itself is a bit up the hill from the lake.  From certain places you can look out to the lake and see several islands.  Even though we are in a drier season right now, the trees and cacti (which are as big as the trees and whose bases actually look like tree trunks) are still green.  So as you gaze out you see a landscape covered with trees, water, rolling hills.  From a distance the homes do not look that impoverished.  For me, when I pass by the little shacks people call home, it definitely puts the scenery into second place and hard to see its beauty.

I’m getting spoiled living at Steve and Judi’s.  It is so far above our place and time at the Catholic parish a year and a half ago.  many reasons for this, but main seems to be the tea kettle shower.  It is so nice to be able to bathe with water pouring out from above rather than from a pitcher.  It is definitely one of the pleasures of the day.  The others are a constant power supply to keep the laptop going.  I spend more on internet time that families spend to eat.  I think the nice kitchen setup and the slightly more variety of meals is a big plus as well.

Last night I went out onto the enclosed veranda, with the sun about 45 minutes from setting.  It was peaceful and calming, a slight breeze was blowing though the room.  It is the brightest spot in the house.  The sky was starting to glow the burning orange of a setting sun.  I was not hot.  I thought, this is delightful, tropical, peaceful.  Like vacation times.  I would not mind being on vacation here if I had no responsibilities.

Living further from downtown Mbita and the many more shops, tin houses that line the road, and all the people scurrying about is a much different feel.  I do not think that you get as true of sense of the real life around the area.  We are removed a step or two from that.  It is not on my mind as much, it makes me forget how bad it actually is for some.  I need to make more trips into town to be reminded.

I don’t remember all that I’ve written about, and do not care to review what I’ve said in the past.  And I don’t read what Joyce writes.  So if I repeat myself, deal with it. 

Should be some new pictures up at this time.  Link should be in the upper right someplace.

It is closing week here at school, so teachers and students are wrapping up for the month long holiday.