Uninspired Unmotivated

Sept 5, 2010 – Life just seems to be existing here.  I;m not real motivated to do much, although there does not seem like there is much to be done.  I guess if I was inspired I could find additional projects to work on.

I have to say that I’m feeling like I’m living in luxury this time as compared to the last time I was here.  That’s even with only 2 working faucets in the house, one of those being for the shower that seems to quite working about every 10 days.  I’ve figured the easy fix on this.  Just disconnect the riser pipe to the teapot shower head at the faucet and let it run for about 3 minutes. This seems to clear whatever obstruction there is in the line.  But nothing ever come out, so I’m not sure what is living or growing inside that slowly blocks up the piping.

Only one light in the house, that a somewhat dim solar powered one.  So much of the evening is wondering around the house with a torch in hand to avoid bumping into things and to scare the cockroaches away so they are not stepped on.

All our water needs to be boiled.  Just to be safe anyway.  It is city water and treated, but better safe than barfing and other unpleasant stuff.  I must say and thank God that we have been remarkably settled in the stomach digestive sense. 

I should say that the water we ingest is boiled.  The water that we have to pour into the commode to flush it is usually just recycled bathing water.  The poor mans flush toilet, but I’m pretty consistent with being able to do it manually and get a “clean” flush with one try.

having to sleep under a mosquito net is more like an adventure than a burden.  But that is only because we have nets that are big enough to easily cover the whole bed and frame.  Large enough so that it hangs high enough we can sit up and Joyce could stand if she wanted to.  And long enough that it goes all the way to the floor so it does not need to be tucked in anytime we crawl in or out.  Even the cat has figured out a way to crawl under the net, push it back away from the bed some and jump up on to the mattress.  The mattress doesn’t even seem so bad, of course I have a piece of plywood under my side to keep it from sagging, which causes Joyce’s side to have a nice little valley she gets to sleep in.

But with all the little annoyances, I feel so blessed to have such a comfortable home to live in this time.  With water, power, nets, a gas stove and other conveniences we only longed for last time.  I’m glad that it happened in this order, the better arrangements this time rather than last time.  I don’t think I would have handled it as well this time around, even though last time I was marginal with it at times.

We did run out of gas for the stove / oven last Friday night.  This made me cranky.  We have two tanks and had already gone through one.  We had been told that we should have plenty of gas to last the time here, especially since we refilled one early in our stay.  But we didn’t and the problem was that the tanks usually get refilled, or exchanged actually, in Kisumu.  This isn’t a great day trip to make, with a car, and not something I would do at all if I had to go public transport. 

There is a gas station in town that has cylinders, but I’ve never seen the brand that either of our two.  Nothing I could do on Friday night other than wonder how much I would be willing to pay for a new cylinder (I heard they could be $100) to have gas again and avoid a trip to Kisumu or wait for the next trip to Kisumu.

Saturday morning I was grouchy because I could not have a cup of coffee.  Now I don’t need the coffee, I can easily survive without it, but the fact i couldn’t have it just was aggravating.

So fairly early morning I decided to walk to town to find out what the situation and cost was going to be in getting the gas they had at the local station.  It was clouding and breezy so the 30+ minute walk didn’t add much to my attitude.

I get to the station and look at the cylinders in the cage out front of the building.  Two brands, neither of which is either of the brands I have.  Great, what are the damages going to be?  An attendant, one with fairly good English actually, comes to help.  He starts listing other brands that they offer, but he doesn’t recognize the brands I have.  But the conversation is a little hard to understand for each of us, so he says just look.  He opens a door just by the cage and shows me a room with several dozen tanks or various brands.  And I spot two tanks with one of my brands.  My day just got a whole lot better.  Just need to transport the empty tank from the house and the full tank back.  A piki piki ride will do it, but Joe has already offered to drive his vehicle.  So after I walk back, in the warming sun, we load the tank and head to the station. 

The exchange is quick and painless.  Give them the empty tank, and he goes to get a full tank.  And he grabs a K-GAS tank, not a OiLibya one like I have.  No we say, we need the same brand, yes we know the gas is the same, but it’s not our tank, we need the same.  “Same Same” as he puts it.  Yes.  I pay the 2250 ksh, no receipt, no fuss and only about 400 ksh than it would cost in Kisumu.  Definitely worth it. 

And to top the trip off we go to the ice plant and pick up some to fill our coolers.  I’m in such a great mood that I get two helpings.  I only wanted one and a half, but they can’t figure that out and I need to take two even though they scoop it out with a bucket.

I also go a little over board at the local store, buying things to stock the cooler with and a few other snacks.  I’m in such a great mood having a full gas cylinder in the car.  Turns out I should have gotten more.  Not that the selection of items that can be refrigerated is immense.  Mostly yogurt and sodas. 

Still have ice in the cooler today and a couple more sodas that we bought yesterday and we are having chapatti chips, salsa and guac for dinner.  Life was never this good at the parish.

Yet I still have to talk myself into doing much around here.

Signing off,

Paul