Settling in

Wow, it is hot!  I am into my fourth shirt and its only 2p!  We arent talking Phoenix hot (which I can actually handle pretty well), we are talking Tallahassee in August hot!  That is, 95 degrees and about 98% humidity.  It has rained intermittently every day since my arrival.  It seems that the mornings are the best time to get something done because as the day progresses, the heat and humidity increase until storm clouds form around 4p.  Hot and sticky!

This morning I travelled to Goa, a nearby town, to pick up some more kitchen supplies and groceries at the Saturday public market.  The woman who owns my abode and lives next door stopped by today and gave me 5 giant fish!  I’m really not sure how I will cook them since all I have is one tiny skillet!  Besides that, I have no fridge.  I couldn't turn her down though since it might have been perceived as rude.  She has three grandchildren who’ve been coming through the bamboo fence to talk to me.  Not in English of course, but that doesn't stop them!  Kids will be kids and I’m glad to have brought the crayons and coloring books in my pack.  hmmm, the challenges of being a Peace Corps volunteer are diverse and yet so interesting at the same time!  

Yesterday started with a marching band and student assembly parading down my street!  Apparently, this is done quite a bit and everyone came out of their houses to watch the kids and the band go by.  Fun stuff.  After that, I walked to work (about 1/4 mile) It went well and the ladies made a fuss about my pasalubong!  Nearly all of the day was spent sitting around and talking.  At one point, an elderly man stopped by looking for me.  He spoke English quite well and had, as best I could tell, about 6 teeth.  After quickly introducing himself, he informed me that he gathers intelligence on government activities and that he knew that I was arriving.  He quickly pulled me aside and began to tell (with much bravado) many stories, like: he was an ex-filipino marine who got kicked out of the service for murdering an entire village without orders.  Like, he was commanding a battalion of solders in the 80s and got the word from the General Command in Manila to destroy a town of 75,000.  Leo and his stories were entertaining, if barely believable.   At lunch, several nice women cooked up some fish stew for everyone - string beans, coconut milk, smashed rice, some lemon type fruit and a fairly large fish that was chopped in four pieces.  Pretty tasty.  (I think I’ve had fish every day)  Last night was home cooked rice and beans.  Shouldn't be too tough to ahead a few pounds on this adventure.

Besides the loss of contact with my wife and sons (who I am missing terribly at the moment), the thing I am struggling with the most is the lack of media.  I think Im going to go bonkers without internet connectivity.  Yesterday, after about 6 hours of no internet, my office finally connected and I was able to post my last blog.  With Monday a holiday, I don't expect to have any connectivity for the next three days.  I’m feeling withdrawal symptoms.  I’m feeling lonely.