Still don't feel like writing much, so instead I'll post another photo from my trip to Quehueri'ono. Enjoy.
I´m back from my lastest adventures in the Waorani territory...and it involved the usual mix of logistics blunders, drama and other random absurdities... ingredients included gas shortages, sardine juice, roadside camping, watching the worst movie ever made, and wildlife encounters. Will tell the full story later...but will post the following photo from the trip as a teaser....
Today, Monday September 8th 2008 will be a day in infamy. Okay, not really. But it is a big day for me. Today was the first day I was able to use that crazy newfangled concept called the "internet" from my computer at the Waorani Women's Association!!! As a bonus, I ALSO now have the ability to print documents, too! Que emocionante. Seriously, it is a big deal. For the past 17 months I have operated in my own little closed circuit system. Truly my own world. If I wanted to print anything (which I often do...crazy I know) I used to have to close all my documents, save the document to a flash drive, go to another office to boot someone off their computer, insert flash, print...blah, blah, blah. I realize this sounds kind of whiney, but it got really annoying really fast. I was always interrupting other people and causing problems. You see, my flash drive is pretty sleazy. It has been hooking up with dozens of internet cafe computers around town...and well because it didn't use protection, it now has viruses and worms (or ETD's as I call them). Well NOW I have "broad band" banda ancha (or "mancha ancha" as my counterpart calls it in her broken spanish....which translates to broad stain). It is fast for Ecuador, fo' sho.' Oooooohhhh I am so giddy with glee. I have internet access and printing ability!!!! Yippy skippy! This may even mean more frequent blog updates...or it may mean proivide major distraction and time suck (uh, hello, facebook?!?!?!). Only time will tell. And well, it will be at least a week until we know...because tomorrow I leave on a loooooooong trip adentro to the community of Quehueri'uno (home of Moi, of Savages fame) for a workshop with my women's group. Will be going on a looooooong bus ride then getting in a motorized canoe; will staying in a tent, bathing in the river. And no, definitely no internet access or printing ability there.
Camisetas en tella "strech" a solo $8.
Well, we´re back from a great R&R trip to the coast. Jer and I left the PH (sniff, sniff) on Saturday around 3 in the afternoon and rolled into Puyo at 7 a.m. on Sunday. Despite the fact that it was a looooong and annoying bus ride and despite the fact that our backpacks were wet and muddy (thanks to bus no. 2) and smelling like fish (thanks to bus no. 3) it was all worth it. Now we are working our tails off trying to make up for the time that we were gone...and we just got hit with the sudden realization that it is September already and ¡yikes! there is a lot of work we want to get done before the end of the year. Today I helped the Waorani Women´s Association put up a display of new T-shirts for sale, helped hang stuff from the hooks in the ceiling (because I´m always the tallest in the group) in the store...and drafted a 2 page workplan of all the stuff I want to do ---and think I can reasonably get done with the women here before the end of the year. We´ll see. La jefa viene mañana...y veamos...
In other mundane news, our new sitemate just arrived in town after swearing in as a volunteer on Friday. She is staying with us until her host family gets her housing situation worked out (lots of drama). Have had to turn down two other international couch surfers because we haven´t been around or couldn´t accomodate so many guests at the King International B&B. Am excited that my folks finally (!) pulled the trigger and bought tickets to Ecualand to visit us in December. Am SUPER stoked to show them around P-town and hear my dad use his 12 high school spanish phrases. : ) Sorry, don´t have anything very witty to post. For humor, I refer you to CT Go Bucks Blog (warning: for adult audiences only). I especially recommend the recent posting about top tailgating moments in history, which recants our mis-adventures in the parkinglot outside the greatest football game of all time. I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants reading his post...and it really made me wonder if the government makes travel pee bags for women pilots or Peace Corps Volunteers (hey, I would argue that long latin american bus rides are equally--no, actuall more---arduous than the long flights of Air force pilots. ) Advice before reading: go to the bathroom first. : )
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