Week 44 - So now what?

(26) Monday

So lets see today...  I woke up 6am, ate went to NDMO, forgot my adaptor for the internet. That means I  had to bike home... and my tired is draining the air so fast now that every bike trip at the end I have to reinflate the tire. So I brought my tire pump with me so I can inflate it.

Not much going on at that office.

Maybe this week I will go to Vila and get my tooth problem fixed.

5:00pm
One of my friends here was hurt badly by a local, I just found out about it. It affected me.


(27) Tuesday

I hope there is a glimmer of justice being made this morning, his court date was early today.

Hard to think about anything else at the moment.

Just playing around with a flow chart... and some business logic diagrams.

(28) WEDNESDAY

Made it to Vila... there was this great Swiss tourist I spoke with for a bit. Man I wish she was staying for like a few months. She was great.

I have a nice room all to myself, no noise, not sweating my brains out and a HOT SHOWER... woohoo.

Thanks again Mr. Thomas for the ride to the airport.

(29) THURSDAY

I love the food in Vila, I hate the price tag. But Who cares I ate chicken nuggets, chocolate shakes, real pizza... It was heaven. Tomorrow I have to try and visit Hawking favorite place to eat "Spice"... I wish I could remember what his crazy lunch special was called maybe they will remember it.

(30) FRIDAY

Well there is no pressure to get up, no one making me sit in a conference room its just me doing what I want to do. This is perfect. I feel good about this visit. The dentist fixed a filling and now I can take that off my mind so I will seek out a few items in town meet up with Tim over the weekend and then my counterpart will arrive on Tuesday. A short but needed trip to get some stuff done and relax a minute.

Posted a new short story... part one of my Twin Peaks inspired short story... Each section/part is 10 small paragraphs.

Noon
Sitting under and tin roof/awning outside an au bon marche, hiding from a deluge, was me and twenty others Ni-vanuatu's. The mostly soaked locals were walking up to each other giving their forever long handshakes even though they were soaked to the bone. I sat with a VB wrapped in plastic watching the million raindrops form exploding into individual water crowns on the uneven road. There where unless streams of nearly identical Toyota vans that trudged up the hill past the police station, the bank, toward Chew store. After 15 minutes I made a dash for the office during a break in the rain, having finished my business of changing the fight back to Santo to Wednesday at 11 so I could spend a few more days in town. After getting past five stores half way there I had to take a second pitstop as the rain picked back up. I sat and spoke with a local kid, who was in town to buy a new uniform for school. His favorite subject Physics and all Science. I was happy to hear that he enjoyed those subjects. Finally I made it to the office and promptly posted my little memory before I forgot it. I think reading of The Door of Perception by Aldous Huxley made me want to write about nothing and make it sounds like something. He is a master of that.

Took a photo outside the office.

(31) Saturday

Today was mostly a day of sitting at the Peace Corps office and reading the news, playing around with part two of my murder mystery story and trying to just be quiet and calm. So far it's working.

I plan to go eat some pizza again at Chill because I can use my credit card and not spend peace corps vatu because I always run out by the end of the month.

I have a few new albums (Bjork's new one Vulnicura and Charli XCX - Sucker) and some new episodes of Broad city season 2.

Re-reading brave new world and book of five rings about this sword fighter from japan that killed 60 people in close combat. Thats it.

After doing next to nothing for hours I went to Chill to eat a pizza. It is generally laughed at my way of wasting money on expensive food but I don't like and cabbage. So I went for it and the sunset and Air conditioning was so nice. This nice couple came in and sat by me and asked me a bunch of questions. They were tourist from Australia... David and Pam Dear. Well as anyone that knows me, if you ask me a question i.e. put a quarter in you'll get your money's worth. I just told about the experiences I had and what I think of the islands and people and such. It was a fun conversation and then they surprised me buying me my dinner and drink. It was so rad. I felt very thankful that someone is looking out for me.

(01) Sunday

I can't recall everything that transpired but one of the coolest things that happened on this day was I went to Tim work and we watched a ton of weird movies. but before we went we had the best veal T-Bone pork steak I have had. I made the steaks and frieds. They were rad.

Week 43 - Start of new things

(19) Monday

I started my new job at the NDMO (National Disaster Management Org) today. We moved downstairs in a really hot mostly empty room. Kensley took Mike's old computer leaving me without one until February, probably longer. This will have an impact doing research and dev on a software system that we can use to handle disaster data.

We have also lost our fast connection hopefully we can get that fixed and a whiteboard and a desk for me or I am sitting on the floor without a workstation. Here is to hoping for some office furniture and hardware to make working possible.

1pm
I just finished lunch and it is pouring outside and I am not sure what we can do at the office the way it is at the moment. Kensley is sick as well I really hope I don't catch his cold.

(20) Tuesday

Met with my school admin/tech people and the folks in Portland to do a Alma walk through for them to learn and see how the system works at a first glance. I gave them logins and they should try looking around the system. We don't have full system data loaded i.e. teacher email address, classes and students... so the system is not really to be used as is... but soon will be.

9:30am
Lucky me they let me pay them tomorrow for a chicken wrap today... hoping we get paid on the 21st so I can eat in town from time to time. Miss being able to have a pizza or a chicken wrap.

1pm
Going back to the NDMO and hopefully make some more design ideas work. No email from Peace Corps about the login to the small grants program.

4pm
I took Nik's and Fredlyn's advice Setup an account and now I can access the small grant forms.
Met up with Sam at Sakele and then went home and played FTL (faster than light) and crashed.

(21) Wednesday

5am
I really need to get a tooth fixed. Was trying to wait a bit but I think the time is fast approaching to get it dealt with before it starts hurting bad.

Maybe I will arrange to go next monday and it might be interesting to see if the NDMO has/had a conference in Vila. They said I was going to attend something there but nothing has happened yet.

Well I thought my counterpart about google drive, he seemed to like it. You can share files in one spot, not worry about losing it from a dying hard drive, auto saves, you can see who is working on it as the work on it, control privacy on the file. It is a great tool if you have internet that can support its use. Upload word docs though and converting them to google docs is a bit of work but worth it.

(22) Thursday

9am
Slow start today... just working on a design doc for the Disaster Management System that maybe one day coded by someone... not sure who yet. Using an app called gliffy and made some mock ups and a couple design docs. Fun tool for how much I enjoy drawing bubbles and lines connecting them and shading them, filling them with text and make it into a working model of an app.

2pm
Back to work... first half of the day I worked on designing some software using gliffy. Made a couple mockup screens and a UML diagram of some objects for the code. Second half of the day more diagrams and then play with some database designs.

(23) Friday

8:30am

Ready to continue building my designs and wireframes. I should make a DB design and then start mapping the business logic of each page and function.

Hopefully today we get paid I have 2vt to my PC name. 

5:00pm

Finished with work and made a lot of new pages on my design. Now it is time to see if we got paid so I can eat some besides eggs.

(24-25) Saturday & Sunday

I basically nothing but stay at my house and watch movies, eat and sleep. Life can hardly get any more exciting.

Week 42 - End of days

(12) Monday

Not much happened except I turned in my resignation for the school I was assigned. He took the news well.

Tried to get my internet moved but failed.

(13) Tueday

Working at the college trying to get ALMA to work... a SIS softare. I hate french UI of windows it is such a  pain in the ass to switch to english.

I hate N-computer systems as well... they suck. Which is what I am using right now.

... they suck. Which is what I am using right now.

• International Parcels

DATE & TIME	STATUS OF ITEM	LOCATION
January 12, 2015 , 3:19 pm	Payment of charges - Item being held, addressee being notified	VANUATU
Your item could not be delivered on January 12, 2015 at 3:19 pm in VANUATU due to payment of charges. It is being held while the addressee is notified.
January 12, 2015 , 2:43 pm	Arrival at Post Office	VANUATU
January 12, 2015 , 10:05 am	Customs clearance processing complete	VANUATU
January 12, 2015 , 9:19 am	Processed Through Sort Facility	VANUATU
November 17, 2014 , 3:55 pm	Item wrongly directed - Item forwarded / redirected	SOLOMON ISLANDS

Oh look at this: What ... I owe more money. 

(14) Wednesday

Wow what a day... got my box from america that I have been waiting for for 4 months.
Fixed problems with internet at house... put up second book shelf...
and I worked at my old school setting up Alma SIS... good day.

Now time for some pasta.

(15) Thursday

Thursday was a busy day. I setup more on Alma the Student information system for the school. And then went home and installed two more shelves in my house.

Then I ate with my last 1000vt a small hot and spicy pizza from Nemo's. After that I took a nice long sleep. Woke up again about 4pm and Met Kelsey and her friend watch a episode of Broad City and then met up with Sam at Sakale and then went home. Decently productive day.

(16) Friday

I just returned from town... I hate that big hill, I can never bike all the way up it, just pushing a bike up that steep climb with a back full of stuff ugh it is so exhausting. I worked on Alma/SIS again... Had a online meeting with Karen Maeda... she is a Ozzy that moved to MN to study at Macalester and graduated in 2012. Then she moved to Portland to work at this Alma software company. I know some people she knows... it was funny talking to person that knows my home town and local places we hang out. The Minnesota connection is everywhere heh.

Now I am going to try and work on kelsey's dead netbook... then go back into town when the rain goes down and get some groceries for the weekend. I hope we get paid asap. I hate using my credit card for daily living expenses.

One of my neighbors noticed my internet antenna on the roof and he asked me, "Yu got internet?"
 And I am like yeah... and duck inside my door before the next logical question comes, "Yu sharem out witem me?" No way man... if I share my super slow internet with you, 30 other Nivans will ask the same and I will have zero bytes of data forever.

I should work on my twin peaks part two story for the Van Am... I am forgetting how I was going to end it.

(17) Saturday

It does not feel like a Saturday.

What to do... check internet (facebook, blog, gmail) done. Write in blog, almost done, eat some food except nothing I have is appealing... then go into town and wander around until I get bored and go home.

Maybe I will work on my short stories. And now that I have a few small canvases from the USA (thanks mom) I can paint for the first time in ages.

The double fan system I have in my living room is the one thing keeping me sane and happy or else it is so hot I melt into a puddle.

I went to the beach though here are some photos:

(18) Sunday

I just stayed home most of the day. Watched movies and killing time.

But I played some ping pong in wally's gym I think it was. Fun time.

Week 41 - The last days of Rat House.

(05) Monday

Well this is it... packing up after one final night and Mike Staffords going away party.

Then it will be NO more Rats. And Running water Oh yes... except mike's house is like 90 degrees all the time because it has Zero shade and metal house and all concrete construction... so I will turn into a raisin shrivel up and melt away as all my sweat pools up in my bed to drown me. So to counteract that horror... I might have to get AC installed and drop even more money on something just so I can endure the heat.

I wonder if my principal ever received the final notice ending my contract with them. The admins said the would take care of it so I hope they do. If not, they read my blog so I am guessing this will act as a reminder. Hi admins!

Well going into town to try and transfer my internet to the new house... that I am guessing will be a nightmare too, like 200 bucks to move it. yeah Poverty. And I need a fridge woohoo another 200-300 bucks. I will be broke until the end of time. I might need to grow a garden to eat.

6:00pm
We had a great going away party for Stafford and crew. I am going to miss Mr. Mike.

(06) Tuesday

Another day and another shipping update: What does this mean?

Product & Tracking Information

Postal Product:

Features:

• International Parcels

DATE & TIME	STATUS OF ITEM	LOCATION
November 17, 2014 , 3:55 pm	Item wrongly directed - Item forwarded / redirected	SOLOMON ISLANDS
Your item could not be delivered on November 17, 2014 at 3:55 pm in SOLOMON ISLANDS due to it being wrongly directed. It is being redirected.

The fact that I managed to find some emails address and inquire might either help find the box or just be a futile attempt at finding a long lost box. Who knows.

Today was Mike Staffords last night in Santo. We hung out for a  bit at beach front his family and I then Sam showed up... I had to leave to get the keys to his house and move some furniture.

Only one last round of things to clear out and I am moved out of this place to the new home on the hill.

For while there it looked like Mike's plan was going to be cancelled and delay him one more night... But I think he is actually leaving.

9:30pm
I heard it from the kitchen, slight scratch noise that is out of place even though I am half asleep, so i grabbed by my kill clubs and snuck up attacked. I hit him once, big (8 inches on the body) with a long nasty long tail, faster than imaginable RAT. I hate him!!! I wish I had nails jammed into the end on my clubs I would have speared it for sure. I chased from the kitchen to the living room hitting it twice, tough bastard, then blasted down my hall made a zig zag into bedroom and vashished. I think it hiding behind the metal cabinet. I will keep vigil and be ready to kill again.

(07) Wednesday

7:00am
Packing packing packing boxes, and hopeful that I can get internet moved, and then find out how much nicer it feels to have a shower again.

Chicken Wrap sammy time... I LOVE those.

10:00am
I was able to talk with one of my best best friends from MPLS for an hour today Miss Mary.

1:30pm
I just had some decent Pizza at Nemo's and ate with Mike's friend Jerry... and Saw Bryan and Kate and family walk by.

Well, ok back to packing and moving.

5:00pm
No truck luck today... and I dont want to pay for one since I am poor. Tomorrow.

5:45pm
Went to my place and met up with Sam for a bit at a kava bar then stayed at Mike's old house for the first time... way nicer since there is no Rats and there is running water.

(08) Thursday

I went back to rat house. I was trying to move out the last bit of stuff on the way I had a Chicken Wrap Sammy... I love them but they are starting to fade. Have to find a new thing to mix it up.

Wish I had a ladder. Then I could removed the internet connection from my houses roof. Hmm who to beg for help from today.

15 more days left till we are paid and I am almost flat broke again... so that means I have to ration money. 10 bucks a day tops. Need to buy a fridge next paycheck. Then I will starve a bit next month... then I can exist normal again.

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(09) Friday---> I Moved internet out of house and now I am unable to keep up with my blog entries.
(10) Saturday    So... Sorry about the gaps in my timeline but will
(11) Sunday      Be up and writing again soon.
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