This time for real I will get to Malo and work on the Nndiutu. I feel healthier than I did last week. I have my stuff ready tools and such... it will be great. Hardest thing now is waiting until the weekend that is when Isabelle returns and we will then go on it. Lets build a computer lab/library.
Today... I will head over to College Luganville and work on the SIS for record keeping. Then I will get some speakers from John Lum... and pick up some hi filet steaks. These are good things. I will pop into the office and see if anything is going on but I highly doubt anything is. I smashed a few big bugs that were crawling around in my house. All bugs must DIE.
4:oopm
Life is better with big loud I can't hear shit around me speakers... These bad boys will be going 24/7 until they burn out and I will love every minute of not being aware of the things around me. I found a sliver of salvation.
Other than that... I tried to help my old college out but they are not ready as usual. They say the data will be reandy of the week. I think it will be ready never. I did manage to teach how to use WIX editor to Rex which will if he tries make their college website contain content that is real. He said he gets it. Lets see if he does it.
Ok back to rocking and not hearing anything but lovely music. NO MORE BABIES!! NO MORE DOGS!!! WOOOHOO.
8:00pm
After playing and hacking my lungs out at Ultimate Frisbee I felt kinda better but tired too. I went home and cranked the music and that was awesome.
And then another weird thing occured. A guy appears at my window and asked me to look at his computer. I was kind of shocked but what the hell sure. He comes back with a 2012 27" Imac. I am shocked the dude has the money to pony up for that machine. Sadly he was hoping it was simple problem memory. He gave me some tools and chips and I swapped them out but I should have know it was more severe than memory.
Then the mormon neighbor guy's friend from New Zealand appeared and was in a talkative mood... So I talked with him a bit. Back to blasting music. This was probably the best purchase in country good speakers.
(03) Tuesday
I don't know why but I was tricked... last time by the school the academic admin at the college... he was like i don't have the data ready!! It made me give up too easily... I think he is an expert at delaying and confusing me to avoid work. Or he is of the belief that his spreadsheet magically matches one to one with the way ALMA sis works. It doesn't. He thinks that he needed to make all student data with their classes info in a excel. It does not work that way. There is no bulk insert of that info. I just need their names and grade level. Teachers create their classes and add their student to it... its a bottom up system not a top down hierarchical one. So today I will get the data I want and be done with it.
Then get some steaks and since my crappy peace corps nokia phone died so I will take out the sim and put it into my iphone 5s. It lasted a year. That is pretty good for a five dollar phone. I hope my 1000 dollar iphone lasts longer.
9:31pm
Long weird day again. When to work nothing is going on there as normal. So I went to help at the college. They failed to get the information I wanted again. But I sort of expected that. Maybe we can put it together on Thursday. We'll see.
So I went to digicel to get my sim card cut to the micro iphone size... but of course they don't have a cutter. So I went to TVL their competitor and asked if they would cut my card. They put up a big fuss about cutting my card. It literally takes 2 second to punch the card so I can use the Peace corps SIM on my iphone. Without the peace sim card I am basically out of communication with my main group of people... I know this lady at TVL I worked with her a ton last year... she's like nope can't do it. You should get a TVL card.... I am like come on Its a peace corps calling thing they use digicel I can't change that. I am like in charge of their phone contracts. Please come on help me... I can't not have my phone work... She gave me a good hassle before performing the 2 second task of cutting the card. What a pain.
After that I was just shaking my head. I guess once upon a time in the USA when phone services were kill or be killed they would torture you like this about who your provider was but I mean when I had a TVL card in my phone it never helped me. It would only work on TVL numbers and that is like ancient phone wars techniques. You can only use our phone service to call our phone service people. Its ridiculous.
Then I went and got my laundry at Deco stop. They accidentally mixed up my clothing so I had to check if I have my stuff. They almost swapped two items. I miss having my own washing machine/dryer.
Finally I made some great steaks and mashed potatoes for Byran and Kate and we watched the Grand Budapest Hotel. Such a great movie. It was 97 degrees in my house today. I am really tired of the heat. It is like an evil creature sitting on you, drooling all night. Well here is to poor sleeping.
(04) Wednesday
So the crazy man that rapped a Peace Corps volunteer is out on bail and running around looking to find her again. He even sneaked around the HQ office in Vila and climbed up the "secure" stairway to see if could find her. Beware Peace Corps people near the office... this guy might attack you.
The legal system in this country basically does not work. Even when someone goes to prison in the "supermax", some escape by telling the guards they will cast black magic on them if they don't let them leave and some get out that way. At least one Peace Corps person told me that. Or you just wait a few months and you get released on bail, anyway as in the case of the rapist guy. It's sad.
Oh well back to work, I will try to ignore the horrible criminal stuff and focus on work.
10pm
Fixed my bathroom door today. Small projects are kind of fun. But I broke my favorite knife doing it. Should have just used the drill to dig out the lock hole. That was stupid of me.
Watched the people play ultimate frisbee... saving my energy to heal, saw no point running around and getting warn down. I have to work all weekend.
For tomorrow... the Alma SIS data won't be fully loaded by tomorrow which is too bad... I can setup some of the email addresses maybe. I wonder how hard this will be to get 30 gmail accounts ready.
Again happy I have a great speaker system to blow away the annoying nokemal music concert going on. I cannot hear them playing stupid stuff at all. I have my music BLASTING it's great. All Peace Corps should be issues out HUGE speakers. Life saver.
(05) Thursday
It's 3:31am and I cannot sleep as normal. It's just too hot or something. I worry about not having much more money left in my bank account. I have relied on my savings from years of working and building up a fat account. I used this reserves of money to survive living in Luganville because for me the Peace Corps stipend is not enough to make it month to month. On average I spend an extra 200-300 of my own money so I can eat what I want and live in a way that makes me happy. Except I am bleeding my account doing so.
Next few months will help though because it will be like I have a host family to feed me at the Malo site and I won't have any need for money on the weekends. That will save me a ton of money. It is one of the few lucky breaks I have had and am thankful for.
Man what a day... it was mostly dull then I met up with Bryan and Kate... we biked to the airport and then went to DECO stop and swam. I had a decent milkshake I asked for two scoops... or it is just water... and then there was this ozzy in the pool a tourist he was fun to talk with.
After that. We ran into some baby docs. I was again charmed by them. I was supposed to go get food with the missionary family but they wanted to play cards so I sat with em and played 500 until I finally got the game again. Been a while since I played. Ah... They were all so lovely. It makes me remember the other baby docs. They are so nice. And smart and funny. Ahh... and soon they will leave again and I will be sad for their loss.
(06) Friday
Today is the day... I start building again. I miss using my tools I bought. I miss making things with my hands that will be used by people and these kids will use this lab/library for 10 years or more... I hope we can get them a nice setup and that they replace the dying or dead N-computer every few years... then they will have a chance to learn computers and have a whole ton of books to choose from... over 3000 are supposed to come. This is the kind of work I should be doing, making things. Leaving a footprint in concrete ways of my time here. Thank you Isabelle for making this experience worth waiting a year to do.
(07) Saturday
Made it to Malo and worked on few things like painting and such. Here are some photos.
This is me after stepping / being stung by a crown of thorns. It felt like molten fire on my feet.
Future computer lab at Malo site
Future library room at malo site
Photo of Phono
Ratua Sunset
Cool little place to chill
(08) Sunday
Lets hope this turns out to be nothing.
Not sure what is really going on... except we are all in vila and prepared to evac the place if the cyclone looks dangerous.
People are all quite anxious about what is going on.
