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Merry Christmas to me...

or, YAY, Pugs In Christmas Sweaters.

Got my amazing Christmas card today from everyone who seemed to be drinking at Canoe. It made my day. I was going to write you all back a personal email, thanking you individually, but then I remebered I don't actually like any of you that much.

- Cabin '07 - WOOT!!!

Monday, November 13th

Okay it has been a while, so here goes...

Two weeks ago on Monday I was sitting in the staffroom when one of the teachers casually told me that I would be travelling with our school sports team to choose the final team that would compete at regionals. No one asked my if I wanted to go, but I was volunteered anyway. Interschools was being held at a village called Moco Moco about half an hour from Lethem that was supposed to be really beautiful so I decided not to put up a fuss and play along. Thursday, midday, a bush truck pulled up and the 60 of us loaded up, squeezed in and held on for the ride. Turns out Moco Moco is really gorgeous, it is a small little village nestled in against the Kanuku mountains, and their sports track is equally grand set against the trees and hills behind it. Our team was placed in a large palm hut and told to string our hammocks. I cannot describe how cramped it was in their; hammocks were hung above and below bunk bead style and so close that we were touching while we slept. It was crazy and loud and I didn't sleep very well the first night. Sports was a two day event again and this time I got put to work as the chief scorer, which was nice because it kept me busy and let me be a little more involved. Our team from St Ignatius dominated and then on Saturday I caught a ride back to my house for our Halloween/Thanksgiving party.

Jessie and I had been planning a Halloween/Thanksgiving party for a few weeks, so I rushed home from sports arriving around 4. I immediately began cooking and in under 3 hours created a Thanksgiving feast of, 2 roast chickens, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and honey ginger carrots. Not bad, if I do say so myself. Our closer friends came over for dinner, then more people came later for the party. Everyone had to dress up, I shaved a fu-man-chu and went as white trash, or else they weren't allowed to come in. I got really drunk but didn't do anything stupid... sorry to disappoint everyone.

Sunday I burnt the soles of my feet trying, unsuccessfully, to role start the red cross vehicle so that we could take a trip to the falls. I couldn't walk properly for a week. Also, that night I got poo-sick for the first time here (I guess it had to happen eventually).

Monday I woke up with a fever and took the day off school.

Tuesday I went to school only to find out that I would be leaving for regional sports (Interbranch) the following day. The next day I woke up early to pack my bags, taught some lessons then met everyone for the bus ride (riding in style this time) to Moco Moco again. This time we stayed in our hammocks again but instead we strung them up in the open air church. I got a fever again. Trying to sleep in a hammock, surrounded by 30 teenage boys, with a fever is now at the top of my list of things NOT to do in Guyana. I barley slept and woke in the morning shaken enough to go get a malaria test. I am 100% malaria free however... YAY. The Thursday I spent most of the day poo-sick again lying in the hammock. Every time I tried to move my insides knotted and I had make a run for the outhouse. Friday and Saturday sports resumed and I was feeling mostly better. The competition was good this time around and our Central team came back from a 30 point deficit on day 1 to win by only a few points over the South Central team on day 2. I rode back with the kids in the bus while the cheered and screamed at every passing truck and house.

Sunday I had my first solid poo in a week!

New Roomate

The World Teach Volunteers in New Amsterdam, that's on the coast, were broken into twice recently. The second time the thiefs put a hose through the window and gassed the house to put everyone to sleep while they robbed the place. The Project trust volunteers who live nearby were broken into even more and one of the girls woke up to a man standing on her bed with a knife. Everyone is ok, but shaken. The ministry there has been terrible about fixing broken locks or putting bars on the windows, let alone moving the volunteers to a safer location. Anyway, everyone finally gave up and decided to move our volunteers from the region. Jessie Sue and I have a spare room and our region has been one of the best for getting things done (which doesn't exactly say a lot). So... we have a new roomate. Dana moved down the Saturday of our party, she was sent with one days notice, in typical Guyanese fashion, and arrived with no bed and no definite job. She sorta has a bed now but still no job. She is awesome though and it is cool to have another person around in the house to shoot the shit with.