Going on 9 days without water... Ke kopa metsi?? Tu?? There's soooo much time to think here, but there seems to be especially more time to think when there's no water. Because after a day or two, when your two lone buckets have run out of water, and you realize the water probably wont return for a while, and who knows when, you have to try and stop living. You feel like you cant eat, because then you need water to cook and you have none. You cant move, because if you do you'll make a mess and you'll need water to clean it up... and you certainly cant move vigorously because then youll be thirsty and perspire, and you'll need water to bathe your stank ass and quench your thirst. You even attempt to will your bowels to stop because you have no water to flush that stupid flush toilet you were so happy to have.... so you just sit... and think.
**Eish, man! After a life time of planning my life in seven year blocks and making lists after list for things you would think you cant even make a list for ( believe me, you can make a list for anything... ive done it) I am finally realizing what major issues i have with living in the present. **
** Self-preservation is something that matters here...I suppose lack of self-preservation is an occupational hazard of the work we are trying to do here, but more of it is needed. Dont even ask me to expand on this one, because I wont do that here ( mostly because Im not really even sure what i mean....**
**When you continually make the same mistake over and over again and the result of that mistake is always a huge pain in your ass (and your heart), does it mean you have masochistic tendencies? Maybe this goes along with the aforementioned thought. Do you ever feel like you are rubber-necking your own train wreck?**
Im learning so much about myself, Its starting to be embarrassing. Maybe the water will come back on soon and I wont feel so confronted with myself....
In other news, Im busying myself this weekend with a business plan for a 'Health Carnival' event me , my supervisor, and a fellow PCV are trying to organize. We've got some great ideas, and we want to even to center around an HIV/AIDS testing drive, but as i write the plan i see some major flaws in it. We want to have the event in August, which is fast approaching, and I think we need at least until October to plan the event. Its not too late to turn things around; we have only had one meeting with interested parties, so hopefully my colleagues will agree with me once they see the details in the business plan and we can reschedule the event... Ill tell you more about the event once all the details get settled.
I a super,super pumped for the group of lay counselors i am helping. We were able to schedule a 5-day lay counselor training program in July with Childline, are fantastic international NGO working on issues such as child abuse/neglect, etc., anything having to do with children's mental health issues. It was their last slot for training for the entire year, so we feel very lucky and excited to have reserved it! We went to meet with the chief ( Kosi) in the village to reserve space at the tribal hall and he is completely behind the volunteers starting the program. We started wish 6 volunteers and needed at least 18 to get the training, and the volunteers have already found 12 people interested in joining us. They are all such wonderful people an incredibly dedicated to starting to program, so Im really happy to have met them and to be a part of what they are doing.
Currently, the Youth Centre isn't' open on Saturdays, which is a huge problem since, well, its a youth centre and that's when the youth has a lot of free time. So opening the youth centre on Saturdays is something i really want to make happen. Before it can open on Saturdays, my supervisor says we mus first have some programs organized. i visited the high school a week ago to introduce myself to some of the students and told them to please come and visit me at the centre and tell me what it is they are interested in doing/learning because we would love to start some programs for the, especially on Saturdays. So this week a boy from the high school came and wants to start a kickboxing program at the youth centre. He's been trying to start a class for a while at different locations but has been turned down for various reasons, so he seems really committed to the idea. I also talked with another volunteer at the centre who teaches yoga about teaching a class on Saturdays, so now all i have to do is find some other volunteers to open the centre with me and we're set to start on Saturdays! I think it will make a big difference to have the centre open on Saturdays, and as time goes on and we get more dedicated volunteers with ideas, we can add on more programs and activities. Ill keep you posted...
May your cup runeth over, where ever you may be,
Heather/Bontle
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Sounds like this are going exactly as unplanned. And that's a good thing. Who knew how and when and where the white caps of change and new yous would whip and splash and spray you. Like you've shared, the point is relax into, eyes open, head open, attitude forward....we love you.
ReplyDeleteXOXOXOXO Dad