The books sent from Iowa all arrived. The photo shows MJ checking them
This evening we will have been in Puyo for a full week. Because of the wide variety of experiences, it seems as though it has been much more than a week. It is this constant exposure to new experiences that makes living in another culture the rich experience that it is.
The weather has been very nice once you get use to the frequency of rain. Temperatures have ranged from a low of about 68 at night to a high of around 80. It rained five days out of seven at some time or another including two full nights of rain. Life goes on during a rain as though it were not raining. The 240 inches per year of rainfall is taken as part of life. The clouds hanging just above the mountains or at other times obscuring the mountains is a beautiful site.
Friday, our last preparation day before school starts was like no other last day of preparation in my 38 years of experience. We spent about one quarter of the day in academic preparation and the remaining three quarters of the day cleaning and scrubbing the school. There is one custodian for the campus. He seems to be occupied with maintenance matters and not with cleaning. Tile floors in classrooms and hallways (which are outside) can be washed and swept. A garden hose is not to be found and so we carried buckets of water to throw across the floors while others mopped and swept. Leading the charge to all of this was the school director. Somehow in my 30 years of school administration, I missed this activity. Mary Jane wished she had remembered her camera.
About 10 in the morning we had a snack of a small meat pie. At about 3 in the afternoon a quart container of chicken with rice, potato, and salad was eaten by all. A strong spice mixture of onion, tomato, hot peppers, and lemon is available to spoon over the rice. New comers to this food called aiji (pronounced ah hee) often want to summon the fire department. We find it delicious.
This morning, we walked to the market. A quart container of radishes, 6 mandarin oranges, 4 large lemons, 7 apples and a head of cabbage cost $2.50. A large fresh pineapple costs $1. So far during the first week Montezuma has had limit success in seeking revenge.
The weather has been very nice once you get use to the frequency of rain. Temperatures have ranged from a low of about 68 at night to a high of around 80. It rained five days out of seven at some time or another including two full nights of rain. Life goes on during a rain as though it were not raining. The 240 inches per year of rainfall is taken as part of life. The clouds hanging just above the mountains or at other times obscuring the mountains is a beautiful site.
Friday, our last preparation day before school starts was like no other last day of preparation in my 38 years of experience. We spent about one quarter of the day in academic preparation and the remaining three quarters of the day cleaning and scrubbing the school. There is one custodian for the campus. He seems to be occupied with maintenance matters and not with cleaning. Tile floors in classrooms and hallways (which are outside) can be washed and swept. A garden hose is not to be found and so we carried buckets of water to throw across the floors while others mopped and swept. Leading the charge to all of this was the school director. Somehow in my 30 years of school administration, I missed this activity. Mary Jane wished she had remembered her camera.
About 10 in the morning we had a snack of a small meat pie. At about 3 in the afternoon a quart container of chicken with rice, potato, and salad was eaten by all. A strong spice mixture of onion, tomato, hot peppers, and lemon is available to spoon over the rice. New comers to this food called aiji (pronounced ah hee) often want to summon the fire department. We find it delicious.
This morning, we walked to the market. A quart container of radishes, 6 mandarin oranges, 4 large lemons, 7 apples and a head of cabbage cost $2.50. A large fresh pineapple costs $1. So far during the first week Montezuma has had limit success in seeking revenge.
3 comments:
That hot stuff is probably keeping Montezuma away. He may have lost the war, but not because he was dumb about eating.
We look forward to the continuing story of your adventure.
Hola! We enjoy hearing about your daily adventures. Keep posting and sending pics. We would like some documentation of the cleaning events. Phil is almost sure he knows who did the cleaning! We can't wait to hear about your first day at school with your students. Adios, Phil and Jo
Glad to hear you are enjoying it. There will be days and there will be days! It looks like you have shelves for the books. Wow. You guys will do great down there. Is Phil right that Mary Jane did the cleaning? Love, Eldon and Phyllis
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