Hey Sippy Cup Man!

I have told people back in the states that you can really buy anything on the street, but that was always an exaggeration. Then last week I saw something that made me think maybe you can buy anything on the street. I saw a push cart vendor with a cart full of sippy cups. Well over 100 sippy cups. The vendors usually have carts full of fruit, veggies, and other such things. This man had sippy cups.

It is starting to warm up. Today we walked down to the Sav market during our lunch hour and I had forgotten just how sweaty I can get just walking down the street. It is one thing to have a slight sheen of sweat on my arms and face from walking down the street. Today I had that wonderful feeling of sweat running down my thighs and my shirt stuck to my back so that not only did I sweat through my undershirt but all the way through my work shirt as well. I can't wait for full on summer when this is a daily feeling.

We have started some hobbies in our off time. Last weekend we planted a nice little garden by our house. We have tomatoes and green beans in our garden plus some pumpkin and squash that we planted in the yard by the ocean. I have more squash plants to transplant and some cucumber plants have come up in my little starter trays. We also have some herbs planted that we are waiting on. This weekend we are going to start a batch of wine. Our first attempt at wine is going to be pineapple wine made from juice. In a couple of weeks we are going to start a small batch of orange wine and then once mango season starts we will do a large batch of mango wine. I am sure somewhere we may do a banana wine or a grapefruit wine.

As time goes by...

I find that the second time a remarkable event happens, it is distinctly less remarkable. I recall very clearly what it felt like that morning back in January when Scott, Gabe, and I all discovered the dozens of tiny tiny ticks that we were playing host to. This past weekend, when I inadvertently picked up another dozen or so, I simply plucked them off, had Scott check my back, and then carried on with my day. That is just how it goes.

I would say, however, that the seventy-seventh time a remarkable event happens, it can still elicit a helluva response from me. We have ants in our house; always, everyday, we can find at least a couple dozen and that really isn't a problem. Yet when those sneaky little bugs get gutsy enough to start parading across my wall (or bed, stove, couch, shelf, clothes, towels, shower, etc.) in a nice organized line of hundreds or more, the full arsenal of chemicals and frustrations comes out. I cannot go on to another task until I determine 1) their entry point and 2) their destination. As far as I'm concerned, those two things constitute my being able to address the root of the problem at the moment. Though my rational side knows that since this happens so often, the root of the problem really probably resides under the foundation of the house which is sadly beyond my reach.

If You Like Good Folk Music

I am a huge fan of folk music. While out of the country I don't get many chances to check on new artists, but the other day I spent some time looking at some Canadian folk music online and found David Francey. If you like folk music I suggest you check him out.

Stupid Ankle Bitters

The weather is starting to turn and summer is just around the corner (an odd statement when the daily highs are in the mid-80s and the lows are in the low-70s). It is time for a change of seasons. Not seasons like we know them in the states (spring, summer, fall, winter) but rather the dry and wet season. I am pretty sure the wet season officially starts in April, but it has started to rain more and most afternoons in March it has clouded up and given us a nice shower. With the return of the rain comes the return of the bugs. I had hoped that I hadn't itched for the past four months because I had gotten used to the insects. I am finding out that is not so. I now spend most mornings and evenings walking with an odd shuffle as I try to scratch my ankles with the other foot as I step forward. I don't know why I don't really itch during the day, but I don't. Mosquitoes and sand fleas are now out. I hadn't missed them.

New Pictures

I have uploaded new photos to my Flickr site. These include photos from Gabe's visit and the Negril Donkey Races.

Donkeys Are Funny WhenThey Race Too

Two weekends ago we had a great time in Negril at the donkey races. It was fantastic. The rotary club puts on donkey races each year with small carnival rides and games as a fund raiser. As Peace Corps volunteers we are asked if we would like to assist with projects like these and we usually say yes because we tend to get food and/or a t-shirt. Well worth it. The donkey races are as funny as you think they would be. First they dress the donkeys and riders (Jamaican donkey jockeys) up as a theme. We saw pirates, lifeguards, and other similar costumes. Then the riders race the donkeys three at a time so there are plenty of heats to spread the day out. The donkeys do not care to be ridden so there are donkeys running under bamboo rails to knock the rider off or bucking the rider off or just not moving at all. A fantastic day.



I found out this week that my community has been approved for the grant to complete my project. We will have 2 plus million (Jamaican) to rebuild the storage tank and put in a wash house at Beeston Spring. This should make me ecstatic. Just by getting the grant I have made my Peace Corps experience a success. But I have been apathetic towards it so far, which makes Carrie also wonder what is wrong with me. I am pretty sure I just need a vacation. This month has wore me out and I feel like a couple days away would be good. Carrie’s parents are coming down in a couple weeks and we are going to spend some time at Treasure Beach. Hopefully that will give me a recharge.

"You are looking tumultuous today!"

I had an interesting incident of harassment today. I was walking through a schoolyard and a kid chirped at me and called out, "You're looking tumultuous today!" I kept walking, as I usually do in this kind of circumstance, and then I stopped almost laughing out loud as it registered what he actually said. I went back to the kid and asked if he knew what that word meant. He said no. I told him to look it up before he used it. I walked past again a bit later and he asked if it meant having multiple personalities. I said no, and that he should try to find a dictionary. What a strange interaction.

I wish this would happen more often. I have never had an easier time bantering back and forth than in this case. And with each back and forth, everyone in the surrounding area laughed. This is generally my ultimate goal in bantering with people on the street. And I managed it this time with vocabulary knowledge? How bizarre.