ping-pong

New Years Resolutions:
1) Get in shape
2) Eat better
3) Drink less
4) Blog more!
I’ll get back to you in a year and let you know how it goes…So I really actually don’t have that much to report, but its still January which means I have to keep with my resolution at least ‘til the end of the month. Even though I have been back for over a week I am still totally messed up with the time. I can’t fall asleep until 1am and I wake up at 11am. I know I should force myself to get up earlier, but technically I am still on vacation and it is rainy season so there really is no reason to get out of bed. Which means this week has been pretty lazy to say the least. After rolling out of bed I make some coffee and scrambie eggs. I then proceed to stare off into space for about 30 min followed by commencement of “work”. I am currently having what we refer to as a mid-peace corps crisis which is the time of one’s service where one freaks out about what one is going to do after Peace Corps. This crisis can be channeled to do productive things such as re-write my resume, make a personal statement, inquire staff about letters of recommendation, etc. Since Meghan is in Australia I borrowed her computer for the week to get some work done (did I mention that I currently have 2 of my own computers here and I can use neither of them to type documents?).
After work time is play time/work out time. Running, biking, or kayaking are the choices for play. I went for a nice little sunset paddle yesterday and thought about maybe never leaving Samoa. All in all, not having to go to work every day is pretty awesome. I remember this time last year I was going out of my mind because I was so wound up about getting out there and doing Peace Corps things and saving lives and changing the world, etc. It is nice to actually sit back and enjoy time on a beautiful little island for once.
Speaking of projects, it seems that all of mine are going splendidly currently (lets all knock on wood now). While I was tromping around Southeast Asia, my new “counterpart” (I use quotes because we didn’t really give her a choice as to working with us or not) Sina, who is also 25 and lives across the street from me, was trained to be a sign language teacher’s assistant. She took the class along with Ela, Malaki’s mother. The Minister of Education also agreed to allocate funding for teacher’s assistants, so the plan is to have them work in Malaki’s classroom at school next year. Yahoo for sustainable development!
Before I left I also used funding from an anonymous and dearly loved source in the US to buy supplies for our computer lab at the school. All the lumber, fans, paint, nails, etc are bought and ready for the matais (chiefs) of the village to put them together. I was also informed by another anonymous and dearly appreciated source in the US that there are 4-5 computers on their way to Samoa as we speak!
In addition to all this wonderful news, I helped the Women’s Committee write a grant for new sewing machines that was submitted in December. I am also helping the committee to get funding and paper work together to submit a grant for a new committee house. The hope is to have funding by next month, start construction by March, and finish the project by May. That means construction from March to May which will most likely take longer because it is Samoa and oh did I mention that my bed is approximately 5 feet from the committee house? Who needs sleep anyway? Maybe I will move down to the beach. Seriously though, I am very excited for them to get a new house.
Teachers assistants, sewing machines, computer labs, OH MY! So for those of you who think I am just spending my time lying on beaches and deep-sea fishing…well you are pretty much right, but I do get stuff done in my spare time.
Alright and since it is a new year I thought I would tack on a little list here. When I first came to Peace Corps a wise and veteran volunteer named Julya gave me the suggestion of writing down all the books I read while I was here and the date I finished them, since, she so astutely alluded to, you will be reading a lot. So for all those who are dying to know what I read in the past year (mom) here goes…
The Tao of Pooh, Benjamin Hoff, 12/7/06- Not bad, Hoff is kinda on his soap box for this one
They Marched Into Sunlight, David Maraniss, 12/29/06- Awesome book on Vietnam and what was happening in America in 1967, starts off slow, but give it time, its worth it!
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams, 1/5/07- Ehhh, enjoyed the sarcastic humor, but..ehhh
Nine Hills to Nambonkaha, Sarah Erdman, 1/24/07- About a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa, beautifully written, really captures volunteer life
Sex Lives of Cannibals, Maarten Troost, 2/20/07- Hysterical account of life in the South Pacific, wanna know what our life is like? Read this
In a Sunburned Country, Bill Bryson, 3/23/07- Ugh! If you wanna read 300 pages where Bryson tells you 300 times how big Australia is, be my guest
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, JK Rowling, 3/29/07- You love it or you don’t
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, JK Rowling, 4/4/07
The Electric Kool-Aide Acid Test, Tom Wolfe, 5/1/07- Awesome! Drugs, hippies, music, counterculture. Its probably a good thing I wasn’t alive in the 60’s
Harry Potter 3, JK Rowling, 5/27/07
On the Road, Jack Kerouac, 5/28/07- Read this in high school and just couldn’t appreciate it as much as I did this time around. Great classic
Mountains Beyond Mountains, Tracy Kidder, 6/17/07- And this is when I became interested in medicine. Amazing book about an amazing person (Paul Farmer) who dedicates his life to helping others
Left Behind, Tim Lehaye, 6/23/07- Oh my god the anti-Christ has risen and we are all gonna die!
Poisonwood Bible, *ekk forgot to write down author!, 7/26/07- Wonderful fictional book about missionaries in Africa, I wanna go to Africa…
Harry Potter 4, 8/1/07
Harry Potter 5, 8/8/07
Harry Potter 6, 8/13/07
Harry Potter 7, 8/26/07- Ok I know I went a little crazy here, but this was the last one and I wanted to be on my game!
1776, David McCullough, 9/22/07- Interesting historical novel, but a little boring…
Hope In Hell, Dan Bortolotti, 10/1/07- About Doctors Without Borders, my new dream
Band of Brothers, Stephen Ambrose, 10/11/07- Even if you don’t know anything about WWII, just read this! Anyone can read Ambrose and it’s just so good!
Getting Stoned with Savages, Maarten Troost, 10/18/07- Troost goes back to the South Pacific for more fun adventures, ps- the first one is better
The Kite Runner, Khaled Hoseini, 10/22/07- Oh my god, rip my heart out! Wonderful book about awful things that can happen in the world, especially in Afghanistan
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey, 10/26/07- Tragic comedy, very funny though. Had to read it after “acid test”
LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring, JRR Tolkien, 11/19/07- Had to see what all the fuss was about…very long winded but not bad if you like elves and dwarves and magical places
The Te Of Piglet, Benjamin Hoff, 11/21/07- Apparently Hoff felt people were so inspired by his preaching in his first book that he felt the need to write a whole new book to preach some more…
Emergency Sex, *oops!, 11/27/07- About 3 UN workers; a doctor, a lawyer and a slut, whoops, I mean secretary. The doctor and lawyer stories were wonderful; the secretary goes over the line. I did very much enjoy the book over all
A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson..only got half way through the 500+ pages- The next time I pick up Bryson somebody shoot me
Heart of Darfur, Lisa French Blaker, 1/22/08- Kiwi nurse working in Darfur with Doctors without Borders. So good, SO sad and extremely inspiring. Can I go to Africa now?
And now I currently reading Friday Night Nights courtesy of Papa Hanks. Tune in this time next year for the ’08 reads!