Day 1

(Note: This is from my personal journal entry at the end of our first day here. We're just now able to publish due to internet and electricity shortages.)

John and I woke up at 2:30 this morning and by 3:00 had decided it was no use trying to sleep any longer. We attempted to unpack our bags and to find places for our things without waking anyone or disrupting the place that our hosts will call home for one more week. I’m pretty sure we failed. By 4:00am Andy and Ben had joined us and, with heavy eyes, were playing a very labored game of chess on our bed with the board we had just dug out of a trunk. Soon after they started, the electricity went out, but we kept working with the use of battery powered lanterns. By the time Jonah woke up, so did the sun, and everyone was hungry. I scrambled some eggs and cooked them on a gas stove, made toast in a second pan, and hand poured boiling water through the coffee maker, all the while reminding the kids—and myself—to keep the fridge door closed to conserve what was left of the cold. 

We all ventured out on our own to the cell phone and grocery stores. Our hosts had other plans, as they are leaving the country in a matter of days and are as busy leaving as we are arriving. John did well his first time driving, and even stayed on the left side of the road—for the most part. I kept shrieking when I saw what appeared to be cars without drivers careening towards us, only to remember that the driver sits on the right side here. (Sleep deprivation can make you jumpy.) It was hot and dry and dusty, and I found myself thankful for the stainless steel water bottles we brought that keep the water inside cold even when the outside became too hot to touch. The air conditioning only worked when John’s foot was on the gas, so we went with windows down, then up, then down, then up again. 

We walked into the cell phone store only to turn around and walk right out again when it became apparent that we were far too tired to make any decisions. We went for groceries, but every time we stopped walking to look at something, Ben sat down on the floor. I offered to let him sit in the cart, but realized he would fill it up and we wouldn’t be able to put any groceries in it. We only got a few things anyway before we all wanted to join Ben on the floor, so we knew it was time to go home. We napped, which is a no no when you’re trying to overcome jet lag. Luckily, we woke up in time to suffer through a few more hours before it was bed time, which set us on the right track to exchanging our nights for days. We got ready for bed by lantern light, searching luggage for pajamas and toothbrushes, untying and arranging mosquito nets, and turning on battery powered fans. Then, lanterns out at 8:00. The electricity came back on at 11:00. I know that because we accidentally left our light switch in the on position. It wasn’t hard to get back to sleep.

Well into the night we were awakened by the sound of machetes scraping the road. We’re told those are the neighborhood watchmen. They drag their blades along the cement to let everyone know they’re on the job. I’m pretty sure they pay them not to rob their houses, but they have machetes, so we'll gladly join in. Sweet dreams. We didn’t see each other until 5:00am, which is when the sun came up and the street on the other side of our concrete wall came to life. Birds, dogs, church bells, and chants could be heard all around. The brighter the sun got, the louder they all crescendoed, until you could hear the sound of cars and all the noises mellowed into each other and the day was officially underway. Another day with so much to learn...