I'm an Ecoterrorist

So sports day is coming up at Kwakwani secondary. At school, all the students are divided into houses much like Harry Potter. They don't have awesome names like Harry Potter but similarly they compete against each other in track and field events.

There's a big field next to the school, just a vast expanse of grassland. After school yesterday the male teachers went out to mark the field for the track. We don't have an awesome rubber or gravel track like all those high schools back home, we have to improvise.

So I showed up about 4:30 and there's two big oil drums sitting on the field. I don't think anything of it, these barrels are all over the place here. I'm just hanging out, there's some kids there playing cricket and soccer, some are just standing around and so I do the same. The other teachers show up and we get started.

First, we opened the first barrel of oil. It was pressurized so it hilariously shot out into the face of the teacher that was opening it. After recovering from the hilarity we poured the oil into a bucket and from that into two watering cans. Then, we marked the field with stakes and several, long, AVI (red, yellow, and white, cords that had been tied together. Finally, we started pouring the oil directly onto the field creating lines for the track.

I took on the role of watering can fill up person. I filled the bucket and took it out to the guys with the watering cans when they were empty so they could continue marking the field. We worked until about 7:30 at night and left it about half way done. Today, we have to finish the track and do the discus and shot put areas so there's a lot of oil left to pour on the field. It's okay though, we're going to take school off this morning and finish it up.

Now, how did I feel during all of this? Well, it's kind of the exact opposite of everything I've ever learned about the environment. I asked where the oil came from and the teachers told me it was used motor oil that was going...somewhere. I can't imagine they have a responsible way of disposing of it since so I figured it must have been headed for the ocean. So I spent about 3 hours yesterday pouring used motor oil into a field. If you had told me 16 months ago that I'd be doing that, I'm not sure what I'd say. Overall though, I enjoyed it, it was a good experience and helped my get integrated into the community which is generally not a bad thing.

One other thing, after they told me where the oil came from they told me a funny anecdote from the last year. Apparently, last year, they didn't think they needed to lock up two barrels of used motor oil so they just left it on the field. They showed up the next morning and someone had stolen the oil! And, whoever stole it, had refilled the barrels with water. As far as they figure, someone took it to lube up their chainsaw which makes sense since Kwakwani is a major logging town.

Well, that's all for now. Take it easy everyone. If you want to see a picture of this story you can see it on my Instagram profile, it's tdaniel541 so look me up there.

Hi!

Hi Everyone,

How about that ride in? I guess that's why they call it Sin City.

Today I was thinking about some stuff. There's a movie called The Guardian. In it, Kevin Costner is this grizzled old rescue swimmer training a bunch of noobies including Ashton Kutcher. In one scene that I've come to identify with, Costner has the new recruits standing chest deep in a pool of freezing water and he keeps adding ice to the pool. And he says, "You will spend 90% of your career in a mild state of hypothermia."

Now, here's what resonated with me. In Peace Corps you will spend 90% of your career in a mild state of frustration. Frustrated by the environment, by the situation, and, sometimes, by the people. Peace Corps isn't easy and it only took 16 months to realize it. It's not a vacation and it's not a job. It's a 24 hour a day, 365 days a year, lifestyle for 27 months. And the first day is just as hard as the last.

Well, that's enough of a melancholy look at the past. What's going on now, Tim? Well, I'll tell you.

I've been living in Kwakwani now for about 3 or 4 weeks? I can't quite remember. I started teaching at the high school, I teach health two days a week. This was the second week of school but I still don't have a schedule so that's a little frustrating.

When I first got here in April of last year (whoa) they said don't do anything for the first three months. Don't attempt any projects outside your day to day job. The idea was that you used those first three months to assimilate, like the Borg, and learn about your community. I don't really have that kind of time. In three months I'll only have 6 months left (whoa) but I am taking it a little easier and still trying to get my bearings. It's definitely easier here than it was in Suddie, only because it's more of a town then a roadside attraction.

It is really cool here. The other night I was playing basketball at the court for about 2 hours and it was tough. The kids here are really good so I gotta step up my game.

Nothing too big in the future, we have a big boys camp planned for next April so now we're working on that. I'm still just plodding away, reading a lot. Here's what I've read since my last post:

My Life as an Experiment - 6/10
The Art of Racing in the Rain - 6/10
Armada - 4/10
Ready Player One 5/10
Z for Zachariah - 7/10 (I heard there's a movie out, I watched the trailer and it looks very different from the book)
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl - 8/10 (Unusually humurous, I had to stick through the first 20 pages or so but it was totally worth it)
American Gods - 4/10 (Not a fan but decided to finish it. Started not great and just got worse.)
How Music Got Free - 7/10 (Really interesting biography of the MP3 and music compression)

See ya around