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