Return to Gilligan's Island
I was back on "Gilligan's Island" last week (It's why I'm late posting, dear Sven). A great trip, spent mostly training our local NGO partner organizations. The training focused on improving analytical and problem solving skills, which are severely lacking here.
I discovered that my patience to train people with almost unbelievably low analytical skills (though, i do believe as it have been here for close to four years now!) lasts exactly 3 and 3/4 days. After that, I just get snappy. ["And why is it like that?" answered with mildly paniced blank stares. You run out of ways to clarify and it gets frustrating - probably more so for them but plenty enough for me.] I'll remember that next time I plan a training. We finished Friday and I had to do some follow up on Monday and found myself still a little short. Apparently there is also a recovery period I hadn't earlier recognized!
I also had a bit of fun as I walked to a remote village for some activities as well. We are going to introduce solar-powered mobile lanterns (think camping lanterns) to hopefully improve nighttime lighting (and health - people currently stick a piece of rope (wick) in a little bottle filled with kerosene which burns horribly and emits consistent plumes of nasty smoke). So we brought them four models to sample a few weeks ago and had to go back to see what they thought. So, this was Evaluation night. We set out around 5pm.
As the tide was out, we couldn't travel by boat (the boat couldn't get in close enough over the coral reef). So we walked 45 minutes across beach, over low-tide exposed rocks and up over a hill following the coast. It was a hearty but fun walk. I believe I've mentioned before that us foreigners are presumed to be clumsy and useless at all physical activity...nothing different on this walk. We set off in a group of 6. We were like the dwarfs, all lined up. Hi Ho Hi Ho.
After about 10 min of walking along the beach, the Chefe of the group instructed Thomas to take my bag and bottle of water. I mildly protested knowing a) there was no point in protesting and b) the nice easy beach sand would probably be turning into harder terrain soon enough and I'd be greatful. They don't bother offering to ferry my things when we walk on the beach!
Sure enough, we hit some rocky bits. I've done enough hiking and amateur rock-climbing to know 'low center of gravity' 'use all fours' and 'never commit your weight until you know your hold is secure.' So, while some bits wobbled under foot, there was nothing particularly unpredictable or dangerous about this walk. The walk did go up a hillside overlooking the coastline. I guess you could call it a cliff, but not really. (Mom, seriously, it wasn't a cliff.) So, I was moving along at a good clip and thinking nothing of it. However, it was clear that my colleagues were mighty nervous to have me alone.
It is both flattering and annoying to have such attention paid to you, but I've become accustomed. Rosa was walking in front of me and starting joking "Why? How? Why? How?" - catch phrases I use to get people thinking in the workshop when Guido (chefe) snapped "No Joking. We have to concentrate!" (read: "the silly, overstuffed expat has to concentrate") Rosa and I just giggled.
A few feet on a rock I grabbed loosened and fell (barely gave it a push and just moved on), but Rosa screamed. Actually screamed as she wheeled around to see that I was fine. I just gave her a reassuring smile (though there is no way to reassure her that I've actually taken many hikes before) and said "no problem. I wasn't leaning on it." She didn't seem convinced.
I also began to notice that Guido was springing around me, always positioning himself between me and any danger. Now, if you blinded me, I may very well go stumbling off the cliff, but I really wasn't worried here as my eyes were fully functioning. If I ever lost sight of him (no pun intended, my eyes are still fine), he'd soon be 3 inches from my left side. All I could think of was a leprecaun bouncing around the rocks...think Golum from the Lord of the Rings. "Where'd he go?...Oh, Shit, he's in my face now." Mind you this man has at least 10, probably 15 years on me...my my how we so let ourselves go. I was probably ten the last time I sprang about as he does.
Guido continued to mutter instructions to our collegues (his staff) under his breath...often using the local language i don't understand, sometimes the language I do...urging them to move at a slower pace or take a rest (which none of them clearly needed). My favorite was "dada iis dada iis."
Muttered under his breath with a stern instruction in his voice, the others all slowed to a stop. I just smiled to myself. Dada iis translates quite well into "Sucking wind." As in "the silly overstuffed expat is sucking wind. Let's stop and give her a break before she falls down and we have to lug her dead body all the way back." I WAS NOT SUCKING WIND! Okay, maybe a little...but I didn't need to stop.
As if this wasn't a highlight, Thomas looked at me, smiled, offered me my bottle of water and I do believe ever so slightly GENUFLECTED as he kindly said "Hemu bee?" (drink some water?) I imagine this is what it is like when you hire a porter to cary the shit you bring and can't carry yourself - and therefore shouldn't bring! I know my small bag and bottle of water are nothing for a man who does this trip and more each day, but there is still just a little bit of shame in it...
When we got to the village (all safe and sound, thank you very much!), we had a village meeting, waited for night and set out to visit all the houses with lanterns (about 10 houses each). I couldn't help feeling sentimental back to my days of trick-or-treating, stumbling around in the dark, going house to house. Difference? This time it was because I only had my flashlight to guide me instead of years past when my mother threw a stark white sheet over my head and called it a ghost costume. (Just kidding Mom, the bunny costume from scratch was the best! Though I do believe there was one ghost year...when you added small pom poms on top of my head. What was that all about?)
If you are interested, the lanterns were okay, but not as great as I'd hoped. People are more interested in having a nightlight than anything else and therefore run the lanterns until dead everynight, which is bad for solar-powered technology...hence most weren't working so well.
Around 11pm, we headed back. We all had flashlights and your eyes adjust so it was fine. Thomas turned up at my side, hand out ready to take my things again and I happily oblighed. I would certainly be needing my hands to ease my way back. We were merrily on our way. I was expecting Guido to be at my side again and turned ever so slightly as I felt a presence to my left. It wasn't Guido. It wasn't someone I knew. We had picked up a few village fishermen to help light our way back..."oh, hello there." I never looked back, but I am quite sure I felt a constant presence of at least 3 people within inches of me.
Actually, I'm quite sure they were drunk. And yet it was I who was stumbling like a drunk sailor over the rocky terrain.
There are times when I feel that I may be going a bit 'local' after all this time here and times when it is abundantly clear that a) it is not happening and b) it is not actually possible!
I discovered that my patience to train people with almost unbelievably low analytical skills (though, i do believe as it have been here for close to four years now!) lasts exactly 3 and 3/4 days. After that, I just get snappy. ["And why is it like that?" answered with mildly paniced blank stares. You run out of ways to clarify and it gets frustrating - probably more so for them but plenty enough for me.] I'll remember that next time I plan a training. We finished Friday and I had to do some follow up on Monday and found myself still a little short. Apparently there is also a recovery period I hadn't earlier recognized!
I also had a bit of fun as I walked to a remote village for some activities as well. We are going to introduce solar-powered mobile lanterns (think camping lanterns) to hopefully improve nighttime lighting (and health - people currently stick a piece of rope (wick) in a little bottle filled with kerosene which burns horribly and emits consistent plumes of nasty smoke). So we brought them four models to sample a few weeks ago and had to go back to see what they thought. So, this was Evaluation night. We set out around 5pm.
As the tide was out, we couldn't travel by boat (the boat couldn't get in close enough over the coral reef). So we walked 45 minutes across beach, over low-tide exposed rocks and up over a hill following the coast. It was a hearty but fun walk. I believe I've mentioned before that us foreigners are presumed to be clumsy and useless at all physical activity...nothing different on this walk. We set off in a group of 6. We were like the dwarfs, all lined up. Hi Ho Hi Ho.
After about 10 min of walking along the beach, the Chefe of the group instructed Thomas to take my bag and bottle of water. I mildly protested knowing a) there was no point in protesting and b) the nice easy beach sand would probably be turning into harder terrain soon enough and I'd be greatful. They don't bother offering to ferry my things when we walk on the beach!
Sure enough, we hit some rocky bits. I've done enough hiking and amateur rock-climbing to know 'low center of gravity' 'use all fours' and 'never commit your weight until you know your hold is secure.' So, while some bits wobbled under foot, there was nothing particularly unpredictable or dangerous about this walk. The walk did go up a hillside overlooking the coastline. I guess you could call it a cliff, but not really. (Mom, seriously, it wasn't a cliff.) So, I was moving along at a good clip and thinking nothing of it. However, it was clear that my colleagues were mighty nervous to have me alone.
It is both flattering and annoying to have such attention paid to you, but I've become accustomed. Rosa was walking in front of me and starting joking "Why? How? Why? How?" - catch phrases I use to get people thinking in the workshop when Guido (chefe) snapped "No Joking. We have to concentrate!" (read: "the silly, overstuffed expat has to concentrate") Rosa and I just giggled.
A few feet on a rock I grabbed loosened and fell (barely gave it a push and just moved on), but Rosa screamed. Actually screamed as she wheeled around to see that I was fine. I just gave her a reassuring smile (though there is no way to reassure her that I've actually taken many hikes before) and said "no problem. I wasn't leaning on it." She didn't seem convinced.
I also began to notice that Guido was springing around me, always positioning himself between me and any danger. Now, if you blinded me, I may very well go stumbling off the cliff, but I really wasn't worried here as my eyes were fully functioning. If I ever lost sight of him (no pun intended, my eyes are still fine), he'd soon be 3 inches from my left side. All I could think of was a leprecaun bouncing around the rocks...think Golum from the Lord of the Rings. "Where'd he go?...Oh, Shit, he's in my face now." Mind you this man has at least 10, probably 15 years on me...my my how we so let ourselves go. I was probably ten the last time I sprang about as he does.
Guido continued to mutter instructions to our collegues (his staff) under his breath...often using the local language i don't understand, sometimes the language I do...urging them to move at a slower pace or take a rest (which none of them clearly needed). My favorite was "dada iis dada iis."
Muttered under his breath with a stern instruction in his voice, the others all slowed to a stop. I just smiled to myself. Dada iis translates quite well into "Sucking wind." As in "the silly overstuffed expat is sucking wind. Let's stop and give her a break before she falls down and we have to lug her dead body all the way back." I WAS NOT SUCKING WIND! Okay, maybe a little...but I didn't need to stop.
As if this wasn't a highlight, Thomas looked at me, smiled, offered me my bottle of water and I do believe ever so slightly GENUFLECTED as he kindly said "Hemu bee?" (drink some water?) I imagine this is what it is like when you hire a porter to cary the shit you bring and can't carry yourself - and therefore shouldn't bring! I know my small bag and bottle of water are nothing for a man who does this trip and more each day, but there is still just a little bit of shame in it...
When we got to the village (all safe and sound, thank you very much!), we had a village meeting, waited for night and set out to visit all the houses with lanterns (about 10 houses each). I couldn't help feeling sentimental back to my days of trick-or-treating, stumbling around in the dark, going house to house. Difference? This time it was because I only had my flashlight to guide me instead of years past when my mother threw a stark white sheet over my head and called it a ghost costume. (Just kidding Mom, the bunny costume from scratch was the best! Though I do believe there was one ghost year...when you added small pom poms on top of my head. What was that all about?)
If you are interested, the lanterns were okay, but not as great as I'd hoped. People are more interested in having a nightlight than anything else and therefore run the lanterns until dead everynight, which is bad for solar-powered technology...hence most weren't working so well.
Around 11pm, we headed back. We all had flashlights and your eyes adjust so it was fine. Thomas turned up at my side, hand out ready to take my things again and I happily oblighed. I would certainly be needing my hands to ease my way back. We were merrily on our way. I was expecting Guido to be at my side again and turned ever so slightly as I felt a presence to my left. It wasn't Guido. It wasn't someone I knew. We had picked up a few village fishermen to help light our way back..."oh, hello there." I never looked back, but I am quite sure I felt a constant presence of at least 3 people within inches of me.
Actually, I'm quite sure they were drunk. And yet it was I who was stumbling like a drunk sailor over the rocky terrain.
There are times when I feel that I may be going a bit 'local' after all this time here and times when it is abundantly clear that a) it is not happening and b) it is not actually possible!
posted by sue at 5:40 PM
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