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Wow - so my last post was in November! Where has the time gone!

I'll start off with a quick update from the last few months.

December:

1. Headed back from Thanksgiving in the city to find our generator had broken. It has not been fixed - and probably won't for a really long time. No power at nite now. I read and write by candlelight!

2. I got the cutest puppy for Christmas! Her name is Pepper - Ms. Pepree if your Alcun. She's pretty tough - and lets the kids know she's not messing around! She is afraid of the river.

3. I came down with giardia (again) and heat stroke. This prompted a rescue mission by my friends to come and get me and take me back to the city. Where I was nursed back to health. I got skinny! While I was laying in misery I sang to myself...

'Hello Giardia my old friend
you have come to visit me again'
'To and from the latrine I go
will I make it I don't know'

'Hello Giardia my old friend
you have come to visit me again'
'You make one heck of a weight lose plan
my stomach cringes and my legs are weak'
'Giardia please go away this week!'

4. Rachel came for a visit!! It was a fantasitc time - as she spent End of Year here in Suriname and visited Wan Hati for a week. It was great to see her and the village loved her!

5. Don't worry I gained back all of my lost weight over the holidays.

Jan:

1. Rachel's visted ended and it was sad to see her go!

2.Nina and Kevin came in for a two week visit. What a blast we all had. Kevin went hunting, Nina taught some English lessons. We worked at ground together. We headed out to an old rice plantation that was flooded and made 'swamplike' and went caymen hunting!

3. One of Wan Hati's Captians that currently lives in Holland came back to WH for a visit. He is also Moengolina's brother. So many stories on this one - that I will probably revisit this topic often.

And that's the skinny on the last few months.

Currently I'm in to finish up taxes, get some more supplies and see if I can get Pepper spade when in the city. Time is has been fun - Ula and I went to a Carnival Party and danced the nite away. Pepper is loving being with his parents - she barks and his mom feeds her. (Like mother like son, I just have to mention that I'm slightly hungry, or could start to think about what I want for dinner -- boom there's food infront of me!) Pepper is getting fat and is really happy!

Backing it up to the last few weeks at site....

It's been rainy season here - and ground has been full of toko toko (mud). This does make it good for pulling weeds though! Mongoelina and I have been out pulling weeds and killing mila (ants). We finished planting all the bannana trees and she has informed me that the corner 'over there...see there? That is for you!' There is a section of ground in the area that she planted last year that is cleared out. She is letting me have it to plant with it what I will. Of course she will help. (she better!) I decided that it's going to be peanuts and watermelon! The top two favorite things for me to eat at site. I have to admit I'm pretty excited about this!

Kids are all doing well. Gabbie is growing like a weed! She is forming sentences now in English and continues to be my sidekick at site. It's not uncommon for her to be singing to Pepper outside my door waiting for me to wake up from a nap. She feeds Pepper when I'm away, but has told me that 'Pepper a no bun - she bali pey u gwe'. Pepper barks constantly when I'm not at the house or if I leave her on the chain. Gabbie is not a fan of the barking dog.

Jenni has taking to waving good morning and good nite to me from her window. She uses both of her little 2 yr old hands -shakes them and shakes them screaming 'Moriya...MORIYA ooo wakie!' Adorable.

There was a Broko Day about three weeks ago. Unfortunately it rained and our generator is out of commission. But it was interesting to see how the ceromony is performed. It is a celebration held 6 weeks after a person has died. The body is put in the 'dead house' and the village goes to mourn and pay respects. On Broko Day it's an all day and all nite party. Drinking, dancing and celebrating in the honor of the one who has past. I lasted until around 2:00am then had to head home and put myself to sleep.

I have a new English student that comes for private lessons. She doesn't want the kids to see her and make fun of her. She is 25 and is not able to read or write in Dutch or Alcun. We have been learning the ABC's and singing easy songs to help with memorization. I love this challenge and am so excited each time she comes! She tries hard and is really motived to learn!

The water pump is an issue. CDFS helped construct the pump, and they have since gone caba (no longer in business). I'm finding it hard to get someone to come and acess what we need to do to fix the pump - I've heard that since there are batteries involved that haven't been used in over two years- that we will need new ones. These alone could cost upward of $5,000 US. I continue to try to get this figured out!

In March we will begin proposal writing and looking to begin work on starting the market! Now I am still laying the foundation - getting an idea of how much materials are going to cost, how much labor (if Wan Hati wants to do all or if we need outside help) how to get all materials to Wan Hati. I also am inquiring about getting lessons in basic bookkeeping and general business skills set up in a workshop format ...so anyone in the village can come and learn more about credit, bookkeeping...inventory - etc. There are a few Surinamese Women's Groups that come into villages and give presentations in the native tongue. This I think is a definate must!

There is so much more, but as always my time on the computer is running short. I hope all of you are well - and I'll be posting more soon!

xoxox