more work...

July 9, 2008-(Wednesday)- Palumpur, India

I woke as usual at about 6am, but this morning there was a sound outside that I couldn’t identify. At first I thought it was the ceiling fan, and then I realized it wasn’t on. I opened the door to the balcony, and then I realized what the sound was. It was the stream below rushing! The storm had made it fill and water was coming down from the mountains at an incredible rate. I have of course read about the sound of a stream rushing, but I had never heard one, so this was another new experience.

At school today Jo and I decided what illustrations we were going to draw and paint on to the newly painted walls of the 9^th grade classroom. We sketched out a few things, but didn’t do much actual painting today. I am glad because I was very tired. Although I hate to admit it, I am moving a bit slower than my younger counterpart. The heat and the altitude are making me very tired. I think it is the heat more than the altitude, but both are playing a part I’m sure, as well as my age. I don’t have a thermometer, but I’d guess it’s about 110 in the shade. In case I didn’t mention it before, there is no A/C here at all. There are ceiling fans in the guest house where we are staying, but they don’t always work because we don’t always have electricity. At the school, we only have fans in the two rooms that have electricity, and there are no lights in any of the rooms, so if it is rainy and overcast, the classrooms can get pretty dark. Today it was not rainy, but sunny and HOT. Being soaked in sweat is the norm, as is being semi-dehydrated. I try to drink a lot of water, but sometimes refrain because there are no toilets at the school nor in town. While I can always find a bush behind the school somewhere, there is literally no where in the village for women to use the bathroom. There are open, public, urinals for men, but men typically will urinate anywhere! They will simply turn away from sight, open their flies, and…. They do this on the road and in the market in plain sight without a thought ! -- hard to believe when this would be grounds for arrest in America. Nothing else noteworthy today…