February 28, 2008
Greetings, fellow Hutterites and everyone else.
We have been in Palmgrove for almost 3 weeks now and are finally figuring things out, making daily routines and learning new things everyday.Pe ople still call me “Talitha” and call Brian “Lance,” and sometimes I am “Lance,” but hey, I don’t get their names straight all the time either. It is funny the way most of them say “Brian,” they pronounce it “Brrrrrrrrrrrn,” the sound little kids make when they play with their ‘trokeleh.’
I phoned with my mom and Jeremy yesterday, it was like a taste of home. Jeremy asked me “so what are you doing,” and I had to pause and think. At this point we are all doing so many different things while we are still figuring out how things work here and on what to spend money.
Amid trying to learn all the impossible names, most people have at least 2 and can have up to 4, which is just as well, because the first few we can’t pronounce. We, Brian and I are still learning basic stuff like, when the breakfast and lunch bell goes off. What the working hours are and how to spend free time.It is so hot here ,you are constantly sweating. I have learned the only way to keep cool is to go in the stream, then to sit around in wet clothes,that does the trick. It dries so quickly during the day that you have to go right back again. At night, the house is hotter than outside.It heats up all day long, and then takes until about 5 in the morning to cool off, which is when it starts to heat up again.You just can’t win!
Judy and I can always find work in the sewing room.Of course, with no Nepa we can’t use the Pfaff, but I’m learning to use the foot pedal machine.I told my mom I’m sewing just like her mom did when she was a girl.Of course, it is a bit tricky, but I dare say with practice I’ll be able to handle it well.We are working on curtains.We would like to thank the colony who donated two large rolls of this material.Thanks to them, we can make each family curtains for their doors and windows.The people always have things to sew for themselves, or things to mend, it is a continuous project.
Brian and Ed are trying to focus on the water plant, which is hardly completed.I go over sometimes to see if I can help, they give me something or other to clean.One day the girls will go down and clean the whole building.Brian is writing a blog on the water house, so I’ll skip it.
With our American friends, we spent a whole day. In the morning, there was Lehr, starting at 10ish, it went for about 2 hours. After that, we went down to the stream to swim.That was nice and pleasant. On our way home from the stream we saw a bunch of the puem all running excitedly. Instantly we knew something was afoot, because normally everyone walks so slow you feel like pushing them, so when someone, never mind a whole crew is running, you know something is up. Turns out, they were running after a snake! Wow! I actually caught a glimpse of the thing, it was big and moving FAST. I didn’t know they could move so quickly. It disappeared into a pile of weeds and grass, surrounded by boys and buem carrying machetes and bamboos sticks.They set fire to it, but it never reappeared. Probably it went down into a hole in the ground. Then we toured the school with a few children. By that time it was time to go to the kitchen where Inno had a ‘grad/scholarship’ meeting planned. We were only an hour late, and among the first there. :D.It was long and hot, with many windy speeches.Basically, Inno wanted to encourage all the students by praising these 6 scholars. These 6 got a sponsor from the US. After the meeting, we strolled through the jungle despite the fact that it was quickly growing dark.We posed beside a mud hut we found. Then we met a guy who had just tapped some palm wine trees, he invited us to come and drink it. We went over out of curiosity and sat there in the cooling evening. I tasted the wine; it was not unpleasant, but quite good, like juice. However, recalling Talitha’s advice of “don’t drink the palm wine,” I refrained from more than a sip or two. Of course, the next day Joel, Becky, Lisa, and Ruthie were off. They left around 9 in the morning to Calabah. So we continue on here in Palmgrove. We hear that Ed and Anna from Cascade are flying out on Sunday, destination Palmgrove.We look forward to their arrival!Have a safe trip! -Leanne
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