I feel the need for a synopsis post, something to sort of sum up what has been happening, but it probably will be a few days until I find the time to do it.  When I was applying to Peace Corps I remember being frustrated with the day to day content of most blogs, feeling that they lacked any sort of substance or analysis, defaulting to a report of daily events.  I’d like to remedy that as much as possible, but its hard not to sit down and just report on what has been happening.

I have spent a lot of money the last few days, buying supplies in bulk and generally getting things that I have needed or wanted to get but not had the money or chance to buy yet.  Mainly this consists of a case of tomato paste and a case of pasta, a case of candles, and a tea set and charcoal burner.  But I also had to get my cat vaccinated.  70.000 FG!  Sajay and I almost just threw our cats in a ditch and ran away (just kidding, we would never do that, as long as they don’t scratch us anymore).  So yeah, he was here today and we did a lot of shopping.

Yesterday I tried to do a lot of stuff, stopping by people’s places multiple times but finding no one.  Today was slightly more successful, and tomorrow should be semi-productive before the mailrun arrives on Sunday.

When you first arrive at site and you are sitting around wondering how you are actually going to pass two years without going crazy of boredom, it seems impossible that you will ever be busy.  But after IST my calendar has filled up so quickly its scary.  Today Sajay and I sat down and planned out rough dates for the various trips we want to do, and in such a way that we will actually get to spend a month at site every now and then.  Basically between trainings, regional trips, training a new group of volunteers, and miscellaneous other things, it hardly seems like we will have the time to get any actual work done at site.  So we wanted to schedule things so that we had some long periods of time, especially in these first early months, so that we could actually get some work done and some relationships well enough established to be able to make things happen easier once all the other stuff kicked in.

Still, I can’t help but get a little panicky.  On average there are maybe three weeks between trips, which doesn’t really seem like a lot.  In my first couple of months I wanted as many diversions as possible because each day at site was a trial, but now traveling is much more of a trial and I want to be home as much as possible.  Its a good sign of being integrated I guess.

I also started an accounting system, beginning June 1st.  I want to see how I spend my living allowance, and it might be useful information for both the Peace Corps office and for other volunteers and prospective volunteers.  Plus its just an interesting thing to know.

And I bought a larger agenda book to plan out and keep track of what is happening.  I may or may not be further developing an already dangerous addiction to organization and planning.

I am doing my best to get rid of my mango jam because I am realizing that I am much more likely to eat pineapple or mango salsa than mango jam.  Its a rough world.  Hopefully by Sunday I can do a batch of pineapple salsa.  I expect it to be amazing.  Also, I thought I had found a woman selling beans that would be an easier way to eat beans than preparing them myself, but they tasted something awful, so for now I am back to square one with that.

I have so many things I need to do or am in the middle of doing that I might go crazy.  And I started running, which has been really good.  A volunteer is having a half marathon in September or October (I forget) and I need to be in good enough shape to run it.

Okay, that’s enough rambling for now.