It's been awhile since the last post. A lot has gone on and not all of it is good, but I may not have internet access for awhile so I had better put some more posts up.
Recently my cousin, Danny Byatt, passed away. He is greatly missed by his family.
That has been a big part of how the last few days have passed, trying to find a way around the rules I agreed to to be in the program. I can't take a bus or rent a car, and people are to busy to drive that far out of their way. I will be in Dartmouth at the Quality Inn on Sunday, so I'll be able to go around town and see people then, but it's not the same.
This past month has really zipped by. I am trying to remember the bigger details to share. This weekend we went to a sweat lodge which was a pretty intense experience. 2 hrs in a sauna not much bigger than a van. 16 people squished in, though most people didn't last the whole time. In fact most of the Indonesians were out in the first half hr, but the ones who stayed I think really enjoyed it. It was much hotter than I thought it would be, the steam was suffocating and it burned to breath to hard. I couldn't talk very much, and staying still was reccomended, but the people doing it were able to full out sing. Practise makes perfect I guess, and they were very kind. They fed us afterwards, lent people towels and shorts, and fed us after wards, and they didn't charge. They seemed happy to share their culture, and I think the group really appreciated it. We invited them to a potluck we are holding on Friday for the host families.
We already had an afternoon tea/performance for the work placements. We haven't been working since last Thurs., and we invited all the supervisors in for a thank you. We all gave them a card, and a speech. We appreciated their efforts, all of them seem very kind and welcoming, great examples of the town. I know I'm going to miss working on the farm. Wasn't always exciting, but we got free apples, good working conditions, outdoors, and in a beautiful place, plus they were both very nice, offering drives encouragement etc.
the last post was about the fundraiser. It seems like that's made up most of our time here, and definetly required the most focus. We reviewed it the other day, to the discomfort of some. There was a clear difference in the group on who did work, and who felt that others could have done more, which led to a few peoples great stress. I'm not sure we'll be doing another show like that, but I think that in the end, we're not going to change much as a group, and the show turned out quite nice. I stand by our work (those who did it), and, if there is a next time, maybe people will change their habits. Their was a lot of energy at the beggining, but our group has a bit of a focusing problem, and plans that are made aren't always explained to everyone, or followed through.
Anyway, we leave Antigonish in 5 days. I've already started packing as we have to go to a debriefing camp for the next 3 days. Once we get back, we prep for the host family dinner, then say goodbye. Leave town on Sun. It's going to be a busy week, shooting by already. I'm still not sure how I feel about leaving. When I was a kid flipping through my parents National Geographic magazines, I decided Indonesia was the most beautiful, diverse, and fascinating country. Now I'm days away from getting there, and either it hasn't really registered that I'm leaving, or I 'm too distracted to care about it. I have a few worries. Electricity, internet connections, social comparisons, etc. I'll make a list in my next post. Either way, the countdown has begun...