Wait wait what now? How long has it been?

In a few days I’ll have reached half of the time I’m spending in French Guiana.

…

What HAVE I accomplished?!? What WAS I supposed to accomplish?

Ok, so I keep jotting down the amount of lessons I have, the amount of students, and such statistical numbers … but sometimes it’s just so easy to fall into the routine and forget why you’re really there.

I forgot.

So I’m attempting a checklist:

• teaching French as a second language to illiterate women. *check*
• creating a new set of French lessons aimed directly to the local population’s need, and ORGANIZE it so others can use it successfully. *oops. need to start organizing my lessons a little more effectively*
• 35 radio programs *hm. looking for some voice actors who can read and act a bit*
• children’s classes *check*
• junior youth groups, encouraging the arts *check, successful at least with one group*
• jam with local musicians *not yet ….!*
• help out in the Baha’i community’s activities *check*
• finding new local youth who’d be willing to help out once we’re gone *…maaaaybe one?*

Ok. Now I need to make sure I don’t leave the country with any regrets. Starting with the easiest:

1. organizing the French lessons’ curriculum and evaluation system (gah – any teachers out there who would have a sheet of basic second language competencies? Mom? Dad?).
2. Jam with local musicians: some recent contacts may make this possible – if anything, making up songs with Irène counts, I believe. We improvise on the spot. That’s considered jamming, right?
3. Radio shorts: maybe I should be the one to initiate a discussion of the possible actors with others who are involved, as everyone’s as busy as everyone else.
4. Finding new youth: set up a meeting with that one girl’s parents to see how they can all participate.

Ok.

I still feel like I don’t know what I’m doing.

But at least I’m doing something.

Like a Mack Truck …

So it hit me a few days ago that I was really leaving for good. A friend recently came back from Africa, and while flipping through her enormous pile of pictures, I thought, “Hey, that’s what I’ll be doing in … two weeks?!?”

If I can count the days and they’re numbered under 20, then that’s a shocker to me. So it hit me, then and there. Like a Mack truck. Optimus Prime size, actually.

I’ve been on my toes ever since, trying to finish up as much of Ruhi book 5 as possible, getting vaccinations (a little last minute, but still in the safe zone), and preparing my Masters’ application for September 2008.

Needless to say, my head’s a little foggy as to what will be my reality in two weeks.

How about treating it as an adventure. I think that’ll work.

Visas – Part III

Yay, the Visa’s here!! It was just … so much easier than anticipated …

On a different note, I finished buying all my necessary items for the trip, minus the maple syrup for the Walker family (hey, once you tasted the real stuff, you can’t get enough …) and the vaccinations.

I ran into some complications concerning luggage … I’m going to have to throw my viola as a checked-in baggage, since it’s too big to be a carry on. This is every musician’s nightmare, especially when friends of yours have had things happen to them, such as one’s cello’s head getting chopped off by heaven knows what … (this from an instrument that was stored inside a rock-solid travel case, too … it was mangled …). So – computer comes on board with me, small suitcase comes on board with me – large suitcase and viola go down the hatch. I’ll pray. A lot.

Otherwise, met up with a friend who had previously served in French Guiana (Dulcie – http://deejustine.blogspot.com/) and we chatted away for a good deal concerning the routine and the way of life there.

Things are looking good!

(still twitching about the viola in the baggage compartment … *twitch* *twitch*)

Visas – Part II

So, the visa form is gone in the mail, along with my passport … double-eep! But this is how these thing are usually done, so I trust it’ll be fine. I’ll know in three to four weeks. As a matter of fact, I have a tracking number for my package … let’s see where it is! … Hey, it’s reached the US. Good. I’ll see when it reaches Washintgon, then I’ll get happy.

I have also gotten hold of my International Driving Permit … along with it came a nice flier with little pictures of foreign road signs. Some interesting ones: Italian school crossings have the children depicted as practically dancing their way to school; European signs include the warning of “Flammable Forest” (with what happened in Greece, I now understand why); and Belgium actually has a sign saying “Passage Difficile” (“Difficult Passage”) for any complicated road design.

I have now officially started my Ruhi Book 5 class, which discusses of Junior Youth projects (age range 12-15, which is what I’ll be focusing on). It looks promising. Hopefully I’ll have put a dent in the book by the time I have to leave.

The Tickets Are In!

Huzzah! Today’s victories:

• Purchased my plane ticket. Departure, October 31st, 10am, from Ottawa; arrival, November 1st, 12:15am, Paramaribo (Suriname). Return departure: August 2nd 2008, 4am (ugh), Paramaribo; arrival, August 2nd, 5:36pm, Ottawa.
• Got medical insurance and emergency return trip coverage (if something happens back at home and they need me earlier than my planned return date, they pay me the ticket).
• Bought more stuff for “The List” (toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, many mini razors)
• Learned that even thought I only have a G2 driver’s permit, I CAN have an international driver’s permit!

Fun factor: passport photos are a little expensive. I needed two for my international driver’s permit, and need one more for my visa. Entertainingly enough, the man to whom I spoke concerning the driver’s permit informed me that I could take my own pictures, and that they could authenticate them once I brought them in person to the office. So I set up the timer on my camera, set the camera on the stairwell railing, crouched low enough to have my face in the picture (failed a few times), photoshoped the thing to get the picture the right size, stuck four copies on one 4″x6″ .jpeg file, brought the file to the pharmacy, and paid 0.33$ to get the pictures developed (as opposed to 9.99$ x2 for four pictures). Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Instrument on The Go

The villages where I’m to work are very strong on family, culture, and music. Thus, I was informed that, had I an instrument, I should bring it, for I’m guaranteed to participate in jam sessions almost every night. On the other hand, if I had a fairly good instrument, I should bring a cheaper one in its place. The hot and humid temperature is well known to destroy wooden instruments.

It’s been about two months now that I’ve been looking high and low for a cheap violin, but for a low sum, and a reasonable sound, there aren’t many. Borrowing one from a friend or family member that doesn’t use theirs often makes me feel cheap. I can hear it now: “Hey, can I borrow your violin for a year? I’m going to South America, and the humidity’s known to damage instruments, and I don’t want to bring mine … can I ruin yours instead?”

So, you can imagine how relieved (and dumb) I felt today when I was staring at my viola case by my desk … nice, cheap (yet good enough for me to want to play it) … who cares if I bring a viola instead of a violin? I can do as much music with it! Now why hadn’t I thought of this before …

So, I went and bought a decent case (it originally came in a black cardboard case – not very good for traveling, if you ask me) and a nice unbreakable fiber-glass bow, and now I’m all set!

One thing less from the list!

Lists!

There are so many things I need to keep into account, that I’ve decided to make a list of things to do and to buy before leaving.

“A list” has now become “lists”, plural.

The titles are as such:

• Things to organize (such as visas, immunizations, learning to drive standard …),
• Things to buy before leaving (such as toothpaste, shampoo, feminine stuff, sunscreen, bug repellent … things seemingly simple are relatively expensive down there, so I’ve been encouraged to bring my own stuff for the whole nine months …)
• Things to bring, legal (passport, visa, birth certificate …)
• Things to bring, general (3 to 4 changes of clothing, sandals, swimsuit, mosquito net)
• Classroom items (paints, markers, crayons, stickers …)

Plus the computer and the violin (and any other portable instruments … there go my tin whistles …).

Talk about lists!