• Wake up. If I don’t wake up before or by 6AM, I will be sweating profusely before I even sit to drink my AM coffee.
• Put on bug spray/mosquito repellent
• Pee
• Carry 2 solar lights to set out by my kitchen house to charge
In my kitchen house:
• Wash out two large plastic bowls, fill with water- one with soap to use to wash dishes
• Light mosquito coil
• Assess rat damage (If I have bananas, never fails that rats have eaten in to 1 or 2- these go to the chickens)
• Make fire
• Boil water, use some for coffee and put the rest in my thermos
• Drink coffee, eat breakfast crackers wit h peanut butter or whatever island food I can stomach in the morning. My mama continues to bring me a plate of food every morning even though I assure her I have food for myself.
• Brush teeth, change clothes, apply more mosquito repellant
• Refill jugs of water
• Fill the bucket of water in my shower house. I must walk to the other side of the school house when I want to get water. Despite my village being full of water, pipes and tanks are a problem. The water by the school rarely runs fast and sometimes not at all at which time I have to “sing out” (yell loadly) “Wi!! Mommy May, Wi!!” Wi= water in the local language. Most of the time that doesn’t work so I just do without or try again later. If I really need water I walk to the House Medicine where there is a working tap.
• I do laundry and all my garden work/weeding in the mornings (or sometimes weed in the evenings) before 1030 or 1100. After that it is too bloody hot.
• Between 11-1130 I wither walk to my mom and dad’s house if I’m eating there or start making my lunch if I’m eating at home.
This may not sounds like a lot but every activity is time consuming. Walking to get water. Taking breaks between most things to cool off a bit and stop sweating (which never really happens.) Often getting distracted by an impromptu project- “Gee! I need to hang some plastic bags here- better go get my hammer and nail!” Also stopping to weed a random spot in my yard. Occasionally reading or coloring some cardboard box I found.
A majority of what I do everyday is accomplished before 11AM. I’m excited to see how I manage getting everything done when school starts and I’m actually “working.” I can’t imagine going to school AND washing my clothes in the same day. ☺
