museyroom

Hike Odyssey

We started off late, after a pretty hearty breakfast of hash browns, scrambled eggs w/ squash and onions, and some pancakes which were lifted up with the help of a brown sugar/coffee syrup. We passed the mulberry grove, but alas the season ended months ago. Our hike was to be around 16kms, a pleasant stroll through cedar forests with views of the valley below.

Episode 1 - Dogs From Hell

We were stopped at various points during the initial part of our walk, with the warning of man eating beasts awaiting us on the road ahead. Luckily the owner of said beasts was at home, and managed to keep them at bay. We passed forward.

Episode 2 - False Summit

After passing through our first trial, we started ascending what we believed would lead us to the main ridge we needed to reach to get to our destination. The walk was steep, but manageable and we were soon at the top. We looked out though, and saw in the horizon the ridge we had missed. We had climbed a hill, and had to descend again to climb what we were supposed to.

Episode 3 - Rocky P(l)ain

The descent was pleasant, and from the valley we could see exactly where we needed to be. What looked to be tilled earth in the valley, though, turned out to be a vast field of jagged rocks, with not an inch of flat land to save our feet. We crossed the plain - praying that the tree-line would save our feet.

Episode 4, 5, and 6 - Shrubs from Hell

We climbed the ridge, and found some amusing looking shrubs. Took some photos (not realizing what the future would hold) and continued on. We soon realized though, that the shrubs were not going anywhere, and there was little to no space between them - making it impossible to walk comfortably. I resorted to just walking on top of them (about a foot high, kind of like a juniper bush) and they continued for the last 6 kilometers of our journey. Absolutely terrible.

Episode 7 - Home

Finally made it to our destination, where cookies, Settlers of Catan (unexpectedly fun board game), and general merriment made it all worthwhile.

Side Effects

So I have taken up, or tried to, knitting. I’m not as of yet any good, nor do I expect to be (I’m interested enough to learn, not interested enough to pursue) but it is a good distraction from the very bizarre happenings going around in my body due to large dosages of harsh medicine, and the agonizing wait to find out where I will be moving to. One possible positive outcome from all this, a misshapen purple scarf.

Untethered

Some of you may be aware of my ongoing health problems in site. So after about 6 months, I will be moving on. From what I gather further down south, into a completely different culture and climate from where I now live. It should be exciting in some sense, and it is, but it is also another challenge to overcome. I’ll have only a year and half to get some work done, and have to re-integrate myself in a new community. There are no guarantees that I will be in a situation (work-wise) as good as I have now, and I think it would be pretty difficult for this to happen.

On the other hand I will be coming in with significantly better language and some good experience on how to set up and manage a project (hitting the ground running, if you will). Oh and there is the small step of leaving the community that I have started working in, one which I think understands now what I am capable of and is willing to help me help themselves. I want to leave for my health’s sake, but I think I may be forsaking some meaningful work here.

So here I am, in my apartment with a month until I move somewhere. I don’t know exactly where, don’t know exactly when, and I don’t know what exactly to tell the folks I live and work with. It is not a long period of time by any means, but every day that goes by I feel like I’m a little less certain of where life will take me. Maybe that is a good thing.