Hi to all.
Nothing amazing has been happening of late. My ministry has been going really well, with a few of my studies making large strides / passing milestone positions to make the truth their own (quote unquote).
Despite that, some of us were discussing the other day how our experience thus far does not quite match up to the Yearbook experience we had envisioned. To make matters worse, there is a brother here who is like Ray Mears (sic) - taking a canoe, leaving his wife at home and going on month long preaching trips into the jungle. He returns with the most amazing stories and we spend many an hour on the side of the road being entertained by him when we bump. The stories make us all feel so uplifted, but at the same time, so cheapened! To remedy this, we have decided to embark on some trips of our own, so watch this space for some Bear Grylls-type escapades.
To satiate our excitement-hunger, today has been fun so far. Sleeping was difficult last night due to an immense downpour of rain that would not cease. I am staying at a fellow Brits' house as we have the Zone Visit today, so yesterday was the usual comedy of errors of setting up everything needed. We are having it beamed from Trinidad, so the usual chaos of organizing was compounded by a technical element seeing as no one here can use a computer.
Anyway, back on track. I was awoken by Luke (Hancock - some of you know him. Married to Laura, top bloke despite his addiction to being mean to me) asking me if I fancy adventure. My bleary eyed madness caused me to say yes.
Apparently, another English couple's house round the corner was sitting under a few feet of water. The rain had been on full pelt since the afternoon yesterday, and the lower lying areas of the town are all flooded. We rolled out of our beds, donned our macks and crocs/sandals and headed out. It was hilarious! The town was indeed flooded - to the extent that the water was up to the top of the frame of our bikes. When we stopped, it was at thigh level. The roads are banked by trenches, so navigating roads I have never seen was a tad frightening. With the rain still lashing, debris floating by (that is a euphemism: people poo in their gardens here, next to the dog, cow, chicken and goat poo. It was all floating by on it's merry way to the sea) we made our way, much to the amusement of the Guyanese poking their heads out of the balconies above.
Poor Nick and Emily. They are in Trinidad for the Zone Visit, so their place is left unattended. Inside it was a mess: a couple of feet of water, papers and photos floating by and lizards and the real risk of snakes. Not fun! We did our best to lift everything up high, including the washing machine, oven and fridge/freezer. Thankfully, the floors are concrete and not carpeted, so hopefully not too much is ruined. Though, being a wooden house and the water level rising, there is the likelihood of the walls rotting and blistering. We grabbed their clothes that were on floor level and did our best to protect what was left. Such a shame. We will keep the news until they are at the airport flying back so as not to spoil the break they deserve out in Trini.
On the return to the house, we passed by different brothers and sisters’s houses to make sure all were okay - we were like a mobile disaster unit! Crossing a bridge was interesting, as the wooden planks were not fixed, so you had to trap a floating plank with one foot whilst hauling the bike and yourself onto the next. 'twas quite funny indeed.
So, we have made it back, wet through and covered in who knows what. Bacon and eggs and American pancakes with coffee for reward (currently in New Amsterdam, which is a town so you can buy bacon and such lovely amazing things that are things of legends where we live). We have a slight respite until 2, when we need to head off to the Zone Visit site. I am interpreting today for a large part of it. Will update on the bus on the way home to Skeldon where hopefully we will find our own homes unflooded.
In other news, just to let you all know I am moving house! Where I live now is great but there is the constant pain of no water in the mornings and evenings and the lack of Internet. DC and Sarah recently left, leaving their place vacant. It is a third floor property that was originally designed as a bar! For basically the same money I get a massive outside area, an enclosed bedroom that is mosquito-proofed and a bath and shower, with hot water! Although it also suffers from a lack of water at times, their supply is much more stable and the absolute bonus is that the property enjoys all-day wifi. Hopefully this will allow me to Skype with you all at some point. Another benefit is that the other foreigners live downstairs and the missionary couple in a house on the same lot. Very excited about moving and being able to have people round now that I have more than one room. Anyway, slipped that one in... But back to the zone visit - I will do a part 2 as a separate update as I know you all hate reading too-long narratives.
X...
