Day by Day

It seems we haven't done a whole lot since Christmas. It was a sweet way to spend it here getting to do what we did.
Since we have been here a little over six weeks, we have gotten into a pretty familiar routine, this is how it is day by day here in Linden, Guyana.
 Dave gets up around 6-6:30 and takes a shower with a gentle flow of water which helps to get a warmer temperature. I get up around 7 or 7:30 and hurry and get in the shower before the water turns off at 8.
We keep our sink full of soapy water so we can set our dishes in there to wash. Sometimes we have to wait to wash them until the water comes back on to rinse them. We do have a container of filtered water we can use if we need to get the dishes done before. We have 4 of everything. bowls, plates, spoons, forks, knives. So sometime we need to wash something when we have to use it.
I'm able to do my hair pretty well with the electricity in the bathroom. There are some places, in Curacao for instance, that doesn't allow electricity in the bathrooms.
Breakfast is usually cereal. I used to make oatmeal every morning at home and put in frozen blueberries but frozen fruit is not found here and it's not as good, to me, without so I just eat cereal.
We keep several containers of water in the bathroom so we can flush the toilets.
Our laundry is washed pretty much the same way as usual except you have to time it when the water is on right at first or it doesn't get through the cycle before the water turns off. I have to hang everything out to dry.
Every week or so I clean all the tile floors. I sweep and mop them. I am surprised by how much sand we track in daily. We have one rug, a runner really, that I have to beat outside to get it cleaned.
We get most of our produce out in the market, where there are many little wooden stands that many people sell the same things, which they grow, next to each other. It makes me wonder how they can make any money. Most stands sell pineapple, lemons, potatoes, bora (which is a long, long string bean that they use in fried rice or chowmein) watermelon, pumpkin which is like summer squash, tomatoes, onions, eggs, ginger and cassava roots, cucumbers, okra, soursop (which is a prickly fruit for juices) passion fruit, mangoes, carrots and sometimes lettuce.
They have two variety stores that are right by the church, that have other things like soap, rice, canned goods, sugar,  some cereals, flour...quite a few things really. When we go to Georgetown, they have much better grocery stores and we stock up on things we can't get in Linden, like taco shells, almond milk, salad dressings, salsa and tortilla chips. We have been pleasantly surprised at how we can get most of the things we like to eat here. We eat lots of salads and veggie/bean soups. Bean tacos, rice and beans, chowmein, baked potatoes, which I cook in a crock pot so as not to use too much gas or heat the place up, and peanut butter sandwiches.
You have to be prepared for rain at any moment. It starts without any warning, comes down hard for maybe 20 minutes and then out comes the sun again and it stops. Carrying an umbrella is always advised. This is the rainy season so maybe it won't be like this in the dry season.
Where we live in this small town with all of the houses very close together and needing to keep the windows open for breezes, we hear lots of conversations, which we can't understand very well because they speak creoles or broken English and all of their very loud music until sometimes 2 and 3 o'clock in the morning. Lot's of roosters crowing, dogs barking, birds and frogs.
We have air conditioning in our bedroom but only a couple fans and window breeze else where. It's not a huge apartment so it works pretty well. The power goes off quite often for 30 mins to a couple of hours so the temperature gets a little toasty at those times and we usually only wear what is absolutely necessary when ever we are in our apartment.
We see lots of cows, bulls, chickens, goats, sheep, dogs, donkeys and horses just meandering around the town. I asked a member if these animals are owned by anyone and he says they are but the houses don't have much yard so they just let them wonder around and get food. We saw a cow rummaging through a garbage can today.
There is virtually no order or laws to speak of. It's like how I imagine the wild wild west was back in the day. There may be double yellow lines on the road but they mean nothing. Cars will pass you on either the left or the right. Driving to Georgetown you will witness cars passing several cars at one time on double yellow lines as cars are coming towards them at 80 miles per hour in the other lane. If they don't make it in time, they expect you to slow down so they can quickly get in the right lane before they crash head on. Motorcycles have free access to anywhere they can fit. Police drive around with their lights on for unknown reasons. If you are waiting in line in a car or at a store or food counter, people will move up in front and take their place in front of you. Taxis, which there are hundreds because the average person does not own a car, will stop at any moment in the middle of the road to pick someone up that is wanting a ride. Most of the roads barely have room for one car so the oncoming traffic can be treacherous. We have stopped being surprised or alarmed at what we see and just expect the unexpected at all times. Dave has learned he needs to be a very humble driver because we play chicken every day, many times a day and they are willing to keep going so somebody has to stop.
We have no TV. We don't eat out. Occasionally, we will watch a movie that we have downloaded on Dave's laptop or something on Netfix, if the internet is strong. Rules are different for Senior Couples so we do have some little perks that the young missionaries do not.
Most all people are friendly and smile easily at you. The members are kind and generous. The scenery is lovely. They love music, singing and dancing. They seem like they are very happy and content with their lives.
So that is our day to day.
This Friday we have a YSA activity and next Monday we will get back to teaching Seminary. We have identified 9 possible sites for a church building and have given our report to President Baird. Dave did an amazing power point presentation about all the sites, where they are in relation to the current meeting place and he has way points for all the members displayed on a garmin map to show where most of the members live in relation to the proposed sites. Really, UNBELIEVABLY amazing, thorough and informative. We are hoping for one of the spots more than all the others and are excited to hear from them. This is the map. We went to each one of these dots so Dave could pin them and then get the GPS coordinates. Gathering this information took us several weeks.

One more thing. We had a combined meeting with even the primary today for the last third hour of our Sunday schedule. No more third hours! Honestly, I'm quite excited about the schedule change. Anyway, we all came back into the large meeting room where we have Sacrament meeting and the Sacrament was still there all covered on the table. It struck me as something quite sacred. When someone dies we layout their bodies and cover them with a cloth in respect for them and usually at a funeral we view them and there is a sense of reverence and love for the deceased. Here was the symbol of the Savior's dead body still in this room and I felt very touched by that moment of realization and the sacredness of it all. I love my Savior so much! I am so grateful to be able to wear His name over my heart every day! I want to have His goodness and purity take over my heart and change it forever!

These two beautiful ladies are sisters. Sunita is 16 on the left and Esha is 11. I am just so taken by their beauty and sweetness! They hug and kiss us several times, each time we meet and when we depart. Their home is right on this river.

 This is the veggie/chili that Dave makes and we eat on it for days at a time. It is very satisfying.

 We brought a mini Bosch and these silicon loaf pans with us so Dave could make his bread. He is still trying to figure out what works because of the climate, altitude and the oven has no temperature gauge.

 This is our across the street neighbor. He makes furniture for his livelihood.

 This is a row of houses just up the street a ways. You can't really tell from the picture but the colors and designs are all pretty bright. It's pretty cool to see what they do with their homes. Lots of purples, pinks and bright blues.

 If I have posted these pictures before, just enjoy them. 

There are lots of unique flowers we don't see in Utah.

 Isn't this so cool! 

 This is another one that is so unique! These are palm size flowers. I guess that doesn't tell you much....it depends on who's palm you are referring to. Think large-ish palm size.

 These are the tiny frogs that make the noise we hear all the time. It sounds like a bird but it's like a two note whistle. I'll have to ask Dave what notes they are since he can figure that out by sound.

 Luckily, my engineer husband thought to pack a temperature gauge in our luggage. This is how we know what temperature to bake a cake, cookies, or bread etc. (all of which Dave makes...)

 Finally, a beautiful Sunset for your viewing pleasure, lest we forget in the daily grind 

the wonder and beauty that surrounds us.