Please don't tell me its raining! please oh please oh please. I need snow. I'll die without it. I really will.
So fam, how are you? y'all seem to be chuggin along. Dad thanks for the email. You always have such cool things to share, it makes it seem like home life is so exciting. Is that the case? Because right now I am starting to get the feeling that it isn't going to be.
Weather update: it was been a torrential downpour here in Miri for the past five days. I have never seen so much rain in my life. And it hasn't stopped, not once. I think monsoon season is here.... Everything is flooded, everything. The other day we were biking on roads where the water was high enough to cover half our bike tires. With every pedal stroke our feet plunged into the water, disappearing to about mid calf. It was kind of like riding a paddle boat, kinda cool. But also very nasty because, like I have mentioned before, many of the houses sit over the river on stilts, their toilets (holes in the floor) dump into the river, the river rises and covers the streets, the river looks like Willy Wonka's river of chocolate but smells of death, and we wade through it. Oh so sick. I keep expecting to see floaties but then I think to myself, I don't think Sarawakians know what it's like to have a solid stool... I sure forgot what's its like.... There is definately something in the water. I probably shouldn't have written that. Too much info?
For those who don't have houses on high enough stilts, their houses are flooded. Poor Sister Tungalim and Brother Essau have about six inches of water sitting in their house. Luckily they have a little up stairs where they sleep. They only have benches so when we go visit them there are still places to sit, just our feet are in the water. The mosquitos are insane. The funniest thing is that I realized their wooden planks for flooring aren't nailed down. I never knew til now. Since the river has come in most of the planks started rising with the water level. You step inside, the floor sinks, you take another step and the floor you last stepped on rises again. So interesting. They have a great attitude. We waded up to their house and they were all excited to see us, they brought out the candles and made us hot chocolate. Then they had us take pictures of them standing in their flooded living room, laughing and sporting the peace sign, just so they could remember. No attempts can be made to clean up the house until the river goes down....and since the rain has yet to stop, who knows when that will be. The locals say back in the day it never would flood but ever since they started cutting down the rain forest for palm oil plantations the rivers have been filling up with sediment or dirt run off, result: flooding.
It's all making it quite difficult to get people to church or go anywhere. On top of their deathly fear of rain, we have rivers as roads. They have water attacking them from the ground and the sky. It all makes life kind of exciting though.
Seriously so much rain.
It's kind of embarrassing when we show up to people's houses totally soaked. They probably think we're crazy. Actually there is no question they think we are crazy. Here, if it is raining everyone is sick. Once the clouds open the sickness comes. I personally think it is all mental but what do I know. When we go to homes all wet they always tell us we are going to get sick and die. I always reply back that white people don't get sick, ever. haha sometimes they believe me, most of the time they laugh and say "you lie" or something. But then I always go on to say, "no really, when it rains I don't get sick, ever" It's totally mental. That or the fact that white people pop pills like it's their day job. Here, when people have a headache or stomach ache they are out for the week. In our culture you down a pill, drink some nasty syrup or something and you're off again no time to rest. I think that's a main reason for my frustrations here. When people say they are sick and cannot do anything, can't leave the house for anything I think to myself, "soooo what about that?" Everyone is sick, deal with it. I have no empathy, that's something I need to work on.
Right now I am at the Senior sister's apartment using their computer. Sister Wong went to Singapore for a chop. I'm alllllllll alooooonnnnee wahahaha. jk. As sister wong was getting out of the car at the airport this morning she said to Sister Lowe, "let me know how much I owe you for babysitting when I get back" I need a babysitter; it's kind of rediculous when you think about it.
Mission tour was great. Elder Pratt and his wife were wonderful. We got trained a lot on qualifying for the spirit. There is so much to do just to get the Spirit it's amazing to me we EVER have it. But somehow, we do something right and it comes every once in a while. They also got after us about building the kingdom, instead of just baptizing. We just have to be better, better teachers, better examples, better spiritual guides, better explainers, better committers, it's a little daunting.
Love you guys like always. you're in my prayers. be good
sister viehweg
No comments:
Post a Comment