2005-09-04 - 11:44 p.m.

August 27th, 2005

How lavish and luxurious is the pleasure of finishing a deeply involving book. How cherished the moments taken pondering which book to start next, which world to dip yourself in, what journeys to take your mind on, what places and times to explore in the mystifying calmness of solitude and silence.

It’s funny how some books instantly "grab you" making it difficult for you to spend time away from them, while others just turn you off after just a few pages and it becomes a struggle to get to the very last page.

How amazing the power of words, artfully crafted to carefully depict images and feelings, people and places, giving birth to new emotions as the pages turn.

It’s a rather cool day in Magta Lahjar, breezy and overcast. I had to move inside in the middle of the night as I felt the first drops of a night storm on my skin. Woke up to the ever-present ever-persistent flies crawling all over me, flying straight into my nostrils, as if disoriented and panicked at the thought of the upcoming heat of the day. But the morning hours promised nothing but comfortable temperatures, as I sat on my doorstep, hand-washing a couple of dresses and dishes… with the water just collected a few minutes earlier: it’s water day, yoohoo!

I can’t remember if I wrote about our water situation this hot summer season. It’s already been about five months now that running water only comes four hours every two days (as opposed to four hours each day) and so when caught without water after a particularly hot day, or after traveling, or if having guests over, I have had to resort several times to pulling water out of the neighbor’s well. Quite some arm-work I tell ya’!! Especially since the buckets need to then be carried, full, all the way back to my house after having pulled the water up the well several draws! So, on “water day” I am always much happier and at ease J ready to start the day quite productively, getting water-involving chores out of the way in time to refill the buckets a second time with the precious running water. Eh… I smile as I re-read these lines, who would have ever known, a few years ago, that I would be living this life? Eh!

So with laundry and dishes out of the way, my first bucket bath of the day taken, breakfast eaten, a local kid’s morning visit dismissed, I laid in the breezy veranda determined to finish the latest book I had set my eyes on… and did not move until it was done!

As the midday hour approaches the day is getting warmer, but yet much bearable than yesterday and I will be making myself some lunch before setting out to visit the teachers’ who are planning on opening the kindergarten this coming fall. I am expecting Jae, a fellow volunteer, to be coming through this evening… so I’ll have to get together something more substantial than usual for our dinner as I feel very honored and excited to be having a first-time guest over: it’s celebration time!

Warm wishes… actually, let me change that to “cool” wishes (much more pleasant!) to you all and hugs,

Jordy

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