Be Prepared

T - We've recently acquired a short-wave radio from a local Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV). She did her service in Ecuador (E) and loved it. She has not only helped us prepare emotionally and with our supplies, but she has also become a good friend. She had the radio in Ecuador but didn't use it, but another PCV says he uses his.

This PCV is in East Timor right now. He has been with the PC for 17 years now and worked in E. Our friend electronically introduced us and we've been writing almost daily for the past week. He was recently on the eastern side of the island in the "small community," as he put it, of Home but spent the last week in Dili, the capital. That is how we could email everyday. But he is now at his new site, an hour and a half by bus from Dili (though he did not mention where exactly).

He has informed me that I should bring both long shorts and pants. The shorts for working and the pants for more formal occasions. I also should bring t-shirts and collared shirts. He brought some rubber boots and says he uses them all of the time, especially in the rainy season as the ground gets really muddy. He did mention that the locals tend to go barefoot, a fact I was not aware of.

Bekah asked him about mold. We have a very special quilt Bekah's mom made for us to bring but we're afraid it will mold in the humidity of East Timor. He said he's had no problem with mold but sometimes things take longer to dry. I think I'll consider getting some sport shirts that dry quickly, just in case.

We've also come in contact with another person going to East Timor with PC. We've been emailing a bit and should even talk to her over the phone soon. We've heard that there are 35 PCVs in East Timor and that the new group (ours) will double it.

We also now have a Sony voice recorder. Bekah wants to be able to tape interviews that she can use towards a Masters when we get back. We also got all of the books we've ordered so far. The lastest three are anthropological books. I have just finished a book on the history of man v. mosquito called Mosquito. I know a bit more about them and the diseases they can carry now. I am now reading In Search of the Cure for Malaria to learn a bit about that. I am ready to finish and get on to the other books we have patiently waiting in line to be read. Bekah is reading the classic Airport.