week 5 (Brett)

I´m writing my version of the week first because Julie did not have enough time to write. This keyboard doesn´t allow me to capitalize some letters, so i´m sorry for you english majors if my blogs aren´t up to par for you guys. You´ll just have to deal with it. :)

My week here was not that exicting at all. On tuesday, we just went back out to the lemon tree field and began hacking away with our machetes. It´s quite tedious and boring, but it´s somehow benefitting the project, so I just go out there and do my blue collar work. Tuesday afternoon was quite interesting because the doctor wanted us to empty our gigantic fish pond that had been filled with tons of water by the rain. There was so much water in this pond and he wanted it emptied for the tractor to be able to finally complete the project. So all of us manual labor guys lined up in a single file line and began taking out the water with buckets. A bucket brigaide!! Absurd right?? Well, this went on for about 45 minutes when we realized that we were doing absolutely nothing and didn't even put a dent in the water in the pond. One of the peruvians started saying that we weren't slaves and shouldn't have to do this, so he just gave up and we all followed. I thought it was pretty funny. 

From wednesday to friday I helped a guy from town that cuts down trees and begins sawing them into pieces. We're going to cut down 15 trees and use the wood to build a church down at santa elvita, the church that i go to every week and preach at occasionally. The job definitely isn't the most exciting thing in the world. I just go out there in the jungle and basically watch him find trees, cut them down, and start sawing them into pieces. I help him move the wood around, but that's about it. It's kind of interesting watching him do this though and it's pretty amazing to see the wood making progress from scratch with a chainsaw. He's an interesting guy and we talk all the time. He's quite hard to understand though; even the Peruvians warned me how he tends to mumble and slur all of his words. We somehow manage to communicate though and ended up talking about Osama Bin Ladin one day for quite a while. The jungle is a pretty amazing place. I just stare off in to the jungle for 30 minutes at a time while he's sawing the wood. Most of the time I'm just trying to ward off the 1000 mosquitos trying to bite me the whole time. For some reason have like a 1000 following me, and the Peruvian guy has like 2 trying to bite him. I don´t understand it at all, it's not fair. I'm gonna try to video the next tree he cuts down and upload some pictures of us working out in the field when i have the chance.

I'm leaving on a dental trip this next friday 12 de febrero untill the 23 de febrero that takes us to 8 different cities in 11 days. It seems like it is going to be pretty exciting and full of amazing stories. I'm not going to release any details for my moms sake until I get back alive, but I'm sure I'll have a lot of stories from this trip. I'm supposed to just go on this trip and learn how to give lidocaine shots and pull teeth on the fly, so wish me luck. Hopefully I will have no fear and will be able to pull a lot of teeth without any problems, haha.

Hopefully I'll be able to watch the superbowl on thursday before I leave. One of the guys here is going to try to download the game tomorrow and we're gonna have a party on Thursday before the dental trip leaves. I don't really care who wins, but last time I was out of the country, I watched the Colts beat up my Bears, so...I do kind of hope to see some revenge. So no one tell me the score so I can watch it. Until I return, que tengan una buena semana.