Repairs continue

Yesterday the leechfield nearly got finished for the house. We've been using the toilet despite the septic system being incomplete. Things were getting a bit smelly, but better now! And the water tanks got hooked up to the pump so we can wash dishes in the sink now--things that make a BIG difference. Next tasks: finish painting the house (living room and bedrooms), create a "garage" on the side of the house for the motorcycle so we don't have to park inside the house at night, and figure out a better water source (currently smells like sulfur and is cloudy/brownish). Oh, and put plywood up over one wall in my bedroom so I don't have to look at the rotting wood.

Settling In

So I moved on Tuesday! Loving the new village so far--quiet, friendly, not overwhelming. Yesterday we painted the living room and treated the kitchen wood (with diesel, dirty motor oil, and poison), so we need to stay away for 2 days while it dries. What a makeover! We ran out of paint before we had quite finished the first coat of paint on the living room, but it made an unbelievable difference. There will definitely be at least another paint day to come--bedrooms have not been done yet either. Quickly feeling at home. Still awaiting completion of our septic system--leech field not finished yet but we started using the bathroom anyway. LUXURY to have an indoor potty!!!!!!! Wildly excited about that. My old pee bucket of 2.4 years got retired yesterday to use for the poison paint mixture. Goodbye pee bucket! And good riddance. :)

What a way to launch the day

The safest place to be is in the center of God's will"
(Betsie ten Boom)

At 5:15 a.m. I was nearly thrown from my bed by a quake that lasted around a minute and gained strength over it's duration. The movement was jerky and sloppy, not like others I've felt here. I stayed in bed at first, thinking I would wait it out, but when the whole cabin started creaking and thrashing about, I tried to find my way out of my mosquito net. Once outside, the shaking finally subsided, and I heard my team leader calling role. Once all were accounted for, he shouted, "Get in the truck!" We fumbled around in the dark to grab a few belongings and clothing for the public. I could NOT find my pants, then could NOT find my shoes. Anyway, we managed to pile into the truck and head for the nearest hill (safety in case of tsunami). The whole village was out in the streets. After climbing up the hill in the dark and waiting in the dark, we decided at 6 am that it was safe to return home.

I wonder if our house in our new village is still standing--good test for quality! Our plan was to go tomorrow and dig holes for the septic system, but maybe we'll make an extra trip out today. Here at camp the heavy kitchen counter was overturned and food also fell out of the refrigerator, which was the extent of the damage. Oh yeah, and we'll need to fix our team leader's window... His wife was out of the house before he realized what was going on, and when he heard her voice outside he dove through the bedroom window--right through the screen. :)