Any ways, I thought to re-activate my blog, I’d write this gigantic epic post of grandeur, but I don’t really have that in me right now. I’ll make an effort to update little bits and pieces along the way. I basically sit down to write this thing (in theory) during the spare moments of freedom before going to sleep. But lately, I’ve been occupying those spare moments with other pursuits. These “other pursuits” really belong to the category “Shit I do when not working/stressing/planning/freaking out on my project”. The night-time activities include these:
1) Reading from the decently sized dorm library. Most of these books are trashy romance novels and equally trashy (and pulpy) science fiction. I’ve found a few gems amongst them, but mostly it’s been a practice of picking up something and reading just a few chapters. Everything gets a little repetitive after the fifth rendition of downtrodden youth/rebellious girl/mid-life crisis man has to solve a mystery/master glorious magic/save a planet while gaining his/her childhood love/outgrowing it.
2) Playing my ukulele. I’m slowly starting to get better at it. Or at least, I’m starting to develop some modest level of muscle memory in my fingers. As most of you know, I have lessons every Monday with the guy who actually made the instruments. My poor, poor violin. I’ve barely touched it since my laptop broke. Oh well. If I’m getting better at one instrument, at least the sense of muscle memory and ear training will help with the other(s). It’s just a matter of an inconvenient amount of luggage. Luckily my uke fits in my backpack (and is built like a rock), the violin as my carry on, and the useless hunk of plastic that used to be my laptop can be chucked into checked luggage.
3) Recently, drawing tattoo designs for people on Something Awful. This is fun because it is a relatively small time commitment and it keeps my drawing skills challenged by asking me to draw things I would have never thought of, like a lobster in a box. I’m going to try to set up a paypal account for money, which admittedly I’ve never done before.
Those are the night time activities that I do in my spare time. I tend to putz around at night doing these, unless I have some sort of written assignment due or there’s a movie to watch or stargazing (on the dock!). I do most of my work during the early morning and afternoon, but even then I have daytime distractions. Oddly, these distractions sometimes give this place the air of a summer camp. What probably helps this notion is that there truly is not much to do here but physical or artistic activities. This isn’t really like an EAP program in any sense- I’m not stationed in Paris or Berlin with everything that a city could offer me. Or even in a small rural town. I’m on a station that’s on the water with the nearest commercial businesses a twenty minute walk away (not counting the juice factory five minutes away where one can sample rum). Any souvenir stores, other touristy stuff, is even farther away. These times are all estimates for walking, in which case you have to have a buddy. There are cars that you have to be 23 AND know how to drive manual to have access to. Two people out of 22 have this ability. That’s exactly the reason why there hasn’t been many “going out on the town” entries in this blog. There really aren’t any such events, unless the GSI’s and professors help out and plan it.
By no means am I bored. Like I said, this place is like summer camp not just in the sense of its remoteness but in how fun the shit we have to do can be. Like
1) Jumping off the dock! This has turned into a daily thing, rain or shine. We’ve started doing some crazy maneuvers (high fiving off, leap frogging, back flips, dives, etc). I was worried at first, the water is a little shallow and coral cuts and stings pretty nastily. Got over it after the first few jumps, really like it now. Today I overextended my foot and a little scraped on some coral. Now that I’ve actually (slightly) injured myself, I’m even less anxious about it.
2) Rowing lessons! In outrigger canoes, with the team that organizes through the Atiti’a center (the cultural community center that was built by the Gump station in coordination with the island). This is pretty recent, but awesome as all hell. (Pic). That’s an outrigger canoe, with me in the middle. We’re going to start doing this four days a week, training with the coach.
3) Dancing lessons. Tried this for two lessons and then quit. I thought it would be a nice alternative to other forms of exercise, but I’m just no good at it. Like literally, I can’t control my hips. Every one else seems to understand the movement of it but me and the teacher tried to explain it to me twice! I think my body is dyslexic. The other girls like it, a lot. But honestly, I find the separation of the sexes and the sort of submissive female stuff kind of nauseating/ridiculous. Sexy dancing is cool, especially ones with overtones of conflict (tango!) but I kind of can’t stop laughing when I see the male sex dance. It’s pretty epic and in a not-entirely-good way.
4) Ukulele lessons. Two hours for a group, one hour if it’s just me. We pay for these, but it comes out to something ridiculous- like 8 dollars a lesson. Really helps to sort of find a space where I force myself to practice. The teacher is generally good too, though the language barrier kind of blows sometimes. I’m learning to listen to notes though, which is something. And he’s showing me how to make Ukuleles (I’m going to his shop tomorrow to see how he puts the fret wire and tuners in), which is good considering I want to make one when I get back.
5) Tapa making. Talked about this before. It’s basically the art of harvesting and beating the inner bark of the breadfruit tree until it resembles something like cloth. Then you glue it together and dye/bleach it. Then you make art on it! This is all still in process, but hopefully a few of you will be receiving some Tapa art.
6) Wood carving. Picked up a hunk of junk wood and a set of carving chisels from the hardware store. Pretty self explanatory, that.
7) Snorkeling. Yeah. I live twenty feet from the water. I’ve seen all sorts of fish and invertebrates (sea cucumbers as big as my arm!), sting rays, sharks, and dolphins.
This list will grow, I’m sure. I’ve got three more weeks here and I intend to get my share of fun activities. Things I can’t do any where else. I can’t believe how fast time flies here.
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