Last week Sunday was a very sad day for me. My roommate Neasa and her husband Mike left us after having been here for nearly five weeks. I’ve missed them! I spent most of Sunday sleeping in the Nipa hut (insert pic of Nipa hut) and just being a little miserable because I had so grown used to having both of them around. Neasa was a great roommate to have too –we shared a bit of the same freakiness for cleanliness & hygiene (which by no means is at all freaky here at the base since the overall level of hygiene in this place is abysmally bad), shared a few brief bitching and moaning sessions 9out of which one got actually even noted down in writing since we felt the list was so long there surely must be something we volunteers can also do about) – and of course all those dives, surveys and moments on the boat waiting for the other survey team to finish. I think throwing lifevests into the sea and converting them into horses for a race from one end of the boat to the other ranks quite high on my list of silly things done with Neasa. She also was a master of practrical jokes that always got blamed on other people - since everyone thought Neasa would be too nice and proper to pull such nasty jokes on others. Like the additional 2 kilos in Gareth’s BCD pocket – not to mention those underpants with a cock on the front of them that found their way in his other BCD pocket. Or painting Jon’s pointer – or “bumstick” as it’s known here as he uses it equally for poking innocent people in the bum as pointing out things – pink with white and baby blue dots. We also pained Jon’s emergency whistle pink and even decorated it adequately with marine life. Even Gareth the Frogfish made it on Jon’s whistle. Anyone, would you like blow Jon’s pink whistle? ;)
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| Roomies! |
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| Trusty Rusty has had a new cover of (pink) paint and gets handed over to Gareth. handover ceremony was short but touching. |
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| Jon's "pink whistle" |
I’ve also declared a war on the mice – rather unsuccessfully though. At the moment the mouse is winning about 6-0. A few days before Mike and Neasa left I woke up one night having a mouse running over my face and my shoulder. A mouse in my bed. Charming. It had somehow gotten under my mosquito net. I jumped up rather fast and nearly screamed – but in the end did not because I felt embarrassed to wake up my roommates just because of one silly mouse. It took me a good while to chase the mouse off me and out of my bed. I’ve concluded that I must obviously look like a granola bar since the mouse is so keen on my company (so far the most popular item that has been eaten in the rooms by mice has been granola bars).
Also Nigel and Gareth got woken up by a mouse in their bed the night after that happened. There’s no food in the rooms that is not kept in an airtight box – hence we were not really expecting a visit from the mouse. But they are everywhere, running up and down the bedposts almost every night. I asked if we could have mouse traps but it seem they only have glue traps at this part of the Philippines. I find the glue traps a little disgusting so I decided not to get any. Gareth bought some and so far has caught at least 4 mice in his room. Not bad. Maybe I should do the same. They do spread illnesses – and I really don’t need another one to share my bed with. Thanks - but no thanks. Death for the mice!
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| They are cute - but only as long as they are not in my bed. |
Dan and Nat arrived in the November arrivals group – Nat with dive trainees and Dan with qualified divers. Our plan with them was to start a fitness programme – which yet to date needs to be started although Dan’s already been here over a week. We’ve taken turns on being sick, having to prioritise Science Development Programme and Nat’s Advanced Open Water course. Yet. There’s been one item that has been superb (that great that I’ve even decided to forgive Jon for making me give the lilo to the evil children - Or as Jon likes to put it, giving the lilo that was not even mine to Tata’s sweet little children ). The superb item is the slack line. The awesome slack line. It’s better than a tight rope – but technically it’s the same. It’s a line in between two trees or poles that you first attempt to stand on, then try to walk on. Eventually you’re supposed to be able to do awesome tricks and throw amazing flips on it. That is, if you did not break your neck before getting there. So far we’re still just at the stage of trying to learn to walk on it, and then extend the length of it. But it’s absolutely fantastic. I’m loving every moment on that rope. I’m even loving every fall off it. It’s worth the few seconds of balance I’ve managed on it :)
A couple of days ago I caught a mystery virus that seems to have been going around at the base. Not that many people have had it though, just Nat, me, Gareth and Tracey. Fever and a stomach bug. Lovely. Not. Spent 2 days in bed feeling sorry for myself. Well, I actually spent that time in bed sleeping off the virus. AND feeling sorry for myself. Haha.
Tomorrow is Saturday and Saturdays are for fun dives! Hooray! We might do some pointy dives for the Science Development Programme in the morning, then going over to Phil&Ron’s scuba resort over on the other side of Sogod Bay. In the evening it will be party – and the last Saturday for Gareth and Jon. I shall miss them a LOT when they leave. I think everyone here will miss them. I don’t think I’ve managed to keep a serious face in their company for longer than minute. Bloody nutters.
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| Gareth torturing an innocent child at Napantao school where we went one afternoon to do the "Fred the Fish" coral reef protection story for kids |
