I'm Dreaming of a White (Sand Beach) Christmas

Being the hottest part of the year here, Christmas didn’t really feel like Christmas. Where was the hot chocolate? The ugly Christmas sweaters? The evergreen trees next to the roaring fire? Where was the constant Christmas music blaring out of every store and on every radio station? How could it be Christmas when I lie in bed every night trying very hard not to let any part of my body touch any other part of my body because it’s just so darn hot?

Bonus post: meet my Vanuatu family, Christmas Style!

Kathleen gave me a Santa hat, so of course I had to get pictures of everyone on my family wearing it. My other post was getting to be too long, so enjoy the bonus post!

 

My mom, Suzanne, and dad, Kevin 

PAD Part 20 (Sort of...)

In preparation for a different blog post, I gave my host brother my camera for a little over a week. This obviously made taking a photo each day more difficult, so I came up with an alternate plan. I followed my normal morning route to work, taking photos along the way. I thought it might be a fun way to show a little bit more concrete snapshot of my daily life. Enjoy!

One Saturday Afternoon

I stood in the back of my host dads truck with my eyes shut, reveling in the sharp pricks of rain as they hit my face.

PAD Part 19

Goats!

One Digicel Day

In Vanuatu, there are two cell phone service providers: TVL and Digicel. Peace Corps graciously provided us with sim cards for each, and put us on a calling circle so we can reach other PCVs for free.
Sometimes Digicel doesn't work, sometimes TVLs out, so it's good to have both options.
Overall, the service is good, the connection is decent, and it's not too expensive...
Then, there are the texts. Every day. Many times. SO MANY. I keep thinking I have friends, and then...Digicel again!
To give you all a small taste of the daily life of a Digicel customer, I compiled all of the texts I received yesterday, November 30.

PAD Part 18

Peeling a pamplemousse (grapefruit). I was pretty proud at getting the skin off in one piece.

Attempts at word pictures

A strange whirring sound in the kitchen prompted me to investigate. Was it a fan? A small generator? But no, it was my dad, mixing a batch of bread with a Vanuatu-style electric mixer: a power drill with a mixing attachment as the drill bit.

PAD Part 17

Back in Vanuatu! Vacation is fun, but it's good to be home.

Story time!

Thomas (my government-mandated best friend, AKA the volunteer that lives closest to me) and I both decided that we wanted to improve our creative writing while in Peace Corps. We exchange prompts with each other on a semi-weekly basis, and share and critique our work when it's finished. It's been a lot of fun as a project, and an interesting way to keep the creative part of our brains humming!

While one prompt every couple of weeks is good, you know what's better? More prompts! I'm putting this here as an open invitation to any and all friends I have out there that like writing, think this is a fun project, and would like to have a writing partner that's halfway around the world!

Even if you have no interest in joining me in this endeavor, I hope you enjoy my most recent story! This is in response to the prompt: "Everyone talks in speech bubbles/thought bubbles. There are no private thoughts." All the prompts must be less than 160 characters, and the stories, less than 1000 words.

PAD Part 16

Sunset over Wellington, as seen from Mount Victoria

PAD Part 15

Spent much of this day updating two computers from Windows XP to Windows 7, and making sure everything was re-setup as per government requirements

Kava: That Most Magical Drink

My friend Jay's nakamal (kava bar)

Standing in the shadowy outskirts of the nakamal, facing the sea, I sniff quickly and hold my breath. Slowly bringing the cup held in my right hand to my lips, I tilt it backwards and drink, taking long gulping draughts. I feel my throat tighten and relax, as it does every time I take a shell of kava. On its tightening, I wonder if this will be the shell that makes me traut (throw up), but when it relaxes, I know the danger has passed. When the cup is empty, I drop my hand and shake it, just slightly, to dislodge any last dregs that remain. The aftertaste is strong, earthy, and a little spicy; it feels as though I just drank some peppery, muddy water. With practiced ease, I spit on the ground, expelling as much excess saliva as I can to get rid of the taste. My lips and tongue tingle a little bit as I go replace my shell on the counter, to be rinsed and reused by the next customer.

PAD Part 14

About 150 cows were loaded up on the ship in Santo, and ferried 7 hours to Ambae. They were not super excited about the boat ride, and some pushing happened. (Video here)

You speak what language?

One common question I got asked before coming to Vanuatu was, "What language do they speak there?" Vanuatu has three official languages: French, English, and Bislama, a pidgin language with basis in French, English, and various local languages. Once you get outside the official languages however, the people of Vanuatu speak over 100 languages across the roughly 65 inhabited islands, making it the most linguistically diverse country in the world.

PAD Part 13

Spent this day crawling around in the rafters of buildings rewiring ethernet cables in some of the offices

Fatfat

One of the cultural differences in Vanuatu that I don't think I'm going to be able to get used to is the lack of body consciousness, or at least the lack of stigma in talking about it. Let me play out a scene for you:

Hands clasped on top of my head, elbows splayed to the outside, I breathe heavily. I've just finished a sprint workout on the soccer field near my house, and look over with a smile at two friends as they walk by.
"Yu stap ronron fram se yu fatfat bitim before?" ("You're running because you've been getting fatter?") Surprised, and rather taken back by the comment, with a smile that's now a little forced, I get defensive.
"No, mi stap ron fram se bae mi plei lo wan tournament." ("No, I'm running because I'm getting in shape for a tournament.")
"Ah, mi ting se bae yu mas ronron lo moning tu so bae bel blo yu i go daon." ("Oh, well, you should probably go running in the mornings too, so you get skinnier.") Keeping on the fake smile, I joke with them about how I don't like waking up that early in the morning.

In Vanuatu, if people can joke with you about your weight, it means they feel comfortable around you. Calling people fat here is not a bad thing. There's none of the inherent fat-shaming that exists in the US; just good natured ribbing among friends. While I intellectually understand that this shows I'm integrating well into my community, I still cringe a little every time. Just one of those American things that are hard to let go of, eh?

Typing Class

One of my typing classes, in action

Standing over him, I could see his hands shaking as they hovered over the keys.

“Mek sua se ol finga blo yu oli tachem ol stret ki blem. Spos no, bae yu lusum stret ples blem.”

PAD Part 12

Oh look! A tiny crab! In my sink! I think I may have accidentally drowned him...

Mared blo Godwin

The three couples, getting ready to say their vows. The groom we came with, Godwin, is in the middle.

Setting off down the road, I was excited. I was on my way to my first Vanuatu mared (wedding)! Sitting in the back of the Provincial truck, holding on to the sides, with the groom (the handyman at my work, Godwin) sitting next to me, there was a definite air of excitement. It was a beautiful morning, the sun was out, Maewo and Pentecost clear and gorgeous on the horizon…it was going to be a good day.

PAD Part 11

Look at that puskat sleeping so happily on the roof

Running Faol and Shooting Pijins

Walking up to my family’s bush kitchen, I heard the familiar question: “Yu sik smol?” One thing my host family and I are still working on is learning that I like having time to myself in my house: to read, watch movies, listen to music…and it doesn’t mean that I’m sick or don’t want to spend time with them. Alone time is not much of a concept here, but it’s something I insist on doing, for the sake of my sanity. “No, mi jas bin rid smol lo haos blo mi” (No, I was just reading in my house).

PAD Part 10

The sunset at Lombaha just before I headed up the hill to Weinasasa with Kathleen

PAD Part 9

These hermit crabs were gathered to use for fishing. You smash the shells and pull the crab out, then remove this weird fleshy part to put on the hook.

PAD Part 8

Market day! Mandarins, grapefruit, taro, coconuts, island cabbage, lap lap...it was a good day.

Cell service

Check the phone. EMERGENCY. No Digicel today, I guess. Gotta call them, gotta pass on the message. Check the phone. EMERGENCY. Maybe try a text? Type it out. Press send. Sim 2. Digicel. Wait. Wait. Wait. Message not sent, saved to outbox. Darn it.  Put down phone. Read the book. Check the phone. EMERGENCY. Gotta pass on the message. Go to outbox. Press send. Sim 1. TVL. Message sent, saved in sent messages. That’s one way. Put down phone. Read book. Check the phone. Digicel. Signal! Try a call. Wait. Wait. Wait. Call cannot connect. Grumble. Put down phone. Read book. Check the phone. Digicel, and a bar! Try a call. Wait. Wait. Call forwarding on! Straight to voicemail. Darn. Try a different number. Wait. Wait. Call forwarding on! Straight to voicemail. Give up. Put down phone. Read book. Worry. Read book. Worry. Check phone. EMERGENCY. Put down phone. Read book. Worry. Repeat. Look up. Friends! No call needed.

The World Cup

When reading books or watching TV, I often find myself transported to another world, another idea, another reality. Watching the finals of the Womens World Cup today, I forgot for a little while, that I was in Vanuatu. But then I’d look out the concrete door frame and see my family’s bush kitchen, the extra tin propped up against the side to keep out the wind; see the chickens pecking away, unfettered, in the grass; hear the laughter and conversations of the women by the fire. And back to the TV, back to my nostalgia of a game not played in far too long. But then I’d listen to the announcers on TV, commenting on the game in French, and after a disorienting moment, I’d be thinking in French. Thinking of my classes at Carleton; thinking of watching Tim Rake act out a scene for us; thinking of our 8^th grade trip to France, and my host family there. And back to the TV, back to the newfound sense of patriotism I feel now that I live so far away. But then Tony would say “Be Japan bae i win! US emi no tuf. Japan emi nambawan.” And my head would spin for a second, attempting to reorient myself to Bislama, before uttering some underwhelming retort. The constant spinning, jarring, reorientation to my surroundings. The forgetting, the remembering, the thoughts of home, the thoughts of friends and places I wouldn’t see for so long, and the reminders of the place that is my home for this time…for me, the World Cup today was more than just a soccer game. It really was a world-wide experience.

PAD Part 7

The 200m or so paved stretch of road in Saratamata; the only paved road on Ambae.

PAD Part 6 (And I have a tattoo!)

The program from the Globe to Globe production of Hamlet (I went diving with the guy on the left)

PAD Part 5

I've spent the last two weeks in Vila, and while that means better internet, it also means I have less reason to spend time on it. Between trainings, hanging out with people, and getting scuba certified, I've been spending most of my time unplugged.

Here are my daily photos for the last few weeks!

The bank in Saratamata

Globe to Globe

I just got back from seeing a production of Hamlet. Put on by actors from the Globe theatre. In Vanuatu. What???

The Globe theater has this program called Globe to Globe Hamlet (http://globetoglobe.shakespearesglobe.com/), that, over the course of two years, is performing Hamlet in every country in the world. Every single one. Vanuatu was their 110^th country, in the course of about 13 months.

Cole, Avery and I were finishing our dive certification this morning, and we got to talking with one of the other guys on the dive with us. Turns out he is touring with them, and plays Hamlet. While he wasn’t performing tonight, he gave us the details of the show, and even made sure that we could get tickets.
I very much felt transported away from Vanuatu (except for the kava joke), and felt reminiscent of being at the Shakespeare festival in Ashland. I definitely never expected to watch Hamlet in Vanuatu, much less as performed by actors from the Globe! Man, I love this job.

PAD Part 4

This is Jay. He's pretty cool. He likes to ask my questions. All the time.

We were on top of the world, and it was…foggy

Look! It's the lovely view of the two lakes on top of Manaro

PAD Part 3 and Life Update

I've been at site for almost a month now, and am settling in to some sort of routine. I wake up early, read for a bit, then head to work at about 8. Assuming power and internet are both on (which happens about half the time), I spend my time at work alternating between reading, watching movies, browsing the internet, talking with co-workers, and very occasionally fixing a computer. If the internet's not on, same thing, but remove all the computer-related activities. If the power's not on (3 days in a row is the record, due to lack of fuel to run the generator), same thing, bur remove the office setting and replace it with my hammock and a book. As in, if the power's not on, no one comes to work, so neither do I. Luckily, since the 6-day weekend we got, power's been fairly consistent, so work has been as well.

Photo a day (PAD): Part 2

Almost three weeks in! I'm settling into a bit of a groove, and am starting to get to know people around town.

Some Peace Corps visitors hangin' my porch

The Story of Stuff

    This is a story all about how my stuff got flipped, turned upside down...but for real, it's been an adventure getting everything to Ambae!

Saratamata (Photo a Day Project Part 1)

I've now been at site for almost two weeks, and things are going well. I've got an awesome house, a great host family, and the job...well, I'm still figuring that one out. I show up at work every day, but am still not quite sure what my role will be over my time here.
I'm hoping to take a picture every day while I'm here, and I figure that posting these photos to my blog will help to keep my honest in keeping up with my project. I started taking the pictures the day I got to Ambae as an official volunteer, mostly because I didn't think of it until a couple of days after swearing in...
Anyways, here's the first in a series of what will be many photos of my life on Ambae:

A Twin Otter plane. It seats roughly 20 people, and is mostly what we take to get to Ambae

Officially a volunteer!

G27 just after swearing in

Almost there!

Pre-cyclone, the plan was to swear in on April 2nd and head out to site shortly thereafter. With our hiatus in Sydney, however, we had to make up the training that we missed and our swearing in ceremony was pushed back to the 16th, aka the day after tomorrow!
As much as I love my fellow trainees, it's definitely high time to get this adventure started for real.
The big news from the past couple weeks is that all the people that had to switch sites because for cyclone-related reasons found out about their new sites, and while I lost two island mates (Sean and Lindsey), I gained three new ones (Thomas, Avery, and Kathleen).
Let's get this thing started for real! So close!

We're back!

It feels good. It really does.

The last couple of weeks have been really weird, with a lot of really good moments, and a lot of hard ones too. Sydney's a cool city, and having all of the Peace Corps Volunteers, Trainees, Extendees, and Response in one place was pretty awesome. It was difficult not knowing for so long what was happening in Vanuatu; whether staff, communities and families were alright. Not knowing where we were going or when we would leave...only having been in Vanuatu for such a short time made it simultaneously easier and harder. I felt like I'd been here long enough to get attached, but not long enough to deserve feeling the same as the other volunteers who had been there much longer and have much deeper ties here. I'm amazed at how quickly this place and these people have captured my heart. I know that my service here will be different because of Cyclone Pam, but I'm so glad to have the chance to be back, and to see what I can do.

While my island Ambae seems relatively unchanged as far as the scenery goes, you have to understand that in a country of 250,000 people, everyone is affected in a huge way. Everyone has family, or knows someone that lives in one of the more affected areas. It's going to take a long time to recover from this.

As far as our trip back goes, we trainees were flown to Vila, then put directly on a flight to Santo (one of the least affected islands), to finish our training. It was jarring flying back into Port Vila, to see a previously lush, green, landscape, turned brown. Here's a photo I took during my first week here:

And one Keith took from almost the same spot, post-cyclone:

Going back?

After a week full of more emotions than I thought possible, we found out this morning that the plan is to send us back to Vanuatu. This is a tentative plan, and as site evaluations continue it is still possible that they decide not to send us back, but this is by far the most promising news we've heard yet.
I'm really excited to head back to Vanuatu and continue my service with Peace Corps, but it's also a possibility I face with a lot of trepidation. I don't yet know if I'll be going back to my site on Ambae, or what my job will look like when I head back. It's hard to know without being on the ground how I and the rest of the volunteers will react to the new reality of life in Vanuatu. That being said, they won't send us back if a certain standard cannot be met.
Suffice it to say, I can't wait to go back and get my hands dirty, but I'm also trying to be aware of the potentiality for how different it could be.
I'll keep you updated as we know more! We should be here in Sydney for about another week, when the trainees and I will fly back to Vanuautu and head to Luganville, to finish our training and swear in, assuming all goes as planned. Here's hoping!

Post Cyclone News

It's been quite a week. Finding out about a potential cat 5 cyclone headed our way and that all current volunteers had already been evacuated to Vila. Being evacuated to the capital ourselves on Tuesday. Watching the path projections only to see the storm moving closer and closer to Vanuatu. Being told we were evacuating, and packing and loading onto buses only to be told the DOD had not approved our evacuation on the military planes. Being told again the next day that we were actually evacuating to Sydney. Playing the tourist in Sydney for the last few days, while simultaneously watching Cyclone Pam making landfall in the capital and the southern islands, and reading all the news stories about what's been going on in the country we so recently left.
Suffice it to say that it's been a little hard to process.
At the moment, we don't know what happens next, how long we'll be in Australia, where we're going when we leave, what we'll be doing when we get to wherever we end up...it's hard to not know. It's hard to not know what's going on in the country I so recently left, and so recently got to know.
All that being said, we're all looking for ways to help, regardless of whether we go back or we go home to the US. I'm going to make a shameless plug here for a few organizations that are currently taking donations to help provide relief in Vanuatu:

• UNICEF’s Cyclone Pam relief fund: UNICEF works to ensure that communities have the knowledge and resources necessary to provide for the needs of their children.
• CARE Australia’s Cyclone Pam relief fund: CARE works in communities across Vanuatu, preparing the people to face disasters such as this, and gives them the skills they need to respond and rebuild.
• OXFAM’s Cyclone Pam relief fund: OXFAM works to help governments, businesses, and communities be as prepared and strong as possible. They assist organizations in working together to build a stronger future.
• RED CROSS’s Cyclone Pam relief fund: The Red Cross focuses on first aid training as well as responding to crises, helping under-resourced communities across Vanuatu.

I'll try to update again when I have more information about next steps.

Cyclone Pam

5/11, 2:00 PM
Over the weekend, Peace Corps Vanuatu pulled all PCVs from site to bring them in to Vila, in anticipation of a potential Category 5 cyclone, named Pam, headed our way. Yesterday, they brought in all the trainees and Efate vols, and put us up at the Holiday Inn Resort.
We went to bed with the news that evacuation was unlikely as the storm was projected to pass between Vanuatu and Fiji, meaning the brunt of the storm would pass us by.
Jump to this morning, when we get the word that due to a shifting course in the storm, we were going to be evacuated to American Samoa in army planes. We all packed up our bags and loaded up on buses, only to be told that the evacuation plan had not been approved and we were all staying here for the moment. The current word is that they are looking into potential other evacuation plans. Peace Corps staff is having a meeting with select volunteers right now to give an update, and I will post when I know more!
Here's the current map from the Fiji Meteorological Service, showing the projected path of the storm as it stands now:

5/11, 2:40 PM

Latest word is the airport is closed, so we will not be leaving the country. We're hunkering down here at the Holiday Inn to ride out the storm. The hotel staff is boarding up the windows, and Peace Corps is taking good care of us. I'll keep updating while possible, but internet and phone service will likely be first to go.

5/11, 3:30 PM

One of the perks of working with the Vanuatu government is that they set me up with a government email. This means that it turns out I've been getting updates from them about the storm! Here are some of the key points from the most recent update:

To give some context, we are currently in SHEFA province, and my permanent site is in PENAMA province.

5/11, 5:30 PM

A couple of quick updates. First, the Vanuatu National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) advises people that Yellow Alert is now in effect for TORBA, SANMA, PENAMA and MALAMPA provinces. So, we are still not even in alert mode. Should stay pretty calm here for the next 24-30 hours.

For those of you (like me) that didn't know what Yellow Alert means, here's a handy reference guide:

There are four stages of community alerts issued for a cyclone; Blue, Yellow, Red and All Clear.

• Blue Alert means prepare for dangerous weather
• Yellow Alert means take action and get ready to go to shelter
• Red Alert means go to shelter immediately
• All Clear means that wind and storm surge dangers have passed but you need to take care to avoid the dangers caused by damage

And here's some info from Nik Karr (one of the Peace Corps staff members), who gave us instructions to disseminate it:

Please be advised that ALL Peace Corps Volunteers and Trainees in-country are safe and have been consolidated at a large hotel in Port Vila. The hotel was selected for its reduced exposure to wind and elevation from the water. Peace Corps and hotel staff are taking all necessary actions to ensure the safety of all Volunteers and Trainees.

Peace Corps Medical Officer and Acting Director of Training are housed with the Volunteers and Trainees at the Holiday Inn. Four Satellite Phones are also placed at the hotel. Peace Corps Senior Staff are also equipped with Satellite Phones.

Concerns or questions should be directed to the Peace Corps Washington Emergency 24-hour Response Telephone Number: 855-855-1961, ext. 1470 OR 202-692-1470

5/11, 9:15 PM

Not much new to report, but I found a cool graphic!

Embed: Wind map of Australia and Pacific

5/12, 10:45 AM
The word is in that we are leaving for Sydney. Take it with a grain of salt, as we were supposed to evacuate yesterday as well. Seems like this one is actually happing this time though. The storm projections keep putting it closer and closer to Efate, where we're currently holed up. Keep the people of Vanuatu in your thoughts!

5/12, 10:55 PM

We arrived safely in Sydney, and are waiting to hear information about how the storm is progressing. Keith, the CD, and most of the rest of the Peace Corps Vanuatu staff stayed behind in order to better assess the situation when the cyclone passes.

5/13, 7:50 PM

We've gotten a couple of updates from people currently in Port Vila. They're experiencing strong winds and rain, and power has gone out in some areas. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers as the storm hits tonight; the latest project map from the Fiji Meteorological Website is pretty terrifying.

The current plan is for us to get Disaster Relief Training here in Sydney so we can hopefully be a bit more prepared if and when we head back.

Here's an update from the Peace Corps website:

5/14, 10:00 AM

Last night, we went to bed with the news that the cyclone had again turned and was pretty much directly over Efate and Port Vila, the capital and most densely populated area of Vanuatu. A lot of news outlets are reporting widespread destruction, and fears of a high death toll. Hard to believe we almost stayed. Hard to believe people are still there. They're still keeping us here in Australia, so we're all staying hopeful that we'll be able to go back and help with the recovery effort. We did get word this morning from the Country Director that he and his family are fine, but we're all anxiously awaiting more news about the situation there. The cyclone is currently above Erromango/Tanna right now, and still going strong. This is a picture I've seen circulating around of the capital.

A birthday to remember

Turns out my birthday is on Chief's Day in Vanuatu; a national holiday. That means that while I normally would have headed in to Vila with my fellow ICT volunteers, we went in a day early and had Thursday free.

We started the day with a walk to the conservation area on Nguna, and spent the rest of the morning snorkeling around. I even got to see a sea turtle! The picture I got of it is reminiscent of the pictures of the Loch Ness monster in it's quality, but I swear it's there!

We headed back to our host village at around lunch time, and proceeded to hang out on the beach for the rest of the afternoon. Colton and I made a bunch of new frisbee friends; Laura and I played with a kite until we gave it to my host brother who proceeded to run away with it down the beach; we helped make a volcano sand castle on the beach; I played with the adorable puppy at my site; and I spent some time reading on the beach.

At about 4:00, the rest of the VITEL vols staying in Taloa came back from training up the mountain in Mere, and we headed to a Nakamal (kava bar) for cake and celebrations. Sean Corrigan, a fellow VITEL volunteer who also happens to be working on Ambae with me shares my birthday, and some of the other volunteers had organized cakes for us. As I was on my way out the door of my house my host mama called me back and insisted I put on an island dress (pictured below) before I could leave.

After cake, we hung out on the beach storyan (bislama for talking/hanging out) and drinking kava for a while.

A couple of us headed back to my house to make crepes over the wood fire, only to head back to the beach to watch a beautiful sunset and enjoy some warm nutella crepes.

All in all it was a pretty phenomenal birthday, and one I will not soon forget.

Ples i hot

It's been quite an eventful few weeks. I'm writing this post while sitting in the PENAMA Provincial Office in Saratamata, on Ambae; my community for the next two years.

I think the biggest thing I'm learning is how to live with ambiguity, specifically with my job. I've tried many a time to write this post about what my job is and will be for these two years, but the truth is I can't really pin it down. I'm some combination of help desk worker, teacher, assessor, technician, web developer, and electrician. Or at least that's the hope. My impression is that OGCIO (Office of the Government Chief Information Officer), the office I work for that's based in Vila, doesn't necessarily know what exactly the provinces need. They don't have any staff posted out here, so the hope is that my fellow ICT Peace Corps Volunteers and I will be those points of contact.

I fluctuate a lot between being terrified by that ambiguity, and being excited about it. On the one hand, it means I will probably be able to make this job whatever I want it to be, and I'm excited about the potential projects I'll be able to do. On the other, it's hard to go into a community for two years not knowing exactly what I'll be doing, or if I even have the know how to do it.
Moving away from the ambiguous and towards the more concrete, though, I really am enjoying myself here. Bislama is a really easy language to learn, evidenced by the fact that after about 3 weeks of studying it, I rarely revert back to english when talking to people. I'd compare my language level to about where I was after a full year of college Spanish, although I've said "Ples i hot" (This place is hot) so many times, I think it's already started to lose meaning as a sentence. The food is pretty good, although quite starchy, and I'm really enjoying getting to know people here. Overall, Vanuatu has been treating me well, and I promise my next post will be more well thought out and cohesive. (I'm borrowing a co-workers computer, and only have a few minutes to write this).
I also promise to think of you, Carleton friends, next time I go swimming in the warm Pacific Ocean off of my tropical island.