For one, yesterday we got paid. Let me give you some context for what this means to me: As a new volunteer, rolling in piles of the Sacajawea coins* that comprised our Moving-In Allowance,† I looked askance at the older volunteers, the ones with the worn clothing who would drop everything and dive for the ten cents lying on the sidewalk. Now...well, now, I am an older volunteer. Near the end of each month, when I run out of money, I start checking my bank account every day to see if Peace Corps has deposited our Living Allowance‡ yet. And when the magic finally happens - the account balance suddenly switches from one to three digits - I give a whoop and announce to the nearest group of PCVs, "We got paid today!" If they've been here as long as I have, they give a cheer. If they haven't, they look at me strangely and say, "So anyway, I was..."
Guess what? -- Yesterday, we got PAID!
Dear Law-Abiding, Tax-Paying Citizens of the United States of America, Here is what I did with your money: I celebrated by treating myself to a hamburger. It had an egg on it. And bacon. Then, I celebrated by treating myself to an ice cream cone. Finally, today - and this is what makes today so auspicious - I bought...
...something that caused PCV Whitni to have to stand on a stool on a desk on the terrace and tie rope to the rafters...
...something that caused her to learn to tie knots...
...check out this double figure eight knot...we looked up how to do it online...we're cool like that...
...A HAMMOCK. I bought a hammock. The ultimate symbol of slothfulness.
And I sat in the hammock, and I read my book, and it was good. Amen.
Don't worry, law-abiding, tax-paying U.S. citizens: the Hammock of Slothfulness may be easily tied up for the few moments each week in which I plan to be productive.
Love, Hugs, and Hammocks,
me
______________________________________________________________________________
*Ecuador uses U.S. currency. If you're wondering where all the Sacajawea coins ended up, the answer is, here.
†The allowance PCVs are given upon arriving in site in order to purchase clothing, furnishings, and other necessaries as we begin our service.
‡The monthly allowance PCVs receive to cover the costs of daily living (i.e., food, transportation, and personal sundries).
Sacagawea coins were in my crossword puzzle yesterday. :)
ReplyDeletehmm i can't wait to come visit and just spend all my days lounging in that thing. kudos!
ReplyDeleteI splurged on Ice Cream too! It was delicious.
ReplyDeletehaha, i love this. that is all.
ReplyDelete