I feel thin, sort of stretched… like not enough butter scraped over too much bread. ~Bilbo Baggins

Day 237, Apr 4th, Mon, 101.6°F @ 4:30pm,

For English class I had been trying to come up with a more enjoyable activity that the students could get into and so I had been thinking of various word games that I could try. I finally settled on hangman, which they really enjoyed (although in retrospect, perhaps it would have been better to leave hangman for another week, what, with the recent suicide and all. Thankfully my shortsightedness offended no one {If I had done it in the primary school, it would have been a different story}, never the less, I think I shall wait a week or two before I attempt to play that particular activity with them again).



Although the temperature this afternoon was about the same as it has usually been lately, the humidity was through the freaking roof, resulting in an overall feeling of fatigue permeating even the simplest of actions (such as simply sitting in a chair and reading a book while rivers of sweat run down your body, literally drenching all you clothes so that they stick to you like green on grass!).



In the evening I found out from Abba Larcher that today was Abba Filipe’s birthday (he is turning 35, I am pretty sure he is the youngest of them all), and that we had been invited for evening prayers dinner to celebrate (insert much jumping around while fist punching the air and thanking God, lol). After evening prayers, Abba Filipo gave the goodnight and explained how he came to join the Salesians, as well as how it led him to be stationed in Gambella (I’ll be writing it down as the mini-bio of the week, this Friday). An interesting thing happened after Abba was done saying the goodnight. I had thought that we were going to eat dinner with them as well, but Abba Larcher and Br. John-Carlo proceeded to get into the car (to go back to our compound, I assumed). I am proud to say that I followed them with nothing more than a small sigh (as I had been really looking forward to eating some REAL food for a change). I think it was one of the few time were I have been perfectly resigned to the will of God (“The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away”). But to my surprise, Br. John-Carlo merely drove the car to a more convenient parking spot closer to the dining hall (I couldn’t help but feel as though this had been a kind of divine test, a test that I had passed, lol)!



Dinner was a simple but fulfilling meal; there was, of course, the ever-present spaghetti and wot, but there was also a dish of fresh veggies (Which included green beans… I didn’t even know that they were able to grow these things here, as I have never seen them at the market… makes me wonder where they get there produce, lol, Safeway, perhaps?), and a kind of bokollo (Maize) porridge (the closest thing that I could relate the taste to, would be a milder form of Polenta). And then there was the real treat of the meal, for meat, we had Boar/wild pig! I’ve had boar a couple times before, and I am always surprised by how tender the Bishops cooking staff are able to get the boar meat (or really, how they are able to cook everything the way they do. Turns out the Abba Angelo sent the cooking staff to Addis to learn from the cooks at the provincial’s residence… I wish they’d send our cooks as well, lol). There were also some Carmelo (candies) that Abba Filipo brought out to share, but I focused on eating all the healthy things that I couldn’t normally get… like meat… and fresh veggies… and porridge… and good pasta, lol.



By the end of the meal, I think I had put down an impressive amount of the food (the veggies in particular), and I left with the others quite satisfied, nutritionally, as well as physically.



Day 238, Apr 5th, Tue, 98°F @ 3:00pm,

Class with the sister was, for the most part, a disappointing venture. The kids were in one of their frenzy moods, and the teacher whom Sister had told to assist me (Joseph I believe his name was) disappeared on me practically as soon as class had started, so yet again I was left to fend for myself. The only upside of the morning was during the breaks, several of the 2nd kg group kids (which I still think is the best behaved group) asked me to play some games with them. While I was at the Sisters, I learned from Okello that Tsion had become sick, so after we had finished all our duties, Okello, Mulu (a guardian for the sisters) and myself walked to where she lives to see how she was doing.



Tsion lives at the very foot of Mt. Jejebe, and it took us about 15 minutes to get there. The walk itself was very pleasant, I haven’t had many chances to walk about town, so it was really nice to be able to see a bit more than usual.



Once we had arrived, she invited us into her house/room and we chatted for awhile. She had been experiencing some stomach problems, so she had gone to the doctor and received treatment and was starting to feel better now. The topic was then changed to various nonsensical subjects, from opinions on the virtues of various martial arts, to a kind of quiz game with rather interesting questions (did you know that Coke-cola was first marketed as a “Brain tonic”? or that the island with the highest peak in the south eastern pacific is Papua New Guinea?)



We eventually took our leave of her (so that she could eat lunch and rest) and started to head back home. As we were about to make our final parting, I proposed to Okello and Mulu that we should climb Mt. Jejebe, being as we were, right in the shadow of its edifice (or rather, I stated that I was going to climb it, as I had put off doing so for far too long, and that they were more than welcome to accompany me, lol), and without further ado, we said or goodbyes to Tsion, and made our way up the mountain. I was rather confidant in my ability to climb it, so I elected to ascend via the more difficult of the two paths to the summit (which happened to be a climb up a 60-70% incline). The choice ended up being a rather foolish one on my part, because, although I started off well and even ended up leading a bit faster than my comrades, I very quickly lost momentum after about 30% of the climb had been covered. I hadn’t realized how out of shape I had become, I had figured that since I walked everywhere I would have been able to scale the “hill” with little trouble, but the skill docent exactly transfer the way I had thought, lol. Well, after much huffing and puffing, I eventually did arrive at the top (the last one to reach it I might add), at which point I couldn’t help but stop and take in the sight of the surrounding countryside (not to mention taking a breather to prevent my lung/s from flopping out of my chest and onto the rocks).

The mountain was higher than I thought would be, and as such, the view was correspondingly grander than I had imagined it to be. The vista before us seemed to stretch out forever, with a chain of mountains out in the north, the still green shrubbery of the forest east, the Baro river snaking along to the south, and the town, stretched out before us to the west, it was truly a breathtaking site, and I am glad that I had finally managed to see it.



As I think I have mentioned before at one point, an orthodox church had been built on the top of the mountain, so while we were up there I was able to get a closer look as we sat in its shadow and sheltered ourselves from the midday sun. It was a diminutive building, octagonal in shape and construction, with the customary slightly greenish tinged blue paint that seems so popular in this town. As I was still taking in the building and the surrounding panorama, the priest of the church came out and greeted us. He only spoke Amharic, so I am glad that Okello and Mulu had decided to accompany me and were able to translate. The priest invited us to have a bite to eat with him and his Acolyte. Okello informed me that it would seem incredibly impolite to refuse his generosity, so we sat down and had a small snack on some very spicy Shiro (a kind of chili flavored sauce) and potatoes with Injara.



After finishing our small repast and thanking our gracious host (and also taking a bunch of pictures), we started our decent of the mountain, we decided to do by the easier of the two routes this time, lol. We made it down safely and started back to my compound, with Okello and then Mulu splitting ways and going their separate paths. Once I had arrived back at the compound, needless to say, I was exhausted, so I decided to take a bit of a nap, which I awoke from an hour and a half later much refreshed.



The only other event that transpired today was the return of Br. Endalkachew from Addis, and I learned that he will be leaving yet again in a few days for another meeting there (He seems quite exasperated at all the trips that he has to perform, and he seems very tired lately).



Day 239, Apr 6th, Wed, 99.6°F @ 3:50pm,

So, this morning I attempted a slight intro into paragraphs with the English students, just enough to inform them about what it is, and then we went into our dictionary exercises. I figure, if I teach them about paragraphs a little bit at a time, they will end up understanding it better, more so then if I had piled it onto them all at once… hopefully… I guess we’ll find out.



In the evening there was no computer class with the seminarians, as Abba Thomas wasn’t here to give me a ride to the Vicariate, so I guess I will have to continue next week. So instead I set up my computer and watched MacGyver with Br. Legesse. I have been trying to be more consistent in showing the episodes to Legesse, which isn’t always an easy thing as the power has been on the fritz lately and there are usually other things I would rather do, such as writing (seeing as how I have seen all the episodes… multiple times, lol). However, I have come to realize that our video watching is a source of relaxation for Legesse, a relaxation that he has been desperately in need of lately. I can’t remember whether or not I have mentioned that there have been some tensions arising between Legesse and a certain other Salesian whom shall remain nameless, but anyways, as a result of that, Legesse has been under a lot of stress lately, and the MacGyver episodes help to ease it, so I try to entertain with them as often as possible. And hey, it’s always good to refamiliarize myself on how to create, oh, say, how to disarm a nuclear warhead using nothing more than a gum wrapper, some copper wire, and a spent toilette paper tube, lol.



Day 240, Apr 7th, Thu, 98°F @ 3:00pm, 90°F @ 11:48pm,

Uh huh, so, Art class today, the kids are doing much better, but there is still some copiers amongst the crowd, so I am continuing to weed them out. Today, whenever I caught a cheater, I had them go and stand outside the classroom for ten minutes, which meant, obviously, that they couldn’t draw anything. Most of them begged and pleaded to be let back in, saying they were sorry; they won’t do it again, etc. When I did let them back in, it seems as though some of them did learn a lesson, but several of them went right back to copying (the little hypocrites, lol), so back out of the class they went. The method does seem to be working though, as each time I send some out, fewer try to cheat then last time.



Tomorrow I am going to be performing a test. I am going to have the students sketch a large tree that sits out behind the school, and then I will be judging (and grading) them on how accurate their depictions are, it should be interesting, as I haven’t graded anything during my educational “career” here.



The rest of the day was just ho-hum, so I thought I would just end with the Haiku.



Dust

Wind blowing, sand flies,

On the ground, then in the air,

Getting everywhere!

~ じょしゅわ





Day 241, Apr 8th, Fri, 98.6°F @ 3:48pm,

The day of infamy is upon them! I gathered and marched all the students (each grade, respectfully) out onto the grounds and pointed out the sole tree that would be their assignment for the day. I then explained to them that this would be a test of their abilities and that their work was going to be graded on how accurate (not realistic) their work was, so they needed to pay attention to what they were drawing and actually try, and if they did that, they should have no problem getting a decent grade. After my spiel, I set them loose and the test was underway. As I walked here and there checking how they were doing, I made sure not say anything about whether or not the work they were doing was good or bad, as I wanted this to be solely of their own volition.



After the time limit had elapsed, I escorted them back up to the classroom, and after reminding them to print there name on the page, I gathered up all their work and went to Mark-John’s office, where I sat and graded the pages. The criteria that I based my grading on, as I have mentioned, was accuracy, not realism, so as long as they tried to capture the aspects that made the tree unique (and there were several defining features of the tree) they would get a decent score. For those who did not even try to draw the tree as it looked, but rather just simply drew a tree, I graded as F, thankfully there were few of those. For those who did try and draw the tree, but put no effort in it, I graded as D. Those that managed to depict an average drawing of the tree, that at least had a few of the defining features, I graded as C (this was the category that most scored in), and from then up, I simply graded on how much or how accurately they were able to portray the tree, earning them either B’s or A’s, which unfortunately were few and far between, particularly of the later.



After I had finished my grading (this took about 20 minutes or so), at the beginning of the next period I handed out the finished tests and gave a quick comment as to the reason for the grading, and encouraged them to practice harder and to learn from each other and progress as a group. I then repeated this for each successive class until all had finished, and over all I would say thet they scored average-above average, so, not too bad, for their first test.



In the afternoon, I assisted Br. Endalkachew with a PowerPoint that he was putting together for his next meeting in Addis, which involved myself walking back and forth from my room to the office at least half a dozen times to obtain the pictures he wanted. (I also gave him some vitamins that Jayne had given me during her visit here. He hasn’t been feeling very well {in fact he has been feeling downright bad lately, his malaria is acting up I think} and so I figured that he needed them much more than I did)



I also learned, this afternoon, that Japan had been hit by an after quake, measuring a 6 on the Richter scale. It seems as though it’s one thing after another over there, and experts are saying that it could take several years to get all the evacuees homes rebuilt to the point where they can start living there again. I really hope that I can do something to help with the rebuilding, but I have my doubts, as they will need people with particular skills concerning rebuilding, and the Japanese aren’t exactly known for being open to foreign involvement in domestic affairs, so my chances are somewhat slim I fear, in terms of applying for general volunteering.



So, as I mentioned earlier this week, it was Abba Filipo’s birthday, and during our visit there, he told us the story of how he came to join the Salesian in Gambella, so I shall contrive to write a slightly condensed version for your reading pleasure.



Abba Filipo was born in a little town in Italy (I didn’t catch the name of the town, but it’s kind of interesting how all the Salesians so far have been from small towns), and during his school years he attended a Salesian run educational facility. In and after high school, he was very involved with helping the Salesians to run the Oratory; it was something he had a passion for. He eventually decided to become a Salesian priest, in order to better offer his services for a cause, the education of the youth, that he had so loved. His parents and his friends had reservation about him joining the priesthood, and several attempted to dissuade him, nevertheless, he ended up joining the seminary and starting his priestly training. During the ten years of his novitiate, he knew that he wanted to be placed in the foreign field as a missionary, and so every year he asked his rector if he could go to the missions, which was always replied by “maybe next year”. After ten years of training, he was ordained a priest, and that year, his rector surprised him by replying to his question about the missionary position; that the was a site in Africa, Ethiopia to be precise, in a small town called Gambella, and that they were looking for another priest to help run the missions. Abba Filipo eagerly agreed, and he has been here for about 6-7 years now, helping the Bishop to bring education to the young. Abba is currently in charge of the outer mission’s project, which is focusing on starting communities in Nyinyinyang, Matar, and Ileah. Being the youngest (foreign) priest in Gambella, Abba Filipo brings with him a feeling of energy, and an eagerness to get things done, which is greatly appreciated by his fellow Salesians.



Day 242, Apr 9th, Sat, 102.4°F @ 3:00pm,

I have been feeling very tired of late, I haven’t been sleeping very well because of the heat. I ended up sleeping far into the morning today, as that is actually the coolest point in the day, and the time when I can get the most restful sleep. I know I have mentioned it before, but I seriously can’t wait for the rainy season to begin (although I think my thoughts about that will probably change when I am confronted by the hosts of mosquitoes that will accompany the deluge), its just been too hot lately, and it is not just I that thinks so, it is effecting everyone. Abba Larcher, Abba Thomas, Br. Endalkachew, and Br. Legesse have all been feeling very tired and drained lately, and learned that the Sisters went to Abobo because they have been sick. For that matter, it seems as though half of everybody in town is down with something or other, and I think everyone is awaiting the cooler weather with much eagerness.



One of the things that I really want to do before I leave is play a game of football with the students, but with how tired I have been feeling, the thought of running back and forth on hot sand under a scorching sun that is blasting out 115+ degrees of death just does not appeal to me, ya know what I mean?



Day 243, Apr 10th, Sun, 104.1°F @ 2:51pm,

This afternoon I met up with Okello and Tsion went to a “hotel” (what the call both restaurants and motels, lol) and had a soft drink together. We took a Bajaj (a kind of Indian made, three wheeled “Taxi”) part of the way there and then walked the rest, talking as we went. The “Galaxy Hotel’s” (that was what it was really called, lol. It seems that most of the hotels here have very odd or simple names, among them are the “Green Hotel”, and “Ethiopian Hotel”, lol) veranda, where all the tables and chairs were set up for the restaurant, was situated outdoors and covered most of the grounds. The set up was simple, but fairly comfortable, with plenty of shade afforded by overhangs and trees. After sitting down at a table of our choosing, we ordered two Orange Mirinda’s (the Pepsi equivalent of Fanta here in ET) and a Pepsi (Tsion and Okello ordered the Mirinda’s, I ordered the Pepsi-cola) and then just chatted about various themes that happened to occur to us. We only stayed for about half an hour, but I was glad for even that short amount of time. To be able to do nothing with several other people for once was a real treat, lol (I also learned that I have apparently developed a slight Ethiopian accent when I talk to the natives here, Tsion noticed it as I was talking to Okello, Lol. I had already noticed that I had adopted a simpler vocabulary in order to communicate effectively with them, but I hadn’t figured it would be that noticable).



Once we had finished our drinks as well as the conversation, we headed back, this time walking all the way. After dropping Tsion of at her place of residence, Okello and I continued on towards my own compound; however, he lead me through a different route then normal that took us past the town garbage dump (which was a rather dismal looking place. The trash is scattered willy-nilly, without any thought given to it, and as we were walking through there happened to be a bunch of kids scavenging through a recently dumped load).



We made it to the compound without any complications though, and after saying goodbye (and letting him barrow my IPod {darned bugger had to ask me during lent, lol}), I parted ways with Okello and attempted to get inside (by now it was around 7:00pm, the gates are locked at dusk), but the guardians were nowhere to be found. I had started towards the other gate (there are two) when a car pulled up, and the gentlemen inside asked if it might be possible to obtain water here, as there was no water in the town. After stating that I would have to check with the Rector, as I did not have the authorization to give them it, I gained the attention of the guard (who had been attracted to the gate by the headlights of the car…just like a moth, lol) and slipped inside, with the gentlemen in the car following close behind. Once I arrived at our residence, one of the gents accompanied me inside and we spoke with Abba Larcher, and after giving his assent, Legesse and myself showed the group to the students lavoratory, where they could fill up the jugs that they had brought. After we affirmed that they had been situated, and after informing the guardians to let them leave once they had finished, Legesse and I headed back to the residence, where dinner was waiting.



Dinner was finished quickly and then it was off to bed. Sleep didn’t come until late, and only in fits and starts and it wasn’t just from the heat, I started to feel somewhat ill, stomach-wise. I am somewhat dreading what tomorrow will bring.



Day 244, Apr 11th, Mon, N/A,

Woke up feeling just as bad as I did last night, and it only worsened as the morning waned. By the time I was supposed to be starting my English class, I was feeling mighty ill, and so after informing my students that there would be no class today, I retreated to my room, where for the remainder of the day I stayed.



As the symptoms become more severe, I had a sneaking suspicion that it was my old friend, Guardia, coming for another visit (probably from the time that I accidently drank the tainted water about a week ago, it usually takes just over a week for the symptoms to fully form, which would put it just about right), and at around mid-afternoon, the porcelain throne became my prison for the next 48 hours… yay! (Thankfully the attack on my innards abated just enough in the evening for me to get a little bit of shut eye, unfortunately it continued at 4:00 o-clock sharp the next morning!)



Day 245, Apr 12th, Tue, N/A,

As I mentioned yesterday, I hadn’t gotten much sleep, as the symptoms had resumed at 4 this morning. Along with the aforementioned attacks on my insides that was causing all broken down food elements to flee with wild abandon, several other symptoms developed, whose calling cards I recognized from my last bout with Guardia, so there is longer any question in my mind as to who/what the instigator of my discomfort is. The first added symptom is an extreme amount bloating and gas (which is accompanied by a distinct methane smell, not pleasant, to be sure). Another is an unusual amount of movement in my bowels from all the shifting gasses. The last is a feeling of weakness (which actually started yesterday, but I forgot to mention it). As a result of all this, I stayed bedridden (more like “Toilette-ridden”) the entire day, and whenever I wasn’t abdicating my kingdom from my lofty throne, I was trying to get caught up on lost sleep.



Evening eventually dawned, and since I had not eaten anything all day, not to mention barely anything yesterday, due to the unease of Mr. stomach, I decided that would have to risk eating something, for fear of wasting away (not really, but is sure felt like it). However, there was no way in hades that I was going to even touch the normal gastric fare that is served in the evening, as I knew, without a doubt, that if I were to indulge in those particular dishes, they would be coming up awhile later. Thankfully I had saved the packs of instant mashed potatoes that my folks had sent me for just such an occasion as this (they are easily digestible, and thus, easy on the gut), and after preparing a decent portion, I forked it down (carefully, I might add, like I was packing a stick of dynamite) and retreated to my bedchamber to wait and see if I had angered the beast.



Thankfully the beast in my innards had been undisturbed by my foray into forbidden fruits, and after a bit, I even began to feel a speck better, being as I was, full of a digestible substance for once. Despite my raised spirits, sleep was just as fleeting as the day before, and again I ended up waking many times during the night.



Day 246, Apr 13th, Wed, N/A,

This morning I started to feel a bit better, for a change, although I still confined myself to my room for fear of venturing too far and being caught out in the open with nowhere to flee when the thing attacks (another side effect of Guardia is a loss of control… when you have to go, you really HAVE to go!). However, by evening, the bloating and the methane had subsided, and I was finally able to breathe a little. A storm even rolled in this evening and brought with it a cooling draught of fresh air, which went a long ways to sooth mine suffering. I think the worst thing about Guardia is the inhumanness of it. It leaves you feeling very weak, and, due to the very nature of the thing, wanting of several showers, blek! I’ll be quite happy if I never get Guardia again (and hopefully I don’t, as I only have one last pack of mashed potatoes, and I would actually like to eat them because I want to, not because there is nothing else that my stomach will tolerate at the moment).



This evening, at diner (which I was feeling sufficiently hardy enough to attempt, although I did limit my choices to easily digested things, like soup) I met a volunteer from Italy who would be staying with us till Sunday, Marco was his name. He is here to gather information about possible projects that could be done in the area. He has actually been traveling throughout Ethiopia, visiting various Salesian sights, and will be continuing to do so when he leaves on Sunday.



With the coolness provided by the weather, I was very eager to seek my bed this evening, thankfully, the coolness held, and I managed to get some decent sleep.



Day 247, Apr 14th, Thu, N/A,

This morning I accompanied (at their bidding) Abba Thomas and Marco on a trip to see Drs. Maria-Theresa and Margret, in Abobo, to check for Malaria (Abba Thomas has been feeling weak and achy lately, with headaches aswell, and the same with Marco). I would have been quite content with stay behind, as I was confident that my illness was waning, but they insisted that I come and check to make sure it wasn’t Malaria, so I consented, thinking it was better to be safe than sorry. I was somewhat regretting that decision though, during the ride to the clinic, a bumpy road isn’t exactly the best experience for someone with recently tender guts, lol. We made it there in due time though, and after a bit of a wait, we each went and saw a doctor. Dr. Maria-Theresa agreed with my assessment that my bout had been with Guardia, as all the symptoms matched up, but to make sure I would need to give a stool sample, however, I admitted that as an impossibility, as my stomach was fairly empty, and I doubted that I would be able to give the needed “material”, so instead she gave me some tablets to take the next time the symptoms showed up, which should help to pass everything quicker (although she did advise me to drink more water).



The Tests of Abba and Marco came back negative as well, so after visiting with Carlos, we headed pack (I hope I get a chance to actually visit Carlos before I leave, it seems as though all the times I have been in Abobo, I have been sick).



The weather has definitely changed, thick clouds have rolled in and, hopefully, the rainy season has come now, as all of us need some relief from the heat. I do have some reservations about whether it has come; it only seems to rain in the evenings, which, although quite pleasant, leads me to think that this will be a fleeting relief.



And on to the poem of teh week:



The Future

Standing defiant,

Head held high, Silhouetted,

Hope stands triumphant.

~ じょしゅわ



Day 248, Apr 15th, Fri, 95°F @ 3:28pm,

I awoke rather late this morning, but I felt much better, and I think I have just about fully recuperated. I am very grateful for this cooling front that has moved into the area during the past few days, it has been a huge relief, and has made getting to sleep just a little bit easier.



Not much to say about the day, same ol’ stuffs, so for my mini-bio today, I thought I would diverge from the Salesians and focus on Tsion.



She was born Ethiopia (to Ethiopian parents), in Addis Ababa, and was raised there for part of her childhood. However, she and her parents then moved to America and settled in Colorado (where she saw snow for the very first time). After several years of living there, they then moved to Hawaii (to pursue educational opportunities), where they stayed for a couple years before moving to Dallas, Texas, where she has been for the last few years. Her parents recently came back to Addis Ababa, and she came with them and decided to volunteer with “Hope Incorporated” here in Gambella, where she had been providing her services as a teacher. She speaks Amharic, as well as English fluently, but she talks with an interesting accent that sounds like the combination of the “African English” heard here, and the southern “twang” of Texas. She seems to have adjusted to re-immersion into Ethiopia quite well, although she misses (as do I) many of the conveniences of America, cereal for breakfast for instance. She seems like quite the hard worker, and has already developed a special bond with her school children. I honestly think that the rest of her year here will be a very profitable one, both for her students and for herself.



Day 249, Apr 16th, Sat, 94.7°F @ 4:17pm,

I’ve just realized that we haven’t had any “Ellpah” (electricity from the city power plant) for over a week now, with no end in sight. When I inquired as to the reason, most of the answers I got were non-informative, but a few mentioned that they thought there had been some damage done to either the power lines, or the actual plant itself, during the last storm, and that they hadn’t been able to repair it yet (hadn’t finished, or haven’t even started? Hmm). Oh, Honestly, I hadn’t really noticed that much. Since we have a generator, we have power during all the times that we need it, i.e.in the mornings, so that the schools and the office can operate, and in the evenings for night prayers and dinner. I has bugged the other Salesians much more however, as it has been costing them much more to run the generator, as well as the fact the several houses in the town seem t be receiving power, whereas we are not.



And speaking of power, the power cord of the office laptop that Surafle uses to keep track of the accounting has been fried, so during the mornings I am going to be letting him borrow the power cord that goes with my laptop, until he can get it replaced (I hope and pray that mine isn’t damaged in any way; it’s my lifeline to the outside world).