Don't do tomorrow what you can do today

Hello! I have been wanting to write a day-in-the-life type blog, but kept coming up with excuses why it wasn't a "typical" day. But that draws the deeper philosophical question of what is a typical day anyhow. So according to the age old adage, "don't do tomorrow what you can do today" I am writing a day in the life for today, November 8, 2012. My excuses for it not being a "typical" day are various. At the top of the list is that Lauren isn't here, she is at training already in Santa Rita. I will join her on Sunday and then later I will write another typical day entry. Here goes.
2:38 a.m. I stagger outside in the dark and pee off the side of the porch, then struggle back into the mosquito net. I always have to pee at night here, the current theory is that our bio rhythms have changed so that we digest at night because it is so hot during the day, who knows.
5:42 a.m. Alarm 1 sounds. Roosters have been sounding for some time.
6:10 a.m. Alarm 2 sounds and I get up. As its getting light I can't pee off the porch so I put shorts on and walk to the latrine.
Until 7:00 a.m. I prepare and eat breakfast. I can't just eat any old thing because I might have gastritis. I make pancakes and syrup saving three cakes in a Tupperware for lunch today. I am still hungry so I fry a guineo with cinnamon on it. It wasn't quite ripe enough.
Before I head out the door at 7:20 a.m. I get my things together in a little backpack that I carry almost everywhere. Machete. Sharpener. Water bottle, full. Mosquito repellent. Sun screen. Cell phone, double wrapped in plastic bag for rain. Three large branches to contribute to the day's work.
7:22 a.m. Pass the store and wave at Dario, he's super nice.
7:47 a.m. I have hiked pretty fast so I reach Anacleto's house before I planned to. No one is there so I venture a "Buenos dias" and this sets his dog, ironically named Horse, to barking. Now everyone knows I am here. I see Anacleto's mother up the path and she waves. I ask where Cleto is, to which she responds, "I am fine thank you!" this is all the better, I must remember my manners. I ask her again where Cleto is and she says he went up already.
8:10 a.m. I arrive at the spot where Cristino showed me the route to the fence that we are going to be cleaning around the land that contains the community's water source.
8:16 a.m. I second guess myself and turn around.
Until 10:35 a.m. I wander aimlessly in the mountainous jungle looking for the workers. I eventually set my sticks down, I do not return for them later.
At 10:35 a.m. I find the work group. It's Cristino, Dionicio, Raulin, Ermogeneh, Antonino, and Adolfo. Cleto is out of San Juanito visiting his sick nephew. I spend some time explaining myself and they spend some time chuckling and telling me if I had passed by this and such point at this and such time they would have saw me.
We work cutting vegetation away from the fence until 12:10 p.m. I get a few cuts on my hand from razor sharp grass. Ermogneh tells me that it isn't even the sharpest kind. He tells me about a forest fire that burned down much of the hillside jungle about 10 years ago. I have hear of this event and am immensely interested.
At 12:18 p.m. I detour to the Granja property on my way down with hopes of clomping to the mirador to call Lauren as se would be on her lunch break. In a combination of fatigue, dehydration, the ever changing plant life here and sheer dumbness, I can't find the entrance to the mirador and descend in frustration because I hear and see rain coming.
12:55 a.m. I reach the house again and take my sweat soak clothes off before I even unlock the door.
1:04 p.m. I get my shower tote and swimsuit on, the typical shower-in-the rain gear. Someone else is down at the shower so I turn around hastily for fear it is my 70 something year old Panamanian grandma.
1:17 p.m. I finish up eating the pancakes I had packed for lunch with chocolate frosting on them and was down to shower for real.
2:23 p.m. I sit down to a lunch of rice and tunafish and cucumber. The dog that we call Sir Pees-A-Lot sits with me, but I don't give him anything.
4:21 p.m. I finish hand washing some clothes and hang them up to dry doubting they will dry on this rainy, cloudy day.
It's now 5:02 p.m. And I just flocked an ant out of my chest hair as I am sitting writing this story on my iPod on the front porch. The iPod has been warning me that it will run out of battery soon this whole time. I plan to call Lauren from our neighbors porch soon. I waited around this afternoon because Ermogeneh told me he would come down and play some guitar because his guitar is at the church. I don't know if he will. I am soaking another load of laundry right now too. The extra dirty stuff. I thought I was going to make chicken noodle soup from scratch tonight, but I see that turning quickly into Top Ramen. And that's it. Life's more fun with Lauren around so I will do another one of these. I promise.