Day 110: Some Observations

High noon:



Yeeeah...

There's no bacteria out here. Well...that's a lie, obviously. But there's VERY few. It's really remarkable, actually. Normally (in CA) cuts get at least a little infected or red or something unless you're super careful. Here - nothing. My host father cut himself rather badly last week (dish washing accident) and the cut is healing amazingly perfectly. My little thumb accident didn't even hint at infection. Let's hear it for the power of cold.

Also on those lines - my host family leaves all the food from dinner out on the counter through the next day. Whatever anyone doesn't eat for dinner gets fed to the dog. I didn't touch this food for like the first week because I thought for sure it was rotten. But it's totally fine. I get freaked out if leftovers are left out for like, an hour in California.

I'd really like to avoid having this blog turn into a gauge of my boredom, so...photos, since that's my, you know, JOB. My apologies for the lack - school takes up a lot of the daylight hours, but my ankle finally looks good enough for the normal abuse I lay upon it (it pretty much was just a big ol' bruise from heavy boots worn too long). So more adventures are forthcoming. Until then...

Janu and friend playing in the massive pile of winter clothes in the entrance hall:



The "fire station":



Its a hole in the ice kept open by a metal barrel. Some guy comes out here (this is out on the ice) a couple of times a day and breaks up the ice that forms inside. In case there ever is a fire here, this is the water supply.

Which brings me to another observation. There's no pipes through town, because to make something that wouldn't freeze solid 90% of the year would be ridiculously expensive if not just impossible. So while we do have running water, it runs off a small tank in the house that gets filled twice a week. We have to be very careful about water consumption to make sure there's enough for everything we need. Showers, for example - turn on the water and get wet, turn off the water, get soapy, turn on the water, rinse, done. At least its warm. Toilets - yeah, no. They have this system that looks like a toilet, but it's actually a big heavy-duty plastic bag where the bowl ususally is. This special bag gets collected every other day by the brave men who do that sort of thing. There's 7 people living here now (if you include the baby) so this bag is, indeed...special.

There's no haircut place around here, so everyone does whatever themselves. [Side note - someone in the US asked me to check for something at the "yarn store". The YARN STORE? I said I'd check the "One and Only" store.] Today my host mom permed my sister's hair:



They're being silly, its not just horrible timing...