Vacation, Turkey, Wedding, and New Volunteers
Post date: Aug 11, 2014 4:25:30 AM
14 November 1964
This vacation will be one of the most expensive I have ever organized. We figure about $300 each, not to figure depreciation of cycles, visas, special equipment. I am going with two other PCVS, Johanes (Jonny) von Foerster and Ken Potts [group VIII, Onitsha]. Each have bigger cycles than I, but the roads are so terrible that I shouldn‘t have much trouble keeping up with them.
School is essentially finished for this year. What a nice long vacation we get, but it can't be all holiday, as I have only 35 days Peace Corps vacation left, the rest must be project. I leave for Lagos on Monday noon (I hope), to get visas; but Jonny can’t leave till later, so we will probably not start our holiday until 10 Dec or so.
Principal has made the students stay five extra days because he had to go to Lagos. Consequently they are restless, noisy, and looking for trouble. One exam was held over to Monday morning, but they aren't studying. I have to monitor an exam in practical chem Monday. I worked two solid days preparing the lab and reagents. I will try to clean up the lab and leave for Onitsha after the exam, which ends at 10:30.
It is a five hour drive to Onitsha. If I stay there on Monday nite, it is only 275 miles by fairly good road to Lagos. It will take eight hours, [it took 13] which is too long. So I will take a leisurely trip, stopping to see all my old training friends, and stay somewhere along the way. That means I will have to get my visas in two days, or two-and-a-half, return Sunday and Monday, perhaps staying in Onitsha again to settle plans more. Life isn't long enough to do all one would like. Pity.
Yes, Nancy's folks came clear to Arochuku. They stayed in the Gidley‘s new house, which made it kind of awkward after the wedding, so they shipped them up to Enugu right after the reception. The ceremony was a British colonial thing, i.e, they signed a few papers. They were supposed to swear on something, but they couldn't use the Bible, and the District Officer didn't have a machete handy, so they swore on their own signatures. The Eze Are (British-installed head chief) and all the local dignitaries were at the reception. The girl students were dressed to the hilt, heels and all. The wedding cake was made in Port Harcourt—English style fruit cake with marzipan and frosting—very fancy. We had a class party last night which was formally like the wedding reception: there is a chairman and a master of ceremonies, a guest of honor. Events are usually these: welcome, passing of kola (a nut which is used ceremonial as a sign of welcome, [bitter and] slightly stimulating like coffee), proposing of toast, rep , drinks, food, speeches. In between all this is entertainment if it is a dance, etc.
My scholarship was applied to Institute for International Education for Fulbright (which can be all-expenses or just travel) or any available German scholarship, all on one form. So if anything covers organ-building, I have applied. Dave's new job as college teacher will stop if this organ building business ever gets going. He didn‘t plan on it in the first place, almost turned it down, and figures he will quit after a year or so anyway—just experience. Who can tell? I have been accepted by the orgelbau school.
I received yesterday a letter from the draft board, mailed 4 June, with the notice ‘return if not delivered in 10 days‘. Hah!
Ach, yes, I got a turkey for Thanksgiving. I can’t tell how big he will be in the oven, as I had to buy him with feathers. I put him in my cycle bag and carried him thirty miles to Item. When I let him out he stayed around for about half an hour, then ran into the bush, where some kids scared him away. I hope Carole doesn't spend the next two weeks chasing that bird. It will be painful lip service to the ceremony, as he should be very tough.
Gosh, I thought the dry season was here, but with the long dry break in August, I guess we are just catching up. We had hard rains all this week. It should stop raining until April or so, and I should be able to see the Eastern Region all over again, especially as we have a large new crop of volunteers. I met one today who has been building roads, draining swamps, cleaning-streams, planting palms. the chief made him an honorary son. This past week he had malaria—some guys get all the fun. Another, Sonny, is getting running water and electricity, but wants to move out because it is noisy all the time. He is right in the middle of the village with drumming, babies, goats, and chickens all night, and old women at 4 am.