A Day in The Desert - aka an excuse not to work!

Today (April 21, 2009) I went to the desert.
I had planned to go this weekend with two other volunteers but it didn’t end up working out (we did go for a walk but didn’t make a picnic out of it). So I was very excited when at 9:30 (30 minutes after I arrived at work) my counterpart comes into my office and says, “we’re going to the desert! Are you coming?”. I immediately replied, “Yes!”.
It took 30 minutes to figure out the transportation plan. Then a total of 8 minutes in a car to drive to one of the cleaning ladies houses (which is located on the very edge of town). From her house myself, my counterpart, and the two cleaning ladies at my clinic walked toward the road where we were going to put up some sort of signal so the rest of the women (who either walked or got a ride) would see it and know to start walking into the desert. The walk from the house of origin was about 20 minutes.
On the way I watched these HUGE ants scurry underfoot. I saw a small herd of cattle being shepherded by two young boys. I looked for the sometimes illusive desert poppies. I found several bunches of them. And I enjoyed simply being outdoors in the warm weather relaxing on a walk.
When we arrived and finally decided on a final spot to do the cooking and eating I snapped a few pictures of a turtle one of the women found then walked back toward the house to get water. I took one trip there and back with water and a second trip half way to help one of the other women. When everyone successfully met up we put together the cooking area (a large black pot balanced on a metal stand that was balanced on three large rocks), gathered fire wood and began cooking the soup. Then we relaxed, drank çaý, and I began to bake in the sun (very glad I managed to remember to bring my sunscreen in the rush).
When the meat was cooked in the soup we began our feast: soup (pretty good soup), tomatoes, cucumbers, nuts, cookies, chocolate, çaý and, of course, vodka. We managed to finish two bottles over the next 20 minutes. We subsequently sank into a chaotic bliss where we stayed for the next hour and half.
The return trip I opted to walk (it was just under an hour from our picnic site to my house). When I finally returned to work it was 3:45pm. This means that I had an hour and 45 minutes left of work. Which makes a day that would normally be 6 hours a mere 2 hours and 15 minutes, and all of the doctors and nurses left long before that hour and 45 minutes were done. I ended up locking up the clinic by myself after I had done a significant amount of work. I still had to spend about 2 hours this evening finishing up the work I needed to do today.
Overall, it was a really great day! Even if I did bring my work home with me (although as a PCV I am constantly ‘at work’ so I guess that means I ALWAYS bring my work home…).
Follow up: several days later.
I ended up going into the desert another two times this week, although, each time was to work. My host family has a large plot of land out in the desert a little way where they grow grain and watermelons. We had a rather nasty hail at the beginning of the week which apparently ruined the watermelon they had already planted so we had to plant again. The first day I spent following a hole – digger and dropping 6 – 7 seeds placed in a circle into the hole. With all of the bending over my thighs and lower back were in a lot of pain.
The second day I did more of what we did on the first day, but then we spent 40 minutes pulling weeds. These are huge mini-trees that we were pulling, with our hands. They are resting in sand, so most are not terribly difficult to pull out, but I did end up cutting my hands and getting many barbs stuck in my palms and fingers. Again, my thighs and lower back were in pain. But it was a very enjoyable time, I got to talk with some of my family members, and got some good exercise and sun out of the deal.
Also, my father said a few days ago that we would go into the desert, I believe his exact words were, “We’ll show you a prettier part of the desert”. So, I await that experience.