From time to time on a job site back in the States, someone would ask, "How's it goin'?" The worse the job was for whatever reason, weather, coordination, materials, the more sarcastic the reply, "Just another day in paradise."
I've been here about 2 1/2 weeks and so far, day after day, it is "another day in paradise"!
'Here' is half way between Hawaii and Australia, pretty much due north of New Zealand and due east of the Philippines. Less than 700 miles north of the equator. It's WARM. It's in the high 70's at night and the high 80's in the day time. With the humidity, there is an index that puts it close to 100 degrees. I guess it's like wind and cold make the wind chill so humidity and heat make a thermal index(?) Definitely not a dry warm. Luckily breezes and winds blow about constantly. I'm told there will be days without a breeze and that's when it's really hot.
The only time it bothers me is when I am inside where it isn't air conditioned, a construction trailer or warehouse. Most offices, public facilities, commercial shops and personal rooms are very well air conditioned. Our rooms have dials instead of thermostats, 1-4 for cool and 1-4 for warm (WARM?)
The first week we had some orientation and paperwork, running around checking in for our meal card, rooms, phone numbers and mail boxes, - just getting connected to the system. I still need to get my drivers license and all day Thurs and Fri I'll get more orientation.
Work started out as maintenance and odd jobs with the Marshallese crews. The electric shop is about two thirds Marshallese. Toward the end of last week I was given a construction project to finish. The American that started it last fall died. The Marshallese who took it over is going on vacation to Arkansas for a month. Marshallese in Arkansas?
Is it just me, or does it sound weird to anyone else? It's a military intelligence office building. Did the dead guy know too much or too little and screw up too much?
Verrrrry interesting . . .
Because we're across the dateline, we work Tues. through Sat. to coordinate Mon. through Fri. with the States. I arrived about 6 PM on a Sat. and had the next two days off. I spent it riding a bicycle around the island and did pretty much the same thing the next weekend, although I did spend some time on the beach and in the (air conditioned ) gym.
This past weekend I made up for those first two.
Sun. morning, I was snorkeling with one of the other new electricians. No one can snorkel, scuba dive, or swim alone. We went in a couple hundred yards above a public beach and drifted down with the incoming tide. Spent about an hour and a half checkin' out the fish among the coral. I see different types of fish every time I go. Even saw a small green sea turtle.
There is an American Legion, Post 44, on the island. It's referred to as the Vets Hall. Sun. night they had a Cinco de Mayo celebration with a salsa competition. I don't know who won; I had to leave about - well, they were still going strong whatever time it was.
I had to get up early because our foreman, Rick, reserved a boat to take us newcomers fishing outside the reef on Monday morning. He told us to be there no later than 8 AM because by 8:01 he'd be motoring out. We were and he was.
We're talking some serious fishing, $1,100 reels, six inches in diameter with drags set around 50 pounds. Rick has already caught a 98 lb. tuna and a 103 lb. marlin with these rigs.
As happens on fishing trips, the big ones got away. I know, a typical fishing story. Anyway, Mark, the new electrician I'd been snorkeling with, managed to save us from shame and embarassment, pulling in a small tuna, maybe 10 lbs. Still, when we got to the dock, everyone razzed us about the 'bait' we brought back. That was about noon. At 3, I met Nate, the other new electrician, and Ross, who's number two in the electric shop, for 9 holes of golf at the Holmberg Fairways on the far side of the airfield. Down the left is the ocean, the runways are right and at the turn, the fenced unexploded ordinance area. Needless to say, when the ball is 'out of bounds' it's really out of out of bounds.
I played same as always, right handed. Other than 9 holes at the South Pole, it's my first golf since '05. I can honestly say my game hasn't changed a bit, not my slice, hook, fat shots, scalded shots, long or short putts. Gotta love it.
To date, the only problem was my computer connection. It took about 1 1/2 weeks to get IT to fix the problem, their setup, not my compuker (for a change). Boy, do I miss the IT staff in Antarctica - take a bow, Sara!
Now I'm hooked up - a dial-up connection at the blazing speed of 46 to 50 kbs. For those of you who forget dial-up or don't understand the speed reference, it's w-a-y slow. I guess it's good I'm trying a blog; it'd take forever to send letters and photos. Let's see if I can figure out blogging.
So, just another day in paradise. See ya next time.
