Friday, August 29, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
A Bug's Life
Ants, gnats, ladybugs, praying manti, flies. They're all very annoying, yet none capture the essence of the word "bug" like roaches do. I don't know how big they are in other places, but I have seen cockroaches that have nearly made me scream like a little girl. Emphasis on nearly. They're fast, huge, good at hiding, and darn hard to kill with anything lighter than a cinder block. Seemingly everywhere at once in the house, the devil mites are one of my least favorite things here (The list grows longer every day). I haven't seen any at the Academy, only at the place I'm living, in my closet, the walls, the bathroom, etc. Now I feel I can sympathize (if only somewhat) with anyone who has ever lived in an apartment in New York City. In short, i really really really really hate cockroaches.
Moving on, I have found that music has really kept me going these past few days. Soutout thanks to Tim, for giving me an inconceivable amount of new music to help me get to sleep when we have no power. You try to get to sleep in this humidity without John, Paul, George, and Ringo singing you to dreamland. And I'm serious this time; try it. It's not easy. School keeps going, youth group was really not good. And thats my week!! I'm going to try to update it every week, but if I'm not super inspired all the time, then that rpobably won't happen. So it probably won't happen. When something interesting happens, I'll post it, and if something uninteresting happens and I have something clever to say about it, then I'll post it as well. Now I'm gonna go see if I can bust through the rest of Wind Waker before the night is over. Happy Sunday to you all,
-Will
"You listen to me, my boy. I've made a living out of being a failure, and you, sir, are not a failure."
Moving on, I have found that music has really kept me going these past few days. Soutout thanks to Tim, for giving me an inconceivable amount of new music to help me get to sleep when we have no power. You try to get to sleep in this humidity without John, Paul, George, and Ringo singing you to dreamland. And I'm serious this time; try it. It's not easy. School keeps going, youth group was really not good. And thats my week!! I'm going to try to update it every week, but if I'm not super inspired all the time, then that rpobably won't happen. So it probably won't happen. When something interesting happens, I'll post it, and if something uninteresting happens and I have something clever to say about it, then I'll post it as well. Now I'm gonna go see if I can bust through the rest of Wind Waker before the night is over. Happy Sunday to you all,
-Will
"You listen to me, my boy. I've made a living out of being a failure, and you, sir, are not a failure."
Saturday, August 16, 2008
...phew. I type you after a long, long day. I slept in, went to the beach, had all three meals, and still managed to find time for a 7 hour Zelda-thon. 'Twas a good day.
You know, I've never been much of a beachgoer. In fact, I've gone as far as saying I hate beaches. Theres always a lot of sand, it's hot, the waters gross looking and tasting, sharks scare the crap out of me, etc. It's always been in Maine or Cape Cod (where there are the added bonus of rocks...) and I never could understand how people I knew from California and Florida, and, you know, all my Jamaican friends, seemed to love the beach. That's why they love summer. It's hot and you could go to the beach every day. But now, in the land of 65 percent constant humidity, I begin to realize the fascination that some possess with beaches. It's awesome! There's waves, you can boogie board, or if you're more like me, lay down a towel, plop yourself down, and get engrossed in a good book while building a tan that would make David Hasslehoff proud. And no, I've never gotten a tan. Or read a book at the beach. Maybe my favorite part of the beach is that its not school!
And, now for the news of the day. (It's my blog, I can make stuff up all I want. When you have one, you'll understand)
"Hey, have you given up? We don't mean just depressed. We're talking to those of you who are ready take the precious gift that each day of life is, attempt to put it back in its clamshell packaging and return it for store credit. Then you might just be ready to take on the Pandemonium Warden, a newly added Final Fantasy XI boss that guild Beyond the Limitation plugged away at for 18 hours before finally giving up the fight. They estimate that with 5 or 6 more hours of work they could have finished the job. "People were passing out and getting physically ill," guild leaders said. "We decided to end it before we risked turning into a horrible new story about how video games ruin people's lives." So, to recap: There's a boss in Final Fantasy XI that's so tough that people who play Final Fantasy XI enough to be in a guild don't think it's worth their time. Moreover, he was so difficult it was enough to force them to start making responsible choices with their lives. Mother Brain, you can consider yourself trumped. -- Justin McElroy, Joystiq" (taken from Kombo.com)
18 hours. Plus 6. equals 24 hours. I don't know how many people can even fathom that. I just played Wind Waker for 7 hours (with dinner and two bathroom breaks) and I'm exhausted. That's and entire day. Not only just playing a video game, but doing the same thing, in a video game. I'm going to go hit the hay while those of you who still have 2 hours of daylight ahead of you let that sink fully and completely in. Stay super-duper, internets.
-Will
"I would just like to establish the fact that I am a purple person"
You know, I've never been much of a beachgoer. In fact, I've gone as far as saying I hate beaches. Theres always a lot of sand, it's hot, the waters gross looking and tasting, sharks scare the crap out of me, etc. It's always been in Maine or Cape Cod (where there are the added bonus of rocks...) and I never could understand how people I knew from California and Florida, and, you know, all my Jamaican friends, seemed to love the beach. That's why they love summer. It's hot and you could go to the beach every day. But now, in the land of 65 percent constant humidity, I begin to realize the fascination that some possess with beaches. It's awesome! There's waves, you can boogie board, or if you're more like me, lay down a towel, plop yourself down, and get engrossed in a good book while building a tan that would make David Hasslehoff proud. And no, I've never gotten a tan. Or read a book at the beach. Maybe my favorite part of the beach is that its not school!
And, now for the news of the day. (It's my blog, I can make stuff up all I want. When you have one, you'll understand)
"Hey, have you given up? We don't mean just depressed. We're talking to those of you who are ready take the precious gift that each day of life is, attempt to put it back in its clamshell packaging and return it for store credit. Then you might just be ready to take on the Pandemonium Warden, a newly added Final Fantasy XI boss that guild Beyond the Limitation plugged away at for 18 hours before finally giving up the fight. They estimate that with 5 or 6 more hours of work they could have finished the job. "People were passing out and getting physically ill," guild leaders said. "We decided to end it before we risked turning into a horrible new story about how video games ruin people's lives." So, to recap: There's a boss in Final Fantasy XI that's so tough that people who play Final Fantasy XI enough to be in a guild don't think it's worth their time. Moreover, he was so difficult it was enough to force them to start making responsible choices with their lives. Mother Brain, you can consider yourself trumped. -- Justin McElroy, Joystiq" (taken from Kombo.com)
18 hours. Plus 6. equals 24 hours. I don't know how many people can even fathom that. I just played Wind Waker for 7 hours (with dinner and two bathroom breaks) and I'm exhausted. That's and entire day. Not only just playing a video game, but doing the same thing, in a video game. I'm going to go hit the hay while those of you who still have 2 hours of daylight ahead of you let that sink fully and completely in. Stay super-duper, internets.
-Will
"I would just like to establish the fact that I am a purple person"
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Do
....lalalala life goes on. I once wrote "When life gives you lemons, Miyamoto give us Zelda." To that, I give a resounding "oo-rah." I'm now at the last boss of Minish Cap, and after I beat it, then onto the middle of Wind Waker. Thank god for those games. And my iPod. Anyways...
So, first impressions of DA...besides whatI wrote/relayed yesterday? Well, let's see. The lockers are ridicuoulsy small and poorly placed. The whole place is built like a giant fortress. 10 foot tall, white washed wall surrounding it with an entire security force and bars on every window. I know theft is a big deal, but still. Everyone seems very plastic faced. I don't know if I just forgot how much I hate school, or if this is really that much worse. But even just the first two days were just so...taxing. I walk home feeling as if I just got off a few rounds of the life-sucker from The Princess Bride. I guess I'll give it a week or so before I say I hate it, but it's off to a bad start. No music class? And no, I don't count handbells as a music program. I'm really starting to realize how much I took Quebec for granted. That place was really cool and I made friends there in like 30 seconds. Here, I don't know, people are generally friendly but everyone already knows everyone else. It seems like its going to be hard to get in the loop. Anywho, I'm going to go catch up on some sleep and dream of a Dakar Gamestop branch and drinking water straight from the tap. Nighty-Night!
So, first impressions of DA...besides whatI wrote/relayed yesterday? Well, let's see. The lockers are ridicuoulsy small and poorly placed. The whole place is built like a giant fortress. 10 foot tall, white washed wall surrounding it with an entire security force and bars on every window. I know theft is a big deal, but still. Everyone seems very plastic faced. I don't know if I just forgot how much I hate school, or if this is really that much worse. But even just the first two days were just so...taxing. I walk home feeling as if I just got off a few rounds of the life-sucker from The Princess Bride. I guess I'll give it a week or so before I say I hate it, but it's off to a bad start. No music class? And no, I don't count handbells as a music program. I'm really starting to realize how much I took Quebec for granted. That place was really cool and I made friends there in like 30 seconds. Here, I don't know, people are generally friendly but everyone already knows everyone else. It seems like its going to be hard to get in the loop. Anywho, I'm going to go catch up on some sleep and dream of a Dakar Gamestop branch and drinking water straight from the tap. Nighty-Night!
-Will
"It's not my fault being the biggest and the strongest. I don't even exercise."
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
First Day of School
Sorry for the completely unoriginal title, but just a quick entry for today, seeing as I do have HOMEWORK on the first day as well as about 76 syllabi for me and my parents to sign. I just thought I'd share with you some of my personal favorite entries to the "Dakar Academy Student/Parent Handbook", some of which made me actually laugh out loud*.
Skin-tight clothing, transparent clothing, and clothing with rips or ragged edges are unacceptable.
-Pretty basic rule, not that I could see any of the stereotypical missionary kids that fill the white fortress walls to the brim wearing anything "transparent"
Undergarments must be worn and must be completely covered by outer clothing.
-No commandos in the army this year, sarge.
Pictures and logos on shirts must conform to the christian philosophy of the school.
-Must I even touch this one? Forget the ridiculousness of the actual rule, they even said the word "conform"
now I'm not done with the dress code yet, but let's check some other rules and regulations out, shall we?
Under "Public Display of Affection"
Out of common courtesy and in consideration of all residents, there will be no romantic expression of affection that would include hugging, kissing, embracing, holding hands, etc.
- Besides my general aversion to this rule, I would just like to point something out, just in case you haven't noticed. From the text,
"that would include HUGGING, kissing, EMBRACING, holding hands, etc."
I don't know if there's a special difference here, or if they've had problems with hugging (or embracing!!) in the past, but whatever the cause, I thought I'd point that out.
No dances will be sponsored by or allowed on Dakar Academy Property. Students are not to dance when they are in a group that represents Dakar Academy.
- At the West Africa track meet? NO DANCING. On campus, listenin' to tunes? NO DANCING. Just gotta boogie? find your way of of the big white prison because there is NO DANCING here.
Keep in mind this part is after the dress code. Theres a whole hierarchy of 4 step discipline plans, for both the school and individual classes. Yet:
Dress Code Violations: Incidents of serious misconduct may warrant more serious disciplinary measure; therefore progressive discipline steps may be by-passed.
And, on with the dress code:
Pajama pants are not appropriate school attire.
-I gotta hand it to em on this one, they're the only school I've been to where thats actually been in the dress code, not just "frowned upon." There goes Will's Pajama Day.
Now this one's gonna take a while to type, and, while reading (aloud), you're only allowed to breathe at the periods, and must speak as if it's just one long word.
Shorts are to be measured from the back of the knee to the crook of the thumb when the hand and thumb are held in an "L" position. This is approximately 4 inches above the knee. If one has a particularly long hand, then measure with a ruler, rather than one's hand. Shorts cannot be rolled or pulled up. Sophees brand or its equivalent are not acceptable.
- I miss the charter days when the "longer than arms laid down rule" was the norm. That up there is quite a mouthful, eh?
Spandex clothing is generally unacceptable
-Well, CRAP!
Well, turned out to be longer than expected. Just had to get those rules out there to mkae sure they're not some big prank on me. Hope you've enjoyed, I'll probably give my actual thoughts about school later. Happy interwebing!
-Will
"Going to learn, to get some knowledge!!"
-Marlin, Finding Nemo
* Please keep in mind that if you, the reader, laughs out loud during this blog post, do not give the credit to me. The parts in bold are all directly out of the handbook, so give all due credit to the Dakar Academy school administrative staff. I didn't make this stuff up.
Skin-tight clothing, transparent clothing, and clothing with rips or ragged edges are unacceptable.
-Pretty basic rule, not that I could see any of the stereotypical missionary kids that fill the white fortress walls to the brim wearing anything "transparent"
Undergarments must be worn and must be completely covered by outer clothing.
-No commandos in the army this year, sarge.
Pictures and logos on shirts must conform to the christian philosophy of the school.
-Must I even touch this one? Forget the ridiculousness of the actual rule, they even said the word "conform"
now I'm not done with the dress code yet, but let's check some other rules and regulations out, shall we?
Under "Public Display of Affection"
Out of common courtesy and in consideration of all residents, there will be no romantic expression of affection that would include hugging, kissing, embracing, holding hands, etc.
- Besides my general aversion to this rule, I would just like to point something out, just in case you haven't noticed. From the text,
"that would include HUGGING, kissing, EMBRACING, holding hands, etc."
I don't know if there's a special difference here, or if they've had problems with hugging (or embracing!!) in the past, but whatever the cause, I thought I'd point that out.
No dances will be sponsored by or allowed on Dakar Academy Property. Students are not to dance when they are in a group that represents Dakar Academy.
- At the West Africa track meet? NO DANCING. On campus, listenin' to tunes? NO DANCING. Just gotta boogie? find your way of of the big white prison because there is NO DANCING here.
Keep in mind this part is after the dress code. Theres a whole hierarchy of 4 step discipline plans, for both the school and individual classes. Yet:
Dress Code Violations: Incidents of serious misconduct may warrant more serious disciplinary measure; therefore progressive discipline steps may be by-passed.
And, on with the dress code:
Pajama pants are not appropriate school attire.
-I gotta hand it to em on this one, they're the only school I've been to where thats actually been in the dress code, not just "frowned upon." There goes Will's Pajama Day.
Now this one's gonna take a while to type, and, while reading (aloud), you're only allowed to breathe at the periods, and must speak as if it's just one long word.
Shorts are to be measured from the back of the knee to the crook of the thumb when the hand and thumb are held in an "L" position. This is approximately 4 inches above the knee. If one has a particularly long hand, then measure with a ruler, rather than one's hand. Shorts cannot be rolled or pulled up. Sophees brand or its equivalent are not acceptable.
- I miss the charter days when the "longer than arms laid down rule" was the norm. That up there is quite a mouthful, eh?
Spandex clothing is generally unacceptable
-Well, CRAP!
Well, turned out to be longer than expected. Just had to get those rules out there to mkae sure they're not some big prank on me. Hope you've enjoyed, I'll probably give my actual thoughts about school later. Happy interwebing!
-Will
"Going to learn, to get some knowledge!!"
-Marlin, Finding Nemo
* Please keep in mind that if you, the reader, laughs out loud during this blog post, do not give the credit to me. The parts in bold are all directly out of the handbook, so give all due credit to the Dakar Academy school administrative staff. I didn't make this stuff up.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Hell on Earth- Now With 100% more Soulja Boi
Just when I thought I had escaped the song that was the bane of my very existence for a few long months, it follows me halfway around the world, to the beach, from a monitor the size of the boat we took to the island.
After a nightmarish first day, things have been a little better, though not any cooler, since then. We went to the beach on...Saturday, I think, and that was actually a lot of fun. Of course, at our houses, it was another incredibly hot day, so once we got into the cool, clear water, all the worries of taking a taxi, a ferry, and a short walk in a place that barely speaks your second language, washed cleanly away. The water was beautiful, cold, and clear, which was good because black sea urchins are apparently a big problem and "they really really hurt."
After a nice day at the beach, it was time to change and jump right into ping pong. The ersatz ping pong table (two large green wooden boards on a table) is easily my favorite new feature of the house, though the gecko infestation is a close 2nd. I'm the best of me and my brothers, although Sam has beaten me a few times. We've played that more than the Wii since its been set up, and those of you reading this who know me and my brothers well should be pretty shocked by that. We'll miss it when we move into our actual place in January.
And one other thing before I go; the housemaids. Of course, growing up in southern Massachusetts, I have not ever had a maid or housewife or whatever you wanna call em. And to say that there are pros and cons to hiring one, would be a complete, overwhelming, understatement. Lets see, so I'm not allowed to walk around in my own house without being completely clothed. And, no, I don't walk around naked, you try getting business done when your own shirt is drenched with sweat! The natural reaction is to take your shirt off! And the both of em cleaned the only 2 bathrooms out of 5 with working showers right when I was trying to take one. And the traditional African dish they made for us on Friday had chicken of questionable...everything in it, along with some other unrecognizable little....things. But you bite into one of those juicy homemade burgers, in the middle of fresh, warm, homemade buns, next to your crispy homemade fries, crafted from potatoes you bought 2 hours ago, and tell me that the housemaids are a bit annoying. Didn't think so. I rest my case.
-Will
P.S.- The housemaids, by the way, are very nice ladies, and if they spoke english I'm sure we could have some engaging conversations. Don't let me paint em as bad people, I'm just not used to em yet.
"I am the gatekeeper of my own destiny, and I will have my glory day in the hot sun."
- Jack Black, Nacho Libre
After a nightmarish first day, things have been a little better, though not any cooler, since then. We went to the beach on...Saturday, I think, and that was actually a lot of fun. Of course, at our houses, it was another incredibly hot day, so once we got into the cool, clear water, all the worries of taking a taxi, a ferry, and a short walk in a place that barely speaks your second language, washed cleanly away. The water was beautiful, cold, and clear, which was good because black sea urchins are apparently a big problem and "they really really hurt."
After a nice day at the beach, it was time to change and jump right into ping pong. The ersatz ping pong table (two large green wooden boards on a table) is easily my favorite new feature of the house, though the gecko infestation is a close 2nd. I'm the best of me and my brothers, although Sam has beaten me a few times. We've played that more than the Wii since its been set up, and those of you reading this who know me and my brothers well should be pretty shocked by that. We'll miss it when we move into our actual place in January.
And one other thing before I go; the housemaids. Of course, growing up in southern Massachusetts, I have not ever had a maid or housewife or whatever you wanna call em. And to say that there are pros and cons to hiring one, would be a complete, overwhelming, understatement. Lets see, so I'm not allowed to walk around in my own house without being completely clothed. And, no, I don't walk around naked, you try getting business done when your own shirt is drenched with sweat! The natural reaction is to take your shirt off! And the both of em cleaned the only 2 bathrooms out of 5 with working showers right when I was trying to take one. And the traditional African dish they made for us on Friday had chicken of questionable...everything in it, along with some other unrecognizable little....things. But you bite into one of those juicy homemade burgers, in the middle of fresh, warm, homemade buns, next to your crispy homemade fries, crafted from potatoes you bought 2 hours ago, and tell me that the housemaids are a bit annoying. Didn't think so. I rest my case.
-Will
P.S.- The housemaids, by the way, are very nice ladies, and if they spoke english I'm sure we could have some engaging conversations. Don't let me paint em as bad people, I'm just not used to em yet.
"I am the gatekeeper of my own destiny, and I will have my glory day in the hot sun."
- Jack Black, Nacho Libre
Thursday, August 7, 2008
If I had a Nickel...
...for every freakin' time someone told me how much I was going to enjoy Africa, I would play golf with Bill Gates every Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, this is not the case. After the best month of my entire life, we have taken our leave and flew to Africa on wednesday morning, August 6th. It's hard to believe that was just yesterday. We landed today, technically, after 20 hours of being in the airport or on a plane, and were assissted by some helpers the Adamson's had hired because of the 27 bags we had in total.
As we were walking out (6 a.m. Senegal time), there were about 30 guys waiting outside the airport to "help" with baggage. Basically a big "bleed the white men of their money" game. I was never too good at that one. I was carrying my backpack, my manpurse, and the carry-on with the Wii and many accessories in it, so basically all my most valuable items on earth were right there in my hands. So you could probably imagine that I was a little touchy when anyone came anywhere near me. But then it got really fun. I was taking up the rear for some reason unbeknownst to me, and this was about when, during the 5 minute walk to the cars, that some dude came up behind me and decided he was going to "help" with my rolling carry-on. And you'd better believe I was going to strike that man downbefore I gave him possession of one of the few things thatkept my sanity in Quebec, and as I'm pretty sure will here. After a couple minutes of trying to reply his mumbled french and incredibly broken english with my terrible french, and dad saying "no" once to him at one single point in time, the cars pulled up and we started to put our stuff in. Thanks so much for all the help, mom and dad.
Then, at 6:30 (which was 2:30 Boston time), everyone decided it was high freakin' time for some tea and biscuits. It's not like I've been hauling crap around all day, and I sure as Seth Rogen don't want to go crash at our apartment, or that I haven't slept for 24 hours. No, really, let's go have some breakfast!!!
So, finally, 3 meals, 3 power outages, 2 naps, several trips to the Adamson's, and a few e-mails later, here I am at the laptop, telling you about my first day here. Oh, and its really really hot and humid. Let's just hope we can find a voltage adapter so I can plug the Wii in and spend some quality sanity time with my favorite little white box.
-Dazed and Confused
"First impressions are often entirely...wrong"
-Lemony Snicket
As we were walking out (6 a.m. Senegal time), there were about 30 guys waiting outside the airport to "help" with baggage. Basically a big "bleed the white men of their money" game. I was never too good at that one. I was carrying my backpack, my manpurse, and the carry-on with the Wii and many accessories in it, so basically all my most valuable items on earth were right there in my hands. So you could probably imagine that I was a little touchy when anyone came anywhere near me. But then it got really fun. I was taking up the rear for some reason unbeknownst to me, and this was about when, during the 5 minute walk to the cars, that some dude came up behind me and decided he was going to "help" with my rolling carry-on. And you'd better believe I was going to strike that man downbefore I gave him possession of one of the few things thatkept my sanity in Quebec, and as I'm pretty sure will here. After a couple minutes of trying to reply his mumbled french and incredibly broken english with my terrible french, and dad saying "no" once to him at one single point in time, the cars pulled up and we started to put our stuff in. Thanks so much for all the help, mom and dad.
Then, at 6:30 (which was 2:30 Boston time), everyone decided it was high freakin' time for some tea and biscuits. It's not like I've been hauling crap around all day, and I sure as Seth Rogen don't want to go crash at our apartment, or that I haven't slept for 24 hours. No, really, let's go have some breakfast!!!
So, finally, 3 meals, 3 power outages, 2 naps, several trips to the Adamson's, and a few e-mails later, here I am at the laptop, telling you about my first day here. Oh, and its really really hot and humid. Let's just hope we can find a voltage adapter so I can plug the Wii in and spend some quality sanity time with my favorite little white box.
-Dazed and Confused
"First impressions are often entirely...wrong"
-Lemony Snicket
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