appelsbosch

a little more about the campus. some of this is from the friends who have lived here all along and are telling everyone with t-shirts emblazoned "i survived the bosch". some of it is from my first week here.

estelle "it's what i think living in a cloud would be like". the campus is located in a hilly area and mists often settle around it. the last three days have been grey, with a constant fine mist wetting everything and everyone who is outside, and actual mist clouds surrounding and blocking views at times. it is cool (although that to me is a welcome relief from the humidity/heat blanket that sat on us on sunday).

dorms...you know, i didn't even do the dorm thing when i went to university so doing it now is a bit interesting. thankfully, i have a single room (a luxury considering on ship i will share with 3 other ladies). there are toilets and showers on each floor but they are shared so you may be brushing your teeth when someone walks out of the toilet stall behind you. not as bad in the girls only dorm or boys only dorm as the family/couple dorms where you may have some guy wander out of the toilet while you're brushing your teeth.

water...when i first arrived, we were on a bit of a restriction as the area was having to divert water away from the hospital to the campus (hmmmm, the nurse in me doesn't like that even if it meant no shower for me). this has been an ongoing struggle for those who've been here the last many months when there would be days without water. in fact, in the galley/dining room, we had to fill large vats of water in case the water should go out again so we would have water to cook with and drink. but, it has been running well since the first few days of my time here.

internet...sluggish and occasionally just doesn't work. nothing new there really.

bugs...i think i acquired 10 mosquito bites the first night, all on my left side. and over the days a few more bites, not all mosquitoes. there are bugs around called termites that swarm occasionally. in the few moments it took to close my windows the other night, we had 5 come in. which was 5 too many but apparently only a minor swarm. they come in and shed their wings and mate and crawl around. the next morning lots of wings littered the corridors. not a fan of those things for sure.

other aspects are similar to ship life or community living minus the constant hum of the generators in the background or the gentle rocking. tuesday morning and thursday evening meetings. hanging out in central area (gym here, mid-ships on-board) to access internet or play games. gathering in someone's room/cabin to watch a video. dining at the same time every meal with people who you wouldn't see in the "real world" like your next-door neighbor or your friend's kid's teacher or the banker.

from my friends' blogs/newsletters/emails, in the first few months, they were very isolated here. not able to get out and about and adding in the frustrations with internet and water and decreased crew, it was the struggles of "missional" living without the benefits of actually being involved with the local culture. although the restrictions have largely lifted and especially with the daily trips to the ship for preparation for moving back on board, it isn't quite the same frustration but there are many here who are burnt out and just done. i don't have that same frustration but i am with them on saying i can't wait to get back on ship. (of course since everything isn't quite up and running, when we get back to the ship, it will be interesting but more about that once i've experienced it ;-) hehehe)