Radio Silence

So, it's 8:25PM August 1st 2013 and some of you have doubtless noticed that I haven't done my post yet tonight. Why is that you ask? Well, a few reasons. I think the BIG one is that the Internet isn't working. It's not that it's not turned on. No, no. The phone line works, it has a DSL signal, and it claims to be connected to the Internet. It just isn't. The DSL router that I bought today (oh yes, bought... cash money) has some built in diagnostics that tell me it's up and connected. It just can't ping the DNS servers or reliably ping the default gateway. What does all that mean? It means the internet doesn't work...

So, I sit here typing away, not knowing when I'll be able to share this post (and perhaps several more) with you. Why am I bothering? Well, in a lot of ways this is a journal of our Dominican life. It's best to get my feelings “down on paper” even at the end of a very busy day that has left me completely drained. At least that's the theory I'm working from at the moment.

As is often the case, the story of today starts last night. Michelle (along with her mother and aunt) got word that it was Alec's birthday yesterday evening. At around 9PM Michelle (along with some of her siblings) showed up at the house with a cake. :)


The cake was delicious and the company wonderful. They hung around until around 11PM which, as most of you know, is way past my bed time. Still, I thought it best to stay up and enjoy myself because it might be our last night in Soufriere (at least for the time being). And so it proved to be in the end.

Still, that's to jump ahead a bit. For one thing it skimps the part where we found a tree frog in the batthroom.


That was right before bed.

Several hours later (but not quite eight) I got up and started getting geared up for work. I would have slept more, but Rachel got up and started packing things and basically drove me out of bed. Either way, once I was up I skipped most of my normal routine. I knew I wouldn't have time for it. I e-mailed most of the guys working on WoM (I only just considered the fact that I should have shot out a group e-mail to everyone) to let them know that getting in touch with me might be tricky for the next few days. I hopped on the forums long enough to let everyone know I might be gone for the weekend. I took a few pictures around Soufriere, mainly for the nostalgia of it. I also took a few of packed up luggage, lol.


After that was taken care of I hopped a bus and rode into Roseau. Where was I headed? The Lime office. I was suppose to get the Internet switched over to my name and make sure everything was going to be up and running when we got here. Well, after about half an hour's wait (keep in mind, this was my third trip into the office) I found out that neither of the two ladies who knew for a fact that I was authorized to take over the account were there. Now, that part isn't really a big deal. The Internet is still on out here. It wasn't turned off from when the last tenants had it on. However, they did take the working (or so I assume) DSL router with them. So, I had to buy one. Now, it's going to be my service, so buying a router to make use of it really didn't bother me. It was a little overpriced, but does have a powerful wireless hookup. The part where I got annoyed was when I got here, hooked it all up, saw all the little lights flash on in turn just like they should and found out the Internet wasn't actually working. I did log into the box and change the wireless password, but that's as much as I could do at the moment. What with the connection just refusing to work. I can only pray that they actually manage to get it working tomorrow. As you're reading this you know when the Internet got turned back on, but for me it's still a mystery.

Anyways, that's jumping ahead again. After I had purchased my new Lime DSL router I walked down to Safe Haven real estate to ask if it would be OK to drop off a load of stuff before I had made my full deposit. It was still early in the morning and we hoped to get on the road soon. It turned out that was hapless optimism, but there was no way of telling that at the time. They told me at the office that they didn't think it would be a problem and, shortly after, I hopped happily on a bus back to Soufriere.

Once I got home there was this and that to check on and help with. I had to go by the Bellot's and what have you. Hour after hour went by and almost before I realized it my money had come into Western Union. (Yes, WU gives you a time of day, not just a day.) Brother Freddy hadn't managed to get done with what he was doing and make it to the house yet, so I headed back into Roseau. While I was still in the WU office Freddy called to let me know he was on his way. I picked up my money and headed to the Safe Haven office. Shortly after I had made the deposit and signed the lease. A few minutes after that found me (and Gabriel who had run up town earlier with Michelle to help her carry things) on a bus headed back to Soufriere.

A little while after we got back Freddy arrived and we began to pack up the bus. We didn't get it all in one trip, but we got a lot. We took a few pictures on the ride.


While I was fighting the Internet (and Ben's computer, which decided to go nuts when we got here) Rachel and the kids went to check out one of the steams on the property. They also took a few pictures from one of the many balconies.


Once I had given up on the Internet and gotten Ben's computer up and running, thank the Lord, I took a few pictures around the house.


You'll have to forgive the photo quality. It seems the previous tenants only believed in 40watt soft glow light bulbs and didn't stress out if one or two or five burned out here or there. Light bubs are way up on my wish list right now. As are chairs, a mattress or two, forks, knives, plates, mouse pads, etc, etc, etc. We own almost nothing at the moment. Of course, the #1 item on my list is WORKING Internet. I hope to be able to do something about that tomorrow.

Anyways, it's now 9:14PM. I'm tired. Very super mega tired. I've learned a bit from all this, but I'm too exhausted to go into it now. Although I have no idea when you'll be reading this I assure you that on the night of August 1st 2013 I was wishing you a very good night from Dominica!