Stories from Jungle Camp- Part 3

Things seemed to settle down in Jungle Camp the second week. We started to get into a routine and that really helped. One thing that had to be done by the second week was laundry! We had let it pile up for too long, so we bit the bullet and spent the afternoon doing it together. First you have to place the laundry in the agitator (a 50-gallon barrel cut in half). You fill it with soap and water and agitate for 15 minutes. Then you drain and do a rinse for 5 minutes. Jeff was really set on getting everything clean that first time, so we did a second wash and then two rinses. After that we had to hand ring out all the clothes and hang them to dry out on clothes lines. This whole process took us about 4 hours total. It was tiring, but a good workout for Jeff!

The agenda for week 2 also included 3 mandatory days of study. For three consecutive days we were each required to study for 6 hours in the day. In order for us to make this work we had to split the day up to keep the boys occupied. I started each morning between 7 and 8 and studied until 12. Jeff kept the boys out of the house playing in the sandpit or seeing the cows in the nearby pasture. At 12 the boys would all come back for lunch and then naps. During nap time I would finish my 6 hours and Jeff would begin his. Then when nap time was over I would take the boys out until Jeff was done. While we both appreciated the concentrated study time, it was hard with the two boys.

The week ended with a night around the campfire and a game night! We always had fun getting together with our classmates for games and hangout times! Well that pretty much sums up week two.

Stories from Jungle Camp- Part 2

That first week the "big" event was a staff open house on Wednesday. We had to make sure to have our house in order so that staff on campus could come up and walk through our house. We managed to get a table up, curtains in the windows, covers over the cushions, carpet on the floor and some basic organization. We were told before jungle camp started to invite a staff family over for dinner, so we had that to look forward to as well. It was nice to see many of the staff and it also pushed us to get our house in order even quicker.

At the end of the first week we had a chicken kill. A couple donated a chicken for each household and then two people came up to jungle camp to demonstrate how to kill and prepare a chicken. We were not really looking forward to this event, but we had no choice as to whether or not we would participate. Initially we thought each house had to take care of their own chicken, but thankfully they let people who really wanted to do it step up to the challenge while those of us who wanted no part in it could stand back and watch.

For some reason, maybe pregnancy, maybe just the stress of the first week, I could not go near the chicken kill area without bursting into tears. I am not an animal lover, so it was not the fact that chickens were dying. I really can't explain it, but it was a very hard experience for me, one I hope to never repeat.

This basically sums up our first week. Here are a few more pictures from that time:

These barrels became our non-electrical refrigerator

This is what our bed looked like under our mattress

Swimming with warm water since it was not very hot out

Jeff holding a chicken by the feet

We charged our car battery here everyday with solar power

Stories from Jungle Camp- Part 1

Well we have officially been set free from our month long isolated adventure known as Jungle Camp! There are a lot of details and stories to tell, but I won't try to do that all in one post. I will put up some photos and tell some of the story over the next few weeks or so.

When we first got up to jungle camp our house was a wreck. The shelves that I had labored over for many hours weaving one at a time we all sagging terribly. As were our counter tops. This meant that all the stuff Jeff had carried up there was barely being held up. What a disappointment that was. Also we did not get to finish everything that needed to be done, so we were scrambling for the first several days to make the house livable. We did not have a table yet to eat on, the shelves had to be fixed, we had no electricity set up yet, we did not have rain flaps (which help keep the house warm at night and protect against rain), we still had dirt floors (later got covered with carpet) and all of our stuff was everywhere. It felt and looked like we were living in a construction site. Our first night of sleep was awful as our bed was sagging in the middle. Also Carsten had a hard night, spending about 2 hours crying for no real reason that we are aware of. This all added up to make for a very overwhelming first few days there. Once we got things set up a bit better we were able to decorate and really make our house a home. Here are some pictures that help sum up our first week of living in jungle camp.

Our porch looking more like a work site

Celebrating Jeff's birthday!

Finally got carpet to cover the dirt floor

Carsten helping to start the morning fire

Rylan with two of the many caterpillars he found daily

Happy after being able to take my first shower 3 days in!