Snow Days

"Snow?" you say questioningly, perhaps with one eyebrow raised. "That doesn't seem likely on a tropical island." 

Well yes. But let's say there's no snow, but you're still not going anywhere.

It was a Monday morning. I woke up thinking it was an ordinary start to an ordinary week, but then my phone starting going off with multiple messages: unrest in town, school's been cancelled. Time to keep an ear to the ground on what's going on. Then I heard gunshots. Hmm, definitely not an ordinary Monday.

We don't normally hear gunshots here. Although I'd heard rumors of families with guns hidden away, weapons aren't a common sight on this island. Even the bank security guards are lucky to have a night stick. Normally they just sit slouched in a chair, looking bored. Occasionally unrest will involve rock throwing, but still... guns are an entirely different escalation.

As a team, we were planning on getting together throughout the week to focus on our language skills, but suddenly that plan was shelved and we were all staying home. I did some lesson planning, checked in with friends, made brownies, and read books.

 Throughout the day things continued to develop: trees had been cut down around the island to barricade the one main road, stopping all traffic. In the capital, the road was blocked with large rocks, broken cars, and random broken appliances. Gunmen were in the downtown area of the capital, shooting at any military who attempted to remove the barricades. At sundown the shooting stopped, and we all wondered "is this it? Will tomorrow be a normal day?"

Tuesday dawned quietly. A lot of people were wandering the streets, looking at the lay of the land. But they said the conflict wasn't over, so the decision was made to move the other single lady from her house (near the conflict) to my house (farther away). Before the move was accomplished, the first shots of the morning had been fired.

The routine of the rest of the week was pretty similar: wake up and check in with the neighbors about speculations for the day. Listen to the conflict from a distance (gunfire and RPGs, it sounded like). Watch Facebook and see what others were saying about the fighting. Check in with neighbors again. Read a book, watch a movie, talk with the neighbors again.

Oh, and brownies. We eventually ran out, and had to make some more. Those Pioneer Woman brownies are a delicious distraction!

By Thursday evening there was a ceasefire and peace negotiations were underway. By Friday a deal was announced. None of the rebel fighters accepted the deal, but the ceasefire gave them time to slip away. On Saturday, when the government announced the failure of the peace deal and that they were going in to take down the rebels completely, they entered the downtown area and found no fighters.

And with that the fighting was finished. Sunday, for the first time in a week, our team got together to worship. Was the reason for the conflict resolved? Not in the slightest. But they've quit shooting each other over it for now.

Fist bumps with my friend

Some thoughts related to all of this:
1) I'm super thankful for the team that I have and the way that we work together on things.
2) I'm super thankful for the neighbors and friends that I have here and the way that they helped me keep up with the unfolding situation. I had concerned friends checking in regularly to make sure that I was okay and had what I needed.
3) I'm super thankful for the friends and family I have back home who covered the situation before the Father.

Anyway, I might write late about what it feels like to be in a place with little journalistic integrity and a corrupt government. Right now I'm thankful that the fighting ended.

Now go make some fudgy brownies!