Rain, Juice, Rain, Indian, Rain...

February 16, 4:00 PM

It's raining heavily.

So much water in one second on one square meter. I've never seen anything like it, let alone felt it on myself. You know those jets in the swimming pool where you stand under and let it massage your neck and shoulders. You can imagine something like that, only standing outside in full clothing, with the rain not only splashing on your shoulders but also on your head, and getting completely wet in less than 1 second. What do we do? Finish our volleyball game that we started with the missionary children and other staff members. The rain is warm, everything is steaming, we don't get cold, so why let the rain ruin the fun! We're already wet anyway :-)

As we go back into the house, it has almost stopped raining. It's just drizzling now.

We still have bananas, frozen mango meat from Ági, and 2 very ripe mamaos from which we mix ourselves a Succo de Vitaminas (English: smoothie) after changing into new clothes (which, by the way, are not dry but warm and smelly due to the 80-90% humidity). Very delicious!!! By the way, here everyone who has a bit of money has a satellite dish and a television, as well as a blender. There are blenders in all designs, sizes, wattages, and colors. Brazil has a big culture of drinking juice. Maybe the reason for this is the enormous amount of fruits that ripen daily and the heat, which makes you need to drink a lot. Or the rapidly changing nature (everything develops extremely quickly, grass grows so that you can watch it, wounds heal visibly from hour to hour, and so on and so forth). But what must not be missing in any juice in Brazil is Acucar (sugar), which is in juices and also in anything edible (that is not definitely salty). I've tried some sweets (those who know me better know that I don't like sweets much and simply don't enjoy them :-) ) and actually found them all too sweet. Many sweets are made with egg yolk and sugar, or sugar and gelatin, or sugar and milk. One must like it ;-)

5:15 PM

While we hang our wet clothes in the emerging sunshine, the earth steams and releases the moisture it received from the rain directly back into the air. No wonder the humidity here is so high!

6:35 PM

It's getting dark, the mosquitoes are buzzing, you have to apply mosquito repellent since mosquitoes are carriers and main transmitters of all kinds of diseases.

8:12 PM

We sit together, discussing important topics, suddenly the Brazilian volunteer screams and points behind me: a tarantula, huge, hairy, diameter of 15 cm, and the sheer horror for me. (I'm so terrified of spiders that I feel really nauseous when I see such thick hairy creatures). Thank God this spider is outside our mosquito net, but still, it gives me the creeps. Ugh...and yet. For some reason, God created these animals and in quite a large number and in many species. So these little creatures also have their role in the world, in nature, and are certainly important in the mosquito food chain. My sister then tells me that just a week before I arrived, she found such a creature in her bathroom (OUR bathroom). Eww yuck, from now on I will carefully inspect the bathroom before going in! (Of course, to the mockery of all flatmates, but I really don't care!)

9:48 PM

Oh, by the way, it has started raining again as if there's no tomorrow. I'm curious how the river will look tomorrow, this morning it was only 5 cm away from overflowing.

10:24 PM

I'm lying in bed, trying to ignore the sound of the rain, but it's so beautifully monotonous...that sound...makes me calmer and calmer...my eyes are slowly closing...rain.

February 17, 8:14 AM

It's still pouring...is it really still raining?

The air is even more humid than yesterday, my bedsheet sticks to me, my hair too, everything is damp, wet, and sticky. This is the Amazon.

11:26 AM

It has stopped raining and Ágnes and I are trying to start the washing machine, hoping that the sun will come out later and dry our clothes.

12:43 PM

The sun is still taking its time, but it will be very warm later! I can feel it. Nature can feel it too. After the rain, everything grows and blooms, rustles and chirps twice as fast and loud!

1:20 PM

The first Indian family has arrived, Vanderlei with his wife and son. Vanderlei is one of the teachers from the Bible school, which has been organized by DIPM here for several years now.

Tonight, a larger group (about 10 people) will arrive, who are currently on the last day of their 5-day canoe trip on the Rio Madeira.

3:24 PM

By the way, it's really hot now, the sun is scorching from the sky and you have the strong desire for cold Agua de Cocó.

Ági, Chrissi, and I are looking for a suitable palm tree from which we will pluck our 3 coconuts.

Hahaaaa...it's not that easy, we're trying with a big jungle knife, a small cleaver, and a long metal rod with a hook at the end.

4:08 PM

We have successfully harvested our 3 coconuts, you can already hear thunder in the distance and individual raindrops slowly but with increasing frequency fall on us. Great! Quickly bring in the laundry before it gets completely wet again. By the way, it's almost dry (and that's really good here!).

4:23 PM

Now these nuts need to be cracked, which is not so easy because the coconut, as we know it, is inside the fruit. You have to first split this woody "flesh" that you can also see in the picture, or find a good angle, so that you not only split the woody part but also make a hole in the nut.

4:43 PM

The nuts are cracked and we have about 150 ml of Agua de Cocó, which we naturally share among ourselves.

The rain is getting heavier, but I want to get the coconut flesh out. We quickly crack open all the nuts and then quickly go into the house.

5:50 PM

I've just finished hollowing out the coconuts. It was quite a bit of work. Slowly, I begin to understand why my favorite drink for night duty (Innocent 1L coconut water), coconut flakes, or any other coconut products are so expensive. Obtaining them is hard labor.

6:35 PM

I have freed one coconut from the fibrous flesh and now try to work on the hard wood with a coarse file, a fine file, and some sandpaper. This is also exhausting, but you can see:

7:41 PM

It's worth the effort! The first piece of jewelry is already finished.

Oh, I actually forgot to mention that it has been pouring rain again for about 2 and a half hours?

I really hope the river holds up until all the Indians arrive here at the mission station.

8:00 PM

After a cold, very refreshing shower (by the way, there is no warm water here), I decide to make delicious coconut-mango sorbet for tomorrow. So mango puree, coconut flesh, some water in the blender. Blend finely. Fill into an old margarine container and put it in the freezer.

I know who will be eating delicious dessert tomorrow :-D

11:11 PM

Normally, I would already be asleep at this time (especially here in Porto Velho) but I can't fall asleep yet. It's thunderstorming quite a bit and with every thunderclap, it feels like the walls of our really sturdy wooden house are shaking. Above me, the rain is still pattering loudly on the roof. Amidst all these noises, somewhere you can hear the dogs barking, probably announcing the arrival of the 10 new Indians.

These are just two normal days in the Amazon ;-)