Absolutely terrible night of (not) sleep. Between failed attempts at pillow-making and the radio blaring nearby throughout the night, it was next to impossible to fall asleep! Next time, I must make sure to bring (or be 100% able to obtain) a proper pillow. Clothes in a bag does not qualify as a pillow. Looking back, I had similar a similar problem in Germany, but I didn't think much of it since the temperature was so nice there and since Regine gave me a pillow after the first day. I should have known better and/or listened to Mom's advice and brought a travel pillow.

Thanks be to God that Abi happened to be going to the store today and that, despite my belief that every night wold be similarly miserable, I asked her to look for a pillow, and she happened to find one! Without feathers! Mold, maybe, but we'll see.

Today, Brad and I spent the morning and early afternoon at our office in the school, polishing our survey and working out a number of logistical difficulties for the remaining days.

In some cases, we've expanded the scope of our operation while in others we've significantly decreased, as necessary. Overall, the water data gathering program looks demanding and effective, but there are still issues to address. For one, keeping track of our guide outside of our scheduled meetings (and sometimes even then) has been tough. I think I probably made a disturbance when I went looking after him at the primary school.

Boy was I dragging tail today, especially in the morning, even though I had my first bath in more days than I care to admit. I made sure to eat more food more frequently, and I felt a lot better for that reason. I am worried that our surveys (which will keep us away from home base most of the day) will lead to insufficient food, water, and rest. I will adjust accordingly.

After finishing our work, Brad and I played catch, eventually drawing the two other North American students and many little village children into the game, which quickly escalated into a full soccer match. I did trip on the dirt and scrape my right hand, but put antibacterial creme on it, washed my hands, took another (awesome feeling) shower, and put more antibacterial creme on it. I will let it air out tonight and put on a band aid tomorrow.

Food has been simple: rice (with or without a spicy soup on it), bananas, and bread mostly, with occasional potatoes, plantains, Clif Bars, and random food items (like beef jerky) from Dr. Bart.

Tomorrow, the work begins in earnest! Let's hope I'm smart and careful enough for everything to go smoothly!