Mother Nature Gets the “Last Laugh”

Focus.  Planning.  Mental preparation.  Coordination with your teammate and the NGO.  Look ahead, but don’t wish the week away.  Check & recheck the daily calendar.  These are all thoughts that continue to swirl around in my head.  The “finish line” is less than 6 days away.  Sunday’s activities are critical and will contribute to a successful week and a successful month in Uberlandia.

Members of the CSC Team had plans throughout the entire day and night, but I felt it was critical, for me, to be “uber” productive on Sunday.  (Pun intended.)  When I awoke, logging on to LotusNotes and wading through my IBM e-mail was the first order of business.  (Checked that task off of my “To Do” list.)  After that, I caught up on my blogs.  Saturday required two separate blogs, Part I & Part II, because it was chock full of activity.  (Check.  Done.) 

In lieu of taking a bunch of laundry to the lavanderia around the corner from the hotel, I opted to do some hand washing in my hotel room.  Since my big travel weekend back to Tampa was less than a week away, I just needed to clean a small load of laundry by hand.   (Another "To Do" marked complete.) 

At 11:30AM, having been up since 6:30AM BST, it was time to make a run to the supermarket.  (Ironically and interestingly, the grocery store is located on the bottom, bottom floor of the local shopping plaza.)  When I left the hotel, it was a bit overcast, but also partly sunny too.  To get to the market only requires a brisk 12 – 15 minute walk.  When I went into the building, the weather was dry.  When I came out, the skies opened up and I had no choice but to head back in the rain. 

Here’s the “gotcha” part of my story.  When I was packing in Tampa, prior to even getting on the plane, my wife told me to pack my rain coat (i.e., a wind breaker, of sorts).  For the first 23 days, it was hot and dry, hot and dry, and hot and dry.  There may have been a little bit of rain sprinkled in here and there, but I never had to wear my rain jacket.  Well, on Sunday, M.N. (Mother Nature) got the last laugh.  When you least expect it, she’ll get ya’!!! 

It was about 2:30PM BST when I finally arrived back at my room.  From that point on to when my head hit the pillow, (other than when I Skype’d with my wife and 2 daughters for about 90 minutes), I was working on our documents and deliverables for the Ipe Institute. 

Our last Monday in Uberlandia is "right around the corner"...   

Evening Sky Over Uberlandia:

      

          

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