I may be in over my head

This week has actually seen a lot of action. Coming back from Voi on Sunday, the matatu went over a bump and one of the wheels fell off. We just sat in the middle of nowhere and waited two hours until it was fixed. All part of the experience, I suppose. I was a tad wary of getting back on this vehicle, but much more wary of staying in the middle of nowhere.

I did a chemistry lab on Wednesday on equilibrium involving chromate and dichromate solutions. The point I didn't realize is that chromate leaves a healthy stain on the skin. No damage or anything, but I still have 5 big yellow splotches on my hands from the cleanup.

We have a new teacher starting next week. Ms. Constance will be the only woman on the faculty. She is a biology teacher, but she will also teach some chemistry lessons after she settles in. This is to allow me more time to plan and teach agriculture lessons. That should only be a temporary plan, though, since we may be in need of a math teacher soon, so I may abandon agriculture in favor of math.

On Thursday, I was in the chemistry lab, and I noticed a strange yellowish-brown fluid on the floor below the chemical cabinet. When I went closer, I noticed a noxious smell. And when I opened the cabinet, I traced the spill to an unlabeled bottle that I suspected was an acid. The yellow-brown fluid, I think was the chemical reaction of concentrated acid and varnish. I picked up the bottle to inspect, and it started leaking considerably. I spent a minute catching my breath and trying to figure out what to do. I went and found an empty bottle that used to contain hydrochloric acid. When I poured the acid inside, it turned brownish (leading me to suspect that it's nitric acid). Then I opened all the windows to air out the noxious fumes, and tried to call any qualified chemistry person I could find. The first place I tried was Peace Corps Medical. They suggested that I talk to the lab technician. I told them that I was the lab technician, so they suggested that I try not to come in contact with it. Feeling more anxious, I looked through the chemical cabinet, and poured a lot of sodium carbonate powder on it to neutralize the acid and prevent it from eating through the floor. Then I called Gavin, who is another Peace Corps volunteer and also a chemical engineer. He suggested that a glass container would be a more permanent solution, and suggested a few basic tests to figure out what the chemical was. After he hung up, I heard from my cousin Jonathan. I had to call my parents at 4:30 in the morning and tell them to call my cousin (for whom it was 5:30 AM) to help with my chemistry emergency. After I gave him the details, he used his chemistry contacts and put me on a good course of action. I was just glad to be done at the end of the day.

Today we had the first meeting of the conservation club (official name to be decided at next meeting). It was actually really exciting. Apparently I will be the faculty sponsor (in other words, there will probably be projects involving: charcoal, biodigesters, beekeeping, rainwater harvesting, maize shelling, moringa, jatropha and maybe some other things). Our community partner works with the Kenya Wildlife Services, and he is a really great guy, so I am excited to be partnered with him.

As a final note, I think I have become too accustomed to sending emails on my phone. A few times during this post, I tried to insert a period by pressing 1, since that's how it's done in T9. Godd times.