Statia Stories

Chapter 1: Truck Talk

Before I tell you some Statia stories I think you need to know a bit about our trucks. The trucks always keep life interesting around here. The interns and volunteers have two trucks available for use, but it's very rare that both are functioning at once. We refer to them by their license plate numbers: the 401 and the 28. You'll usually hear them squeaking and bumping down the road before you see them, but, for a visual, once you do see them they are dark green with mostly worn off STENAPA logos on the side. They are full of dents and the rusted bumpers are basically non existent. They are often covered with dirt from the Botan road.  Nine times out of ten they will be carrying a motley crew of people sitting in the back of the truck. They will probably all smile and wave at you. :)

When I first arrived the doors on one side of the 401 were held on by a big yellow rope and they couldn't be opened so we would have to climb in and out the windows (truck monkeys!). Most of the windows don't go up so they get soaked inside when it rains and they smell nice and moldy. The radio only works in the 28 so no one wants to get stuck with the 401. We had old tires for a while that were always leaking air so we were constantly stopping to fill them with more air from a scuba tank we kept in the back. Nowadays we have to bump-start the trucks every morning to get them going. 

One time when we took the battery out of one truck to charge it up (even bump starting wasn't an option at that point) we discovered an old pair of shredded up underwear in the engine! Apparently they once found some steak bones in there too. And we wonder why they never work...So strange!

One time, around 7 o'clock in the morning, I was driving us to work and the horn started beeping on it's own. I was not touching it at all! I had no control over it and it was totally sporadic with short and long blasts like "Beep! BEEEEEEEEP BEEEEEP beepbeepbeeep....pause.....Beeeeeeep! Beepbeep!" Some people we passed waved or beeped back, some stared in confusion, others ran across the street to get out of the way. I was crying I was laughing so hard. 

Anyway, you get the idea. And now you know a bit about our friends the 401 and 28! I think that might help with understanding other Statia stories yet to be told. Stay tuned!