Reflecting on my time here, it seems that with more and
more frequency lately I find myself beginning a thought with “I certainly won’t
miss [insert random something]” which is usually closely followed by “Oh my
goodness I can’t wait for [insert another random something]!!!!”
So considering my
organized math brain is in full force here, I’ve made a table for you. Here you
have it, the things I will NOT miss, what I seriously cannot wait for…and to
shed a little positive light on the situation, I suppose there are aspects of
most situations that I might actually miss. If you can't tell, i've been compiling this list for quite some time now...
|
I
will NOT miss…
|
I can’t
wait for…
|
I
guess I might miss…
|
|
Washing my hair in a bucket with only 6 cups of water
(once a week I should add)
|
Regular access to a private, clean, hot shower!
|
The warm afternoons when I can bathe outside, or
those fun times when I’ve showered in the rain
|
|
Spending hours laboring over stubborn charcoal to
cook dinner every day
|
An oven! Perhaps a microwave too. Maybe a blender? but
let’s not get too crazy here
|
Our jiko. But only maybe.
|
|
Scrubbing my clothes clean by hand or carrying them
to be washed by a local woman
|
A washing machine
|
…nothing about this…do you want to scrub the dirt out
of your socks??
|
|
Steri-penned water
|
A faucet
|
Our beautiful makeshift bucket with a tap
|
|
Our lack of a plug to charge anything
|
A reliable plug that’s nearby (anywhere closer than
50km will do)
|
The joy of checking email and fb once a week, it’s so
much more exciting!
|
|
Eating in the dark
|
A light bulb
|
A reason to have nightly candlelight dinners
|
|
Being dependent on others to travel anywhere
|
A car
|
My personal piki driver, Furaha!
|
|
The constant language barrier
|
Normal communication with people
|
The beauty of the Swahili language
|
|
Only having access to food one time per week
|
A grocery store
|
Our walk to the market through the mountains
|
|
Skirts to my ankle
|
JEANS!
|
…nothing about my wardrobe
|
|
Having to wrap myself in fabric every time I answer
the door
|
Wearing shorts outside!
|
…again, nothing about this
|
|
The daily workout of squatting to wash dishes or cook
dinner
|
An actual workout…zumba, a run (wearing shorts), or
going to the gym
|
Afternoon nap time
|
|
Literally no sanitation of anything
|
Standard household cleaners and normal soap
|
My apparently strong immune system
|
|
The very unreliable mail system here
|
A post office
|
The simple joy of finally receiving a package 2
months after it was sent
|
|
Living creatures everywhere, many of which are
potentially quite dangerous
|
Not having bats in my ceiling or being bit by unknown
bugs in my bed every night
|
The thrill of passing within 2 feet of giant cattle
with huge horns on my way to school
|
|
Having to search our house, climb the mountain, or
stick my head out the window to get cell phone service
|
THROWING MY PHONE OUT THE WINDOW! Or maybe just actual
honest-to-goodness cell phone reception
|
The *beep* that accompanies the “message sending
failed” that I receive multiple times a day…or not!
|
|
Internet connections that take over 20 minutes to
load one page
|
A reliable WI-FI connection
|
My Vodacom dongle. We’ve shared some quality time
together
|
This is great!!
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