lists

Hey ya’ll. Can you believe it is February already? This whole being sunburned and wearing sandals everyday thing really messes with my monthly concept. Everything continues to go well…crazy, but good. I thought for this post I would write some lists I have been making ever since coming here. Here it goes:

Things I love:

*sunsets

*star gazing

*donkey sounds (oddly enough)

*the slow pace of life

*the learners

*soccer games

*meeting new people

*weekends

*teaching math

*the generosity of people here

*random outings where I literally don’t know where I am being taken

*wearing skirts everyday

*hand washing (it’s really therapeutic)

*hanging out with other volunteers

*feeling literally like I am in the middle of nowhere (but knowing how I can get out J )

*sleeping under a mosquito net (it really is my safety net…and I kind of feel like royalty)

*speaking a small amount of Oshindonga and surprising people since I don’t look like I should be speaking it

*solitude

*learning how to cook new foods

*reading by candlelight

*my FAN!!

*watching the new Indian soap opera with my roommates

*taking walks

*speaking Namlish with the little learners

*wine and coca cola (mixed of course)

*random cattle in my backyard

Things I miss:

*couches (no one has a comfortable place to sit)

*garbage cans (Namibia is literally one big dumpster)

*close friends and family (duh)

*being able to call these aforementioned close friends and family whenever I want

*coffee shops

*taking baths

*being understood and able to use sarcasm successfully

*things being done in an organized, timely manner (I’m getting more used to this in some respects)

*blending in (being the center of attention takes some getting used to)

Things that make me laugh:

*random cattle in my backyard

*random calls from people who got your phone number from someone who got it from someone else

*asking to “please help” a learner something when they really just want to borrow something

*my sunburn that looks like I am wearing red sports socks

*language barriers that just can’t be figured out

*being proposed to several times in one night

*getting asked if I know Eminem and R Kelly (I only say I know Kells)

*sitting in the backseat of a taxi with 5 other people

*remembering that I am in the middle of nowhere when I look around and all I see is cattle and sand and grass for miles

*when I try to carry too many groceries in my backpack and am honestly unable to get myself home on my own

*when the cat (who I HATE) hisses at dogs to get them out of our yard…like his skinny ass owns the place

*waking up to an actual rooster call

I’m sure I will add to these over the year, but I thought that was a start J

Hope you are all enjoying yourselves and not getting too buried in this snow storm that I hear is hitting the Midwest. I’ll put on some extra sun screen for you!

~h