Let me be the first to say that I am
doing quite well here and I have not been one to complain much. Some of us volunteers have been complaining
like crazy and it is soooo very draining to listen to it on a regular
basis. I try to point out the positives
in this situation rather than the negatives and focus on those. The positives are what keep me pushing
through each day and on to the next.
Some folks need to adopt this same mentality...but off of my rant (I
just had to vent a little bit). I am
writing this post to be a shiner and tell how very proud of myself I am!! Today
has been a FULL day and its only 3:00! I
did umuganda (community work), at which me and my fellow volunteers helped to
build a road; I made 3 (THREE!) trips to the water station to get water for my
laundry; I washed and did my hair; I did my laundry with no help from my mama
(woot woot!!); and then I chowed down on some yummy beans, green beans, and
rice (I was famished)! But here's the
kicker, the people here cook outside on the ground in the dark! (There are no counters here, just a small
grill that sits on the ground, and a bunch of little bowls and tubs that are
also on the ground). So with that being
said, I have kind of gotten used to chewing on rocks or finding little pebbles
in my lunch/dinner, but something way worse happened today, and I believe I
handled it very well. :)
We have hot tea or hot milk after each
of our meals and today was no different. However, while I was chowing down, my mama
opened up the pitcher and stuck a fork in the milk to pull something out. I started to turn my head to see what was in
there, but
then I thought better of the situation and turned my head in the
opposite direction instead. I would
rather not know what was in there. So I
just kept on eating until my food was gone and then I cautiously reached to
pour myself a glass of hot milk (SN: the milk is boiling hot, has sugar in it,
and is soooo good)! As I poured the milk
into my mug, I saw a small chunk fall in and I
kind of just squirmed in my seat.
Then as I lifted the mug to my lips, I saw it. A little black critter with wings. Now anyone who knew the Dametreea before Africa knows that I would have
freaked out at this moment, but the Dametreea post (or in) Africa remained calm, slowly dipped in her fork to
lift out the bug, and took a big gulp of that yummy milk! This is where my growth shows BIG TIME! First off, I didn't want to offend (or
embarrass) my mama...and honestly, I was thirsty and that's all we had. Tripping off of one little bug would have had
me thirsty for the rest of the afternoon and I definitely didn't want that. I certainly think I've skipped the baby steps
for getting used to things around here.
It's just week two and already I'm picking bugs out of my milk and
keeping it pushing, fanning/picking nats off of my breakfast bread and bananas as
I prepare for my very next bite, and killing bugs on my bed with my finger,
flicking them onto the floor, and going right to sleep (never skipping a beat).
It sounds gross, but this is life
here. The adjustment hasn't been easy,
but I've got to do it...especially if I plan to stick it out for the entire two
years.
Love and Peace Corps,
Dametreea
P.S. Don't judge me :)
(Written on 5/26/12 at 2:48p)
(Written on 5/26/12 at 2:48p)
aww keza is growing up!;) i really like that name too, assuming i'm pronouncing it right. i still like it regardless and it most definitely describes you! i'm doing respite work at my job, thought about you and checked with your blog. Glad you're having so much fun gurlie, keep the optimism! I'm going to get a calling card next week, so hopefully we'll be talking soon!
ReplyDeletechow:)