there are some days when i wake up and can't believe i live in east africa. most days are like this. in the good way.
yesterday i noted the mess of clothes strewn across the bathroom floor and i paused. i remembered the clothes of the atlanta house floors- they were nice nice. they were picked out with much enjoyment- put together with pleasure. here i just throw on what seems to straddle both weather and cultural appropriateness. here i just want to make sure it's been through the dryer or under the iron so i don't get the larva of flies under my skin. some moments i pause, by accident, to notice the differences. and there are many.
yesterday i pulled 100s of tiny poisonous caterpillar hairs out of zoe's foot after she stepped on one that was dead and half covered in carnivorous ants.
today jude and zoe came into the house each clutching a baby chick from the 'farm' next door, while mike and i were figuring out that we can make fresh passion fruit juice each day for about 50 cents - instead of buying a liter of box juice for 3 dollars that's not as good.
did i mention the baby black mamba in the back yard last month?
and the turkey hiding on our roof to avoid the wild dogs?
this is africa.
the day before yesterday my sister asked me on skype what i miss- like really miss- about america. and i paused, looking into the bright sun at 4 pm and the crazy flowering bushes in front of me, and i thought about it.
'ummmm. sometimes i miss being able to grab a 'to go' latte at starbucks'.
but really, i don't. and i don't miss target and cvs and all the american pieces of life. i just miss the people from home.
but really, life is just life where ever we are. which is so beautiful! so i eat more beans and rice- and not a lot of chocolate chips. i still play lego's and do pirate puzzles with the boys.
i still play uno and monopoly and soccer, but now we call it football. people are people- we laugh and cry and get each other and perhaps the getting each other might mean even more when we look so different. i have less of a desire to consume things here and more of a desire to think and be and wonder at the differences- at the histories of all of it- at our place in it.
now i have fewer opportunities to buy cool jeans, but a lot more opportunities to give to people who need important things like, medicine and school fees, and socks.
i look less cute, but i'm happier.
sure i sneak a look at 'people' magazine on line every once in a while (okay every other night)- but i spend a lot more time looking at the stars in the sky too.
yesterday i noted the mess of clothes strewn across the bathroom floor and i paused. i remembered the clothes of the atlanta house floors- they were nice nice. they were picked out with much enjoyment- put together with pleasure. here i just throw on what seems to straddle both weather and cultural appropriateness. here i just want to make sure it's been through the dryer or under the iron so i don't get the larva of flies under my skin. some moments i pause, by accident, to notice the differences. and there are many.
yesterday i pulled 100s of tiny poisonous caterpillar hairs out of zoe's foot after she stepped on one that was dead and half covered in carnivorous ants.
today jude and zoe came into the house each clutching a baby chick from the 'farm' next door, while mike and i were figuring out that we can make fresh passion fruit juice each day for about 50 cents - instead of buying a liter of box juice for 3 dollars that's not as good.
did i mention the baby black mamba in the back yard last month?
and the turkey hiding on our roof to avoid the wild dogs?
this is africa.
the day before yesterday my sister asked me on skype what i miss- like really miss- about america. and i paused, looking into the bright sun at 4 pm and the crazy flowering bushes in front of me, and i thought about it.
'ummmm. sometimes i miss being able to grab a 'to go' latte at starbucks'.
but really, i don't. and i don't miss target and cvs and all the american pieces of life. i just miss the people from home.
but really, life is just life where ever we are. which is so beautiful! so i eat more beans and rice- and not a lot of chocolate chips. i still play lego's and do pirate puzzles with the boys.
i still play uno and monopoly and soccer, but now we call it football. people are people- we laugh and cry and get each other and perhaps the getting each other might mean even more when we look so different. i have less of a desire to consume things here and more of a desire to think and be and wonder at the differences- at the histories of all of it- at our place in it.
now i have fewer opportunities to buy cool jeans, but a lot more opportunities to give to people who need important things like, medicine and school fees, and socks.
i look less cute, but i'm happier.
sure i sneak a look at 'people' magazine on line every once in a while (okay every other night)- but i spend a lot more time looking at the stars in the sky too.
