Well, not actually
a bush but the African bush. It was an interesting 5 weeks living rural Swaziland. Before the World Race I’d never camped more than 2 nights in a row and I just packed up my tent after living in it for 5 weeks.
Living in the bush I basically had to relearn how to do everything. Showering involved boiling water, filling a bucket with it and standing in the shower area pouring water over yourself. It’s gross to admit but I didn’t shower very often. When my hair got more oily than I could stand, I washed it under the cold spigot outside.
I learned how to hand wash my clothes in bulk and hang them on the line. I learned that on cold nights I could fill my Nalgene with boiling water and put it in the foot of my sleeping bag to keep my feet warm at night.
But I also learned that I can still look like a fairly put-together person. I learned that our cooks can make amazing meals in cauldrons over the fire (my favorite meal was chicken with vegetables and coconut fried rice). They even made macaroni and cheese (better than the boxed kind!).
I learned that you don’t need a lot of amenities to live.
It takes work to figure out how to do things a totally new way but it can be done. Don’t get me wrong- I still miss laying around on a couch, sleeping in real bed and taking a hot shower every day- but life isn’t about those things.
All that said, I got my first World Race haircut. I was worried about trusting a local with a pair of scissors and my hair in any country this year but God blessed me with Candice and her amazing haircutting abilities. Above is a picture of my new hairdo and below is the video tour that Tamara made of our campsite. Enjoy!
