The other day while washing my hands with water so cold I thought for sure my hands were going to turn blue, I realized that wasn't "normal". In the U.S. I would wash my hands with hot water even in the summer because germs can only die in hot water right? But here I am washing with cold water and thinking nothing of it. And I realized this life I'm living now has become normal. For two months I've been living in cold climates and washing my hands with cold water and haven't thought that's weird. It's normal, it's life. So then I started to really examine my life now and discovered there are lots of things that I now accept as normal which in the U.S. would have been weird. So for your reading pleasure, here are the new normal things in my life:
we visited a monastery and there were these awesome drawings everywhere! here's Eve being created.
BATHROOM (since I already started with washing my hands):
- Throwing my toilet paper in a trash can. True story: we had a layover in Miami and I went into a stall after a women who hadn't flushed and I wanted to chase after her not because I saw her business in the toilet but because she had thrown her toilet paper in the toilet.
- The above mentioned trash can is actually just a bag on the floor or in a bucket. I'm living in splendor if there's a trash can with a lid!
- Showers are tiny boxes which are somewhat impossible to move around in. And every time there is hot water I say a prayer of thanksgiving (true story!).
- The hot water is NEVER there long enough to fully shower so I play the on/off game. Here's how you play: turn water on, get hair wet, shut water off, soap up, turn water on, rinse, repeat.
- Because of the hassle (and chance of hypothermia) it's silly to shower every day. It is now completely normal for me to forget the last time I showered so I had to give myself a schedule. I shower Wednesdays and Sundays (this is more than some other people)
- I hang out in the bathroom for alone time.
My team (I-61) and team Healing Hurricane are living together this month. This is our awkward extended family photo after Thanksgiving dinner.
FOOD
- Eating the same thing for breakfast and lunch every.single.day. Corn flakes for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch.
- Never deciding what I'm going to eat–there's a food committee, I'm not on it so dinner is always a fun surprise. (on a fun side note, I have not made a real decision for myself in months–I'm curious when I get back to the U.S. how this will play out–will I go on this crazy decision making frenzy or become lost in a cloud of decision making confusion? I apologize ahead of time friends for either side.)
- Just about everyone in the house needs to walk to the grocery store–not to help shop but to help carry the groceries back. Also because of the lack of space each trip gets groceries for only the next 3 or 4 days.
found a Christmas tree in a wal-martish store. I was super happy!
HOME
- Livingthe high life means I get a bed (2 out of 5 months I've slept in a bed!).
- I miss sleeping in my tent because it meant I had my own space and could be
- alone.
- Notknowing my address. I can tell you every city I've lived in on the race but Peru was the only city I knew the street name (but not the number).
- My closet is my pack. Jeans can be worn every day for 3 weeks. I need to plan out laundry day not based upon when I'll run out of clean underwear but what my schedule looks like since I'll be without those clothes for a few days as they line dry.
in a van heading to a bigger city to sight see a bit
TRAVEL
- Bus
- rides are at least 20 hours always right?
- Falling asleep in one country and waking up in another is normal too right?
- Oh and it's normal to just get dropped off on the side of a road (or train tracks this month) and have no idea where you are or what your contact looks like so you stand awkwardly hoping someone is going to walk up and say hello.
- The most fun you can have is trying to describe what you need or where you're going through charades because you can't communicate with words.
one of the pastor's daughters. Isn't she cute as a button!?!? She doesn't speak English, I don't speak Romanian but we're still bffs!
There's a ton more I'm sure but they just seem so normal I can't even recognize them as weird by U.S. standards. (again sorry friends, I know it'll be a fun transition!) But you know what? I love this new normal life. I love learning and growing and laughing at just plain old crazy situations. I love the people that I'm traveling with and the moment our eyes catch after something ridiculous has just happened. And you know what else? I think some of you want this. I think some of you have a longing to live a crazy adventure. Well it's not too late. Adventures in Missions has trips for EVERYONE! Young, old, families, churches, etc. Click here for more info!
Can you imagine what this blog will look like after 3 months in Africa?!?!?!
