hi there! my sweet friend, Vanessa and I decided that it would but fun to reflect on how much our normals have changed this year so we wrote down all of the new normals that we have experienced on the race. ENJOY!!
- Throwing toilet paper in the trash instead of the toilet
- Using a bucket to flush the toilet
- Wearing a skirt for manual labor
- Taking public transportation everywhere
- Walking to the open air market
- Wearing the same outfit for a week
- Showering with ice water
- Bucket showers
- Peeing in a hole in the ground // squatty potty // using a bum gun
- Killing cockroaches as a sport
- Seeing goats and cows walk rampant as if they’re squirrels in the states
- Hand washing everything – clothes, dishes, hands, other kids hands, etc
- Sleeping on the floor and/or hammock
- Making coffee on the stove
- Eating the same meal three meals a day
- Driving through the mountains for ministry
- Sleeping with mosquito nets
- Riding legally in the back of a pickup truck
- Swimming with shorts and a T-shirt
- Using your headlamp to have a puppet show as your source of entertainment when there’s no WiFi
- Cooking for 21 people
- Walking your groceries home
- Using 5-10 locks to lock up the house before bed
- Getting in vehicles with people we don’t know
- Worshipping under the stars
- Sunsets on the beach
- Harvesting vegetables
- Sleeping in vehicles
- Living in the “Hurry up and wait” mentality
- Having no idea what’s about to happen with no expectations
- Living out of a backpack for 11 months
- Packing and repacking every month to move to a brand new city
- Leaving behind old clothes to make room for new things to keep your pack under 50 pounds
- Traveling with complete strangers (at first anyways)
- Sharing your testimony close to every month
- Being constipated or diarrhea – no in between
- Goodbyes – sad goodbyes every month
Vanessa:
The first time I saw a hole in the ground to pee, where I had to get I to squatting position, it took me 24hrs to use it. I was trying to hold off as long as I could. I lasted a week before I used a bucket shower in Indonesia. Now it doesn’t phase me. I’m currently wearing the same outfit to ministry for the second week in a row. No sense in dirtying up more clothes I have to hand wash, ya know? But of course I would never do that in the states. It’s amazing to see how far I have come with my comfortabilities. I don’t remember the last time I wore makeup. Vanity doesn’t matter. I have walked hand in hand with my sisters in Christ this year seeing them for their true beauty on the outside. We all get to see each other in our raw form and that’s normal. I didn’t care that much about my appearance before the race, but it sure has made me appreciate the times I get to dress up this year.
Sage:
I never would have ever thought that this many things would be so vastly different than home but going into month 10 I couldn’t imagine my life without any of these little differences that have added spice and fun to this journey! Upon arrival home I’m sure I’m going to struggle to throw my toilet paper into the actual toilet without looking around for the trash can instead, putting on the same outfit again (and again and again), jumping into a complete strangers vehicle to head to work for the day , and having to drive myself to a market instead of walking. What a beautiful world God has blessed us with that adds culture and diversity and opportunities to explore new and amazing places. I’ll miss the border crossings, the hassle of carrying my bag, and even peeing into a squatty potty.
These are our normals, and when we go home we’ll have new normals. The things we were not looking forward to are some of the things we will miss the most.
