People yell "how are YOUUUU" at you everywhere you go.
You have to use a squatty potty as a toilet.
You see zebras and baboons on the side of the highway as you drive along.
You collect children to join you whenever you go out for a run.
You ride motorcycles for local transportation.
You can fit twelve people in the back of a pickup truck and drive on the main road without getting ticketed.
People get excited to meet you because you're white.
Your name is transformed from "Emily" to "Emeryy".
You bucket shower outside in a tiny woven-grass room that gives the outside world an extremely high chance of seeing you in all of your glory… But thankfully most of the only living beings that pass in the area are longhorns, chickens, and goats.
You are called a "muzungu" and people won't let you forget it.
You look up at the ceiling while laying in bed and see a BAT swoop down close to your head.
You only wash your hair once or twice a week… (But then again who am I kidding… I wash my hair that much in America as well…).
You are surrounded by the most beautiful, generous, kindhearted people you will ever meet.
8 year olds run faster than you.
You eat dinner by lantern and head-lamp light.
Church is loud and exciting (no offense America, you know I still love you more than ever).
You kill a mosquito and know that you're a hero because you just lowered the country's chance of being infected by malaria.
Monkeys hang out in the trees in your neighborhood.
Everyone thinks you're loaded with money because you're from America and you laugh because money is one if the last things you actually have.
The inside of your nose is perpetually black due to all of the dirt you constantly breathe in.
You're eating some of the most delicious food you have ever had in your life.
You're driving and your nose starts to burn like crazy because you just drove through a pocket of tear gas.
Your daily runs take you through endless banana fields.
You're experiencing the winter season and it's 70 plus degrees outside.
People cook over tiny charcoal stoves.
Everyone you meet has a second name that comes from the Bible and their first name is incredibly hard to pronounce.
You go to help at a school and the teacher asks you to teach their class and then walks out… But by the grace of God you surprisingly teach the course well – even with topics like micro-biology.
Your taxi driver lets you drive his taxi to your destination.
You pay two dollars to go to the doctor.
The doctor lets your friends come in the examination room with you.
You get charged $50 for a 45 minute long taxi ride.
Toddlers rarely wear pants and can often be found naked just strolling around the neighborhood or sitting on the ground.
The English word "pants" actually means underwear.
Every child you meet has a runny nose.
An event that is supposed to start at 2 pm doesn't actually start until 5 pm.
You drink at least 4 cups of tea throughout the day – the most delicious being fresh Ginger, masala, and chai.
You have to chase chickens out of your house.
You have at least three flies sitting on your body at any point in time.
You have a hard time determining if a child is a male or female because both typically have their hair shaved really short.
& Many, many more.
<3
Loving Africa!
