In the last 11 months. . .
I taught English in 4 countries.
I have fallen asleep to the sound of the witch doctors’ drums and woken to the Muslim prayers being broadcast across the city.
I have worshipped on a rooftop in India, a rock in Swaziland, and on the rooftop of a hostel in Kathmandu.
I visited prisoners in a Nepali prison and handed out needles to drug addicts in Malaysia.
I have hung out with homeless people and millionaires.
I have jumped off waterfalls and bridges.
I painted murals on the walls of a school and a children’s home.
I watched a pig be slaughtered and slaughtered a chicken myself.
I ate the best buttered naan of my life from a street vendor in Nepal.
I celebrated my 26th birthday and had my first surprise party.
I’ve taken cold showers, hot showers, bucket showers, and no shower at all.
I’ve worn the same clothes for at least 5 days in a row.
I hiked up a crazy mountain and built a fire using Hindu prayer flags.
I’ve eaten goat intestines, chicken feet, fried tarantula, and fried snake.
I shared s’mores with people who’d never seen marshmallows before.
I learned a few guitar chords and crocheted my first hat.
I have been the honored guest at a wedding where I didn’t know the bride and groom.
I’ve been the “cleaning lady” in the Australian equivalent to a motel.
I once took a half-eaten plate of lasagna from a nearby table at a restaurant and taken a bite. It’s previous eater had left. It was Italian food. Don’t judge me.
I’ve seen the Indian Ocean from two different continents.
I’ve been white-water rafting and bungee jumping.
I’ve eaten by candlelight in a barn and by moonlight in the bush.
I learned to drive a stick and have driven on the wrong side of the road.
I’ve been to churches where women had to keep their heads covered and churches where dancing in the aisles was the norm.
I was once chased down the street by an old lady because she had a problem with the church we were with. (“Those people do laundry on Sunday!”)
I’ve handed out soup to people who live in shanties and been served ten-course meals at over $100 a plate.
I’ve been kissed by an elephant.
I’ve had a goat slaughtered and prepared in my honor in a village.
I’ve done laundry in a sink and with a garden hose.
I’ve ridden in planes, trains, subways, cars, taxis, a camper, motorcycles, busses, and bicycles.
I’ve planted radish seeds in the bitter cold and built a fence in the scorching sun.
I’ve seen places they talk about on Nat Geo.
I’ve seen crocodiles, kangaroos, zebras, and ostriches in the wild.
I have learned that the world is both big and small.
I have learned that children do not need nearly as much protection as we usually offer them and that a little independence creates independent people.
I have prayed over the sick, for the kings of nations, and for the girls on Bangla Road in Thailand.
I have flown from the east coast of the US and will fly into the west coast. I will have literally been around the world.
I have been to 11 countries.
I have been gone for 11 months.
* * *
Places I’ve Slept in the Last 11 Months
1 convent
1 rooftop
3 overnight flights
1 school of worship
7 orphanages
3 airport floors
3 overnight trains
8 hostels
1 apartment
1 friend of a friend’s apartment
3 churches
1 church that used to be a bar
1 hospital room (that was fortunately not being used as one at the time)
1 golf course, in a tent
under a tree in a tent
3 guest houses
1 Ma and Pa’s house (’cause there’s only one!)
1 house in the bush of Mozambique
4 overnight busses
1 extremely nice hotel
and
1 trailer at a farm!
Swaziland. How I miss that view.
