Back in America, we have our first world problems. They messed up your order at the drive through… BIG deal. At least you have a drive through. Your coffee got too cold? Heat it up in your microwave. I used to complain about getting into my car on a hot day… oh wait I HAVE a car AND the ability to turn on the air-conditioning.
We like to joke about first world problems, and then we realize that we have developed our OWN set of problems: World Race problems.
SO here are a select few of the issues that you are sure to only encounter when traveling around the world:
-Not ever being able to fully understand your translator.
-Choosing between drinking bleach water or the parasite water.
-Not being sure whether it is more dangerous to be pricked by the needle to be tested for malaria, than actually finding out you have malaria.
Beka finding out that she has malaria!
-Having to take every opportunity to pee because you never know when you will be able to again.
-Not being able to afford meals that are over $1.
-Having to choose between washing your hair in the morning or eating breakfast.
-Never knowing exactly who is planning on picking you up when you arrive on a bus to any given location.
-Always trying to find a bucket to either shower, flush the toilet, or do laundry with.
-Always having to charge your electronics because you never know when or for how long the power is going to go out (or if you even HAVE power at your location!)
-Forgetting to bring toilet paper into the squatty.
-Losing your shoe down the squatty.
Amanda's great shoe rescue from the squatty. Floss, a carabeaner and a hair-tie. Brilliant!
-Not being sure what animal produced the meal that you are eating.
-Mosquitoes.
-Grieving your new pet bunny that got cooked for dinner.
The bunny BEFORE it got cooked for dinner.
-Waking up in the middle of the night forgetting what country or continent you are in.
-Not being sure whether you last showered yesterday or the day before.
-Realizing that you have ditched/lost over half of your clothes from launch, and carry a wardrobe from various different countries.
-Getting really excited about your tan…until you take a shower and it all washes off…
-When your quick dry towel does not dry quick enough (soon to emerge out of your backpack a country later smelling like WET nasty!)
-Trying to remember whether or not you have taken your malaria meds for the day.
-Getting all the way to the shower, clothes off and realizing that the water has run out.
-Getting made fun of by the local ladies by how you wash your laundry.
Chip getting some help washing clothes.
-Trying to remember what language to say "hello" in… particularly if they speak more than one language at your location.
-Figuring out which side of the car to get in on.
-Realizing your Asian watermelon-baby-stealin-Aladdin pants are NOT practical for the African squatty… or really for any squatty.
-NO one can pronounce your name, so you change it based on the country you are in.
-When you get grossed out by a western toilette and decide to use the squatty.
-When you have to herd sheep, goats and cattle off your front door step to get inside.
The cattle that passed in front of our compound daily!
Some months are more problematic than others, and somethings just don't phase you anymore. The latest news I recieved was that the compound we stayed in all month was actually inhabited by bats… soo that answers my questions about the noises at night…
The moral of this story is simple. When you find me back in the states washing my clothes in a bucket, drinking instant coffee, hoarding spoons and sugar packets in my purse (so useful!), hunting the neighbor's pet bunny for dinner, and wearing the same outfits over and over again do not worry.
I'll be ok.
