Sterile feet—If you traverse to “the bush” you will most likely be using a squatty potty to be relieving yourself. This consists of a hut (sometimes enclosed) with a hole in the middle and a bucket overtop the hole. Remove the bucket and aim. I honestly have to say I never thought I would experience potty training twice in my life, but it’s real. And seems to be harder the second time around. I’m starting to look at ‘missing the hole’ in a more positive way as it forces me clean the splatter off my feet resulting in VERY clean lower extremities.
2 in 1—Feel like taking a shower after using the restroom? Splendid, you’re in the right place! Take two steps west and you have now entered the shower.
From ground to mouth— You will be delivered the best of the best at restaurants. Order chicken? Be prepared to wait for this goodness as catching, killing, plucking and cooking takes time. But it’s worth it people!
Cut a Rug—Dancing is something the African culture is all about. A great deal of church is spent dancing and worshiping Jesus through dance. You will get brought into the circle and taught how to move like they do. Or in my case, attempt to be taught. You will fail and they will laugh. But calories will be burned in the process. ß Silver lining, people.
Hands and Feet—Service to the African culture is highly valued. You will feel cared for beyond measure. Benches will be carried on heads from place to place so you will always have a place to sit, you will be showered with Coca Cola and Sprite when entering villages as a welcoming gift (they know Americans too well) and you will always greet the chief upon entering a village.
All Aboard—Open all communication lines between you and Holy Spirit. Because the minute you enter church, you could very likely preach. Anyone and everyone will be called upon to give a sermon, lead a dance, give a word of encouragement or pray. Didn’t take speech class seriously? You got that Holy Spirit strapped to your being? No worries, he’s got you.
Muddy to Shiny—Clean shoes is a thing around here. And when you’re traveling the world with a backpack and a bible, the last thing you’re worrying about is the dirt on your shoes. They’ll be looking like a new purchase from REI in no time. Bless.
Too Nutty—You will be handed a coconut to drink and eat sporadically. Chase it and embrace it cuz’ nothing can replace it.
Shoot—Photo shoot, that is. When visiting the villages, some of them have never seen white people before. So you better believe pictures are taken. A lot. It doesn’t matter where or when, you always gotta be looking on fleek. I almost told the village we actually weren’t famous but the status we acquired was quite fascinating to me.
African love the style— Get. African. Clothing. Made. It’s an experience shopping around the busy market, picking out the exact fabric you want and then marching on over to the seamstress to get measured. Great experience. Great clothing. Great way to support the local shops. 10/10 would recommend.
Choco Maxed out— Every day you will get two things at most meals…. bread and Chaco Max. Chaco Max is a chocolate spread that we perceive to be good but in reality, we are just sugar addicts and tried to fill that void with this paste. Turns out you can get Chaco Max-ED out.
Are you my mother? — 10 fingers = 10 children. Each child can hold a finger. It’s the ‘attempting to walk’ that gets tricky. Babies will also be placed in your arms at any given time. Either they love it or hate it. And you will learn quickly which one it is.
Barely beating—Most of all, be prepared to leave Africa with a chunk of your heart missing. There’s nothing like a child running down a dirt path to embrace you when you haven’t spoken more than 10 words to her or the laughs that engulf a room when you cut a pineapple wrong. There’s no place like Africa. You have a piece of my heart.
