Weird Things are Normal

It's a calm Sunday morning and I'm feeling at home.  I'm basking in the glow of a magnificent coincidence: A few weeks ago some departing friends gave me their french press, then several days later some visitors gave me the gift of Rwandan coffee grounds.  This is a huge step up from the instant coffee available in town.  Delicious!

As I mentioned in my last post, recently I've been taking stock of the good things in life here.  I've developed a lot of little habits and behaviors which at one point would have seemed very strange to me, but they've become second nature, and I'll actually miss many of them when I come back to the States.   I think a list is in order: 

-Food Phobias, Lack of.  There's not much sanitation of knives/cutting surfaces/serving plates here, but I'll pretty much eat anything sold on the street.  I don't get sick, so I keep eating....

-Handshakes.  They last for a long time, often with a lot of grip variations.  I'm probably gonna weird people out at home when I try shake hands for minutes at a time.

-Cooking.  I've learned to bake using a charcoal dutch oven, and now when I use a regular oven I invariably burn things.

Cookies in the Dutch oven

-Bugs in the Flour.  I remember last year I threw out a kilo of flour because it had bugs multiplying in it.  I was so wasteful!  Fact of life: When there's no refrigeration, there are gonna be a few bugs.  Nowadays the method is "pick out the ones you can, the rest are good protein!"

-Air Conditioning, A Once In A Month Experience.  It weirds me out.  It's so unnaturally cold.  And it dries my eyes out.  And worst of all, it makes me dislike the outdoors.  One minute I'm walking around happy as a clam in the midday sun, then I walk into an air conditioned office, and when I leave I find the weather oppressive and muggy, and I'm hating being outside.  I didn't feel that way before I went in the office; damn you AC, why do you mess with my comfort zone?!?

-Cow Poo Radar.  Pack animals leave messes around on the streets, but somehow my feet have learned to avoid it, no matter where my eyes are.  As I walk I could be staring off into the banks of shops next to the road, and when I look back I see that I've unconsciously navigated a minefield.

There's a super secret oxen conspiracy to ruin your sandals.

-Bathrooms.  It's all squat toilets here.  And I've found I prefer them.  When you're in a dirty public bathroom, you don't have that awkward dilemma of whether to put your butt on the seat!  And without getting too graphic, squatting is just more..... let's say..... anatomically correct.

My squat toilet.  Surrounded by clouds of happy.

-Prayer Time.  I expect to hear the 5-times-daily call to prayer.  It helps me time my day.  5:30 am prayers?  "Almost time to get up!  Enjoy your last little snuggle time in bed!"  3:30 pm prayers?  "Damn, everything's closed for the day, anything I forgot to buy is gonna wait for tomorrow."  6:30 prayers:  "It's 6:30, make yourself some dinner!"  7:30 prayers:  "No really, make yourself some dinner!"

-No Shoes Inside.  Shoes are seen as dirty here, and they come off as soon as you're in the house.  When I get back to America I think walking inside with shoes on will feel like walking on eggshells.

-Man Skirts.  A lot of men here wear a skirt-like wrap called a Kikoi.  I'm a convert.  Super comfortable.  Will not want to give it up at home.  Will risk ridicule by wearing it all the time.

Rockin' the Kikoi, like only a man can.

All that being said, there are a lot of things I miss about life in America.  Namely:

-Public Transport.  Cushioned seats.  Reliable schedules.  Enough room in a bus to put both your feet flat on the floor.  Reclining seats on trains.  Alcohol and snacks brought to your seat in airplanes.  Not this:

The innards of a daladala.  There's always room for one (or 5) more.

-Food.  Burgers.  Mexican food.  Beer.  All the cheese.

-Anonymity.  Not being stared at while walking down the street.  Riding a bicycle without everyone I pass shouting "Look!  A white guy on a bicycle!"

-Beds.  Firm beds.  Long beds.  Level beds.  Beds without weird lumps and sink points.  Fitted sheets.

-Gas Stoves.  OMG.  Gas Stoves.

-Live Music.  Church organs, jazz clubs, symphonies, rock concerts, friends playing in the living room.  I miss all the musics!

-Hugs.  They just don't do them here.  Hugs are the best, and I miss them.

-The Co-op.  Men and women living together, unmarried?  Stimulating conversation in a language I'm fluent in.  Community in your home.  Always something fun happening.  Smoothie ingredients and food processor available 24/7.

Laying Down the Law: No Cats Allowed!

It's been a long time since I've posted.  I've had a lot buzzing around in my head about my work here, but every time I try to write about it, I get discouraged.  I've learned a lot about the myriad of challenges facing both students and teachers here, as well as the limits on my ability to help with these problems.  I'd like to write about all this in a meaningful/informative way, but I haven't quite found a way to put it all down in words.  I think this time I'll stick with a more personal update.

I'm moving into the second year of my service.  It's nice to have been here long enough to know what to expect from the turning of the year.  I recognize the seasons, I know more about how the Muslim holidays are celebrated, and I know what to expect day to day at my school.  Many volunteers feel that their second year is more productive than their first.  The stereotype is that you get your feet under you in the first year, and after that you really begin to take strides.  Sometimes this worries me; my second year has not seemed to be off to a shining start.  A lot of my secondary projects seem to be imploding, and I haven't found any resounding ways to combat the difficulties I face at my school.  All this together can get quite discouraging. 

But I've found some consolation in how things are going in my personal life.  It's good to remind myself that the home/community/cultural side of my experience has been going really well in my second year.  I've got really good relationships with my neighbors.  My Kiswahili improves, slowly but surely.  I've formed some genuine friendships.  My house feels like home.  I've got everything I need to feel comfortable, and I can cook tasty and healthy meals on hotplates and charcoal stoves.  I host a lot of people who pass through Pemba (mostly from the volunteer community), and I feel like a good host- I know enough about the island to give good advice, and can provide a comfortable place for them to stay.  All these things are good to remind myself of when work gets me down.

And since home is where things are going well, I believe pictures of home are in order!

My living room feels like home, thanks to all the people who have gifted maps, pictures, calendars, khangas....

The other side of the living room, looking towards my bedroom.  On the right is the blackboard I use when my community English club visits.  My National Geographic map on the left is one of my most prized possessions, and really useful for my English club as well.

My friend Kombo stopped by to say hello one afternoon.... coincidentally wearing a shirt with my and Jack's names on it.

Kitten invasion!  A couple of stray kittens, after being tormented by some neighborhood kids, decided my house was safe haven, and would stop at nothing to get inside.  After climbing up to the top of my screen door, one was able to slip into the house through a small hole.  I stayed strong and resisted an adoption urge.

It was time to expel the kittens before they did more damage to my mosquito netting.  Pole sana (very sorry) cats, this guy's leaving in 9 months and he won't be your daddy!