I know longer worry about the big ants in the sugar bowl each morning. Now it is just a question of how many I can stomach in my morning coffee and are they dead or alive.
I used to wash my sheets regularly since there are big dirt marks where my feet land in bed. I remedied that - no sheets.
I don't chew the rice and green grams (lentils) so much any more. Got tired of the gravel mixed in. Just swallow it.
Goats reminded me of The Sound of Music - not sure why. Now they remind me of beef. I ride a motorbike to the "butchery" where a recently slain goat hangs with no refridgeration. The only question is when did it get put there. We go to a little shack of a pub and this old man comes over from next store for our order of a kilo of goat. In about 30 minutes he's cooked it on a fire behind the bar, pour hot water over our hands and puts a mound of salt in the middle of the goat. One loaf of bread gets hacked into pieces and dinner is ready. There is such a thing as "bad goat".
Cipro - got any? Stomach problems were constant at the beginning. It's not such a big deal now. I told Chris I probably have some parasite and maybe some worms (sorry). John, the massive Georgetown, pre-med volunteer from Cleveland had malaria and had to get shots in his butt each day for five days. We tried to get pictures to send to his friends. I laugh in malaria's face!
John and I have had a change in our eyesight - no lie. We can see in the dark now - no torch necessary.
Guys cooking Chapati outside.This happens nightly somewhere, at some house. You just have to search for it.We used to be afraid to eat food made by the kids in the houses. Now we follow our noses and go nightly, door to door. "Who has Chapati tonight!"
We would regularly show up for mass on time - 8:00 a.m. on Sundays. Now we wait til 8:30 and hear the priest's motorbike before we get out of bed. We are still the first ones there. TIA
There are tons of things that we would never have thought we would do when we first arrived in the Village. We have little fear, little pride left.
The biggest change - if I order Tuskers Beer back home - it will have to be warm. I have gotten use to warm beer and, when it is available, warm soda.
