As I was preparing to move to Liberia, I wondered what kinds of things - the little things of daily life - would be different here. Now that I am here, some things seem surprisingly normal, while others are out of the ordinary for me. So I thought I would put together a random list for you of the little things of life that are different for me here than they were at home. Random, yes, but hopefully also interesting and enjoyable.
Sleeping habits. I used to go to bed no earlier than midnight, wake up when I had to, and sleep until at least 10 when left undisturbed in the morning. Now, I'm usually in bed by 9 or 10, awake by 5 or 6:30, and can't seem to sleep past 8 or 9 on the weekends.
Bathing habits. Too much information, I know. But I used to shower every 24 hours without fail (I called it my hair's 24 hour shelf-life). Now it's every other day. And by shower I mean "pour water from a bucket". Which actually is not hard and makes the old shower method seem really wasteful!
Eating. I have always been a creature of habit, eating the same things many days in a row, so that part hasn't changed too much. It's what I eat each day that is different. Breakfast = pop tarts (not toasted, of course). Lunch = peanut butter and jelly wrap (I'll take a picture sometime soon, but it's awesome) and some pringles. Dinner = rice and beans or noodles with tomato sauce or a can of soup or a can of ravioli. Snacks = fruit snacks, granola bars, peanuts. We have the occasional Liberian meal too, but those are the staples!
Clothes. Most days I wear a long dress with a fitted t-shirt underneath and my Chacos (sandals). Some days I wear a long skirt with a polo or one of two pairs of capris I brought with a polo or one of about 5 semi-nice shirts I brought. There's one dress I save for special occasions, and I did bring one pair of jeans. But it's definitely not my typical attire!
No makeup. Which is really not a dramatic change, as that was the norm for me about 2 years ago. But I suppose I had grown used to wearing makeup over the last couple years. The fact that my face is oily and sweaty about 23.5 hours a day has brought some acne back like it's 1999 again, but it's all good. Perhaps it will help me to relate more to my junior high students :)
Exercise habits. Although I've started to get in some workouts with the basketball team, it is strange to go from being a certified fitness instructor to being a mostly inactive person. I feel my myself getting less strong and out of shape, but I am hoping that basketball will help me to get back in a routine of some kind. Something about always being hot and sweaty just reduces my motivation to do things that will make me more hot and sweaty. But like I said, we'll see if this changes :)
Alright, I think that's a good smattering of things for today! I'll try to take some more pictures soon and give you an idea of "a day in the life of...". Hope you all had a wonderful weekend - thanks for all your encouragement and for taking the time to share in everything I am experiencing here - it means so much to me!
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Yay Chacos! Glad to hear things are going well. Stinky that you had some cheating going on; guess it's not just limited to over pushed western students. And it's extra infuriating when it would take less time to just do it yourself. Love you bunches!
ReplyDeleteI just ate a pb&j, I'm thinking I may have to try the pb&j wrap though.
ReplyDeleteSounds like your days are filling up with more activities to do!