(2003-09-23) We've Got It So Easy

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I’m anxious for October to start. It will seem like an accomplishment. Being here already seems like an accomplishment, but when I have an anniversary to mark, it will feel like one.

I like it here. I’m glad that I stayed, through my sickness and through my doubt.

The smell of insect repellent, the feeling of sand everywhere, the small insects constantly on my body (and in my food), the itching from mosquito bites, the twice-daily application of deet and sunscreen, bush taxis, awful smells, open sewers, people selling everything and anything on the streets… this is my life here.

And yet, it still feels as though I’m looking through a window. Africa shows me how little I know about the world. We’ve got it so easy (and in some ways, so wrong) in the West. We can go into a store knowing exactly what we want, see the price tag, go up to the counter, (maybe say hello) and buy it.

Here, there are no set prices, you constantly have to barter, you have to small chat before, during, and after the purchase, and you never really know the quality of the items you’ve just purchased.

Turning on light switches is a test of not whether the light bulb is burnt out, but rather if the town has power. Turning on the faucet is a question of whether we have access to water.

Before I left, I told myself that six months of discomfort would be good for me. Maybe I was right. Maybe I was wrong.

A couple of days ago, Angela and I spent the day making comments to one another about the things we missed from home. No potholes. Not being discriminated against. Very few bad smells. Reliable cars. Not having to worry about malaria. Having finger and toenails grow at a normal speed (instead of the craziness that’s been going on recently with them). Being able to have your hair dried within an hour, instead of ten. Not feeling dirty all the time.

Although these things are a nuisance, they’re nice to experience. I’m glad I’m only here for six months though. A taste… a taste of something different.

Then we look around us, and think, "This is how they live! This is what they do on a daily basis." I have so much respect for these people. People in Africa are the hardest working people I’ve ever seen in my life. They are up at 5am, cooking, cleaning, praying, going to work, taking care of children, going to the market and selling their goods, baking bread, making clothes, washing clothes, farming… it’s insane.

We’ve got it so easy.