I'm rather sensitive to smells (read the first blog entry for more!) It has been a comfort to put on clothes and be reminded of friends from home. My packing plan was to bring clothes which I would leave here for people in the hospital, at the end of my stay. So I asked friends if they had any items they would be willing to donate to the cause. I received many options and am reminded of friends each time I put on an article of their clothing. The scent of their house, or laundry detergent. stays with me all day as I walk through the streets and pass people who have not had the opportunity to bathe recently, much less launder their clothing. Today will be my first day really in the hospital wards and I am forewarned the smell in there is more than overpowering.
I can only imagine what the smell must be like if it were hot. But it's not, it's chilly! Who would have thought it would be cold in Africa! It is very pleasant in the mornings when the sun is shinning. Warms up to about 70F, but in the afternoons the rains start and it gets cold. We have been able to see our breath the last two nights after dinner.
So far the food has been fine. Breakfast is make your own toast or cereal, which suits me well, but poor Brett is suffering. His normal hearty plate of leftovers is not an option and by 10am he's starting to get hungry. By 1pm, when lunch is served, he's starved! Lunch and dinner are prepared by local women in the IU House kitchen. They seem to have a list of "American" foods they make. The food has a bit of an American flare to it, but let's just say the pizza probably it's one you're going to want to order in for delivery. Wednesday evenings everyone staying on the IU House campus goes out to dinner. It was a wonderful way for us to meet everyone staying here and learn about all the projects taking place. While at dinner I thought of what a small world we really do live in as I sat, eating Indian food, in Kenya, with a friend from Jr. High, who's parents live blocks from us in Indianapolis.
If only this small world had closer time zones! It's after 5am local time and I've been awake for over two hours now. I know it's normal to time adjustment issues, but it's starting to get annoying. My normal insomnia remedy/bad habit of watching old 80's re-runs to fall asleep is not readily available. And the internet connection is "ify" so watching something on the ipad isn't an option either.
Luckily the internet connection is good enough I am able to chat online with my mom and get an update on the kiddos. Both seem to be doing well and have enjoyed the times when we have been able to video chat, though the last conversation they seemed a bit distracted. Might be because they were at the cupcake place for an after school snack!
Unlikely we'll video chat tomorrow/today, as we are leaving this afternoon for a weekend safari. We are heading to Nakuru National Park, famous for it's pink flamingos. We'll even be staying at the Pink Flamingo lodge. Will post pictures and stories when we return!
It's getting closer to my bedtime in Indy, so I think I'll try to lay down again for a bit.
FWIW, the pizza in Nicaragua isn't any better. By the time we had to make a visa-renewal trip to Costa Rica, I was so desperate even for mediocre pizza that I actually sought out a Papa John's once we arrived there.
ReplyDelete