Mom gets a nod

In coming to Africa this time, I tried to pack based on my last experience: things I brought & used, or didn’t, and what I could have used but didn’t bring. The number one thing being chocolate. So I brought a stash…only to find that chocolate is readily available at the grocery stores here. (It’s fun, because it’s the candy bars you find in the UK, which reminds me of Ireland :) I’ve yet to visit the U.K.). The grocery store also had many of the toiletries that I stocked up on for three months…they may be expensive, but I might have paid the price to carry around lighter bags the four days we spent traveling. :)

One thing I learned from my previous trip & did right was to bring nice clothes. Africans always dress up, no matter what they are doing, and it is generally a mysterious marvel to us Westerners how their outfits remain spotless without a washer, dryer, iron or dry cleaner. (These things exist, but many people cannot afford them). I also knew I would be working in the country office everyday, as opposed to being out in the field. So my effort to wear skirts and dress up has been well received. I was also complimented on my behavior and told that my mother must have raised me well, telling me how to act, what to do and what not to do!

So yes, here in Africa I dress better for and arrive earlier to work than I do in the good ol’ U.S. of A. Everyone gets to work early, so I have to keep up. I am there by 8:30 am at least every day. This was ok the first week when my body clock was still on U.S time and I wasn’t sleeping well. But now that I have regained my precious ability to sleep (Thank God!), getting up early is a struggle. Especially because once I get up I have to boil water for my shower. I can’t just step into a warm shower to wake me up. But once I step out of my house and onto the bustling street, I am happy to be awake and a part of life.