What I've learned....

What I’ve learned….
There has been a steep learning curve on all the finer points of living completely alone and in a village where a variety of foods are very difficult to get. Cooking and new recipes have been a challenge; I’ve made “kind of like chilli” and “sort of like tuna casserole.” I firmly believe that without Simon I might die of starvation. My inability to gage boiling water, as I can’t see into the pot from the dark shadows cast by the one fluorescent light has caused the fingerprint of my left index finger to be possibly permanently damaged; perhaps removed completely, and it seems my blisters are now getting blisters. I’ve since learned that if you let it get hot enough, you can hear boiling water. I’ve learned that even really cheap toilet paper can be rescued and dried out and used after it falls in one of the many buckets of water I’m forced to have standing around for when the water goes out, which I’ve learned is in fact, every weekend.
I’ve learned what it takes to drain my solar panel completely (exactly 1.5 movies in a row in the dark, after which you can’t get the light to turn on, either.) I’ve learned that it takes mail two weeks to get here from the East coast, three from the Midwest, and up to four from the East coast. I’ve improved my “showering” techniques to include heating enough water to dump half a bucket over my head in the end, and I’ve learned the pain of scalding a newly bald head with this process. I’ve learned to save my bathwater as I will inevitably reuse it to either wash my clothes or my dishes, or to dump in the tank of the flush toilet when the water goes out. I’ve learned that my toilet is also my main drain. I’ve found that sanitation and cleanliness are such relative concepts, and I laugh to think of how anal I used to be about this shit, and boy do I owe some former roommates apologies.
I’ve learned a lot about every movie I have here as I’ve taken to watching them through with the director’s commentary on after I tire of seeing them in their entirety. I've learned that the following are considered perfectly fine toys or teething objects in Seronga: broken mirror glass, batteries, dirt, used condoms. Seeing this stuff breaks my heart. I’ve learned that I must boil, then filter, then use my UV light on any and all water I plan on having enter my body orally, including washing the fruit I plan on eating. I’ve learned sometimes it’s just easier to drink a coke. I’ve learned the joys of processed cheese and mustard sandwiches. I’ve come to enjoy eating any kind of meat, no matter how grisly or fatty or if it’s goat.
I’ve learned how much I appreciate and love and miss my family and friends back home, and around the globe, and what good people I’ve been blessed to know, and how much they care about me. I’ve learned what a lucky girl I am, indeed.