But it was almost too easy! If I want to go buy lettuce here I have to leave before 10 am (afterwards its too hot), bike to the market, fight the crowds, argue in Jaxanke over prices and then bike back, making sure the shitty plastic bag I am using does not split open. And this is on a typical,
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| The magic of Sintra! |
But, as fed up as I get with how much harder it is to do everything here and how annoying it is to have kids yell 'toubab' at me every second, I missed parts of this simple life! Because everything is so hard to do, I feel accomplished when I do one task a day. Its great! In the US I was running 5-7 errands a day! (I apologize to all of you that are actually working 9 to 5 jobs!)
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| I claim the tower on the left! |
And of course, my time in Portugal was fabulous. I walked all of Lisbon, ate every pastry I could lay my hands on, visited museums, gardens, castles, monasteries and more. The Lisbon area is a magical place that felt like a cross between medieval times, San Francisco and Morocco. The Portuguese were friendly, spoke English and extremely helpful. I met so many other fascinating travelers and wanted to stay for longer than 5 days. I cant wait for my next Euro trip!
Some volunteers say that the transition pre and post-vacation can be the hardest part of Peace Corps, but I found it to be a refreshing experience.
Dont get me wrong, my first few days back in the '1st World' were tough. I went to at least 3 grocery stores and 15 restaurants on my first day in Lisbon, never buying anything just staring, overwhelmed at the options. I constantly wanted to do things like throw trash on the ground, pick my nose, eat with my hand and collect small change. All things that confuse and maybe disgust you all but are totally normal here and have become part of my norm. Even after almost 3 weeks, I would rethink touching things with my left hand or whether I should click my tongue in agreement or use words as affirmation. All of these strange traits are small ways that we as Peace Corps volunteers adapt to the culture we are engrossed in. While it was strange leaving those new pieces of me behind and trying to readjust my new oddities when I am not in Senegal, I found it as a refreshing reminder of how much I do enjoy this country and am comfortable with my new, strange life here.
While standing in customs at the airport, I jumped at the opportunity to attempt at speaking Wolof. I was so happy when I heard a man walk onto the plane and say 'Salum Alaikum' and was thrilled to help 4 Senegalese men fill out their declaration cards while on the airplane. Yes, all 4 Senegalese men who were sitting by me on the plane could not write. They had all been working in various European countries for 2 years and were returning home after a hard journey. So, while I do get frustrated with Senegalese people, with the heat, with the shitty food, I suppose that overall my life here is pretty darn good and has become seemingly normal, at least to me. As everyone says, Peace Corps sticks with you and I am sure that 10 years down the road Ill be just as excited as I am today to see a Senegalese restaurant in NYC or meet a Senegalese taxi driver who I can greet in Wolof.
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| Did I mention how I ate well? :) |
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