Normal.
Where have you been, many of you may be wondering. You said you were going to blog again... WTH?!
Good question.
I was thinking about this in the car just yesterday as we spent 45 minutes trying to cover the 4.5 kilometers between school and home. Why aren't I blogging anymore? Why aren't I snapping pictures of every little thing?
The answer is, because life here isn't an adventure anymore. Life is normal. Downright boring, in fact! (Well, not all the time, but I'll get to that later) Seeing men pee on every street corner is normal. Seeing food sold from wheelbarrows is normal. Seeing children younger than my Dane beg on the streets is normal. I even have a normal beggar I give money to. He knows me and looks for me every afternoon. It's all so ... normal.
Having a steward in my house feels normal. Having a driver feels normal. Spending hundreds of dollars each week on groceries still doesn't quite feel normal, but I'm working on on it. I've also gotten quite good at deciphering accents. I used to be terrible. If someone spoke English with anything other than a Southern drawl, I was lost. Not anymore. British, Dutch, South African, Scottish, West African ... no problem. And if you say "hooting" instead of "honking," I know what you mean. Or "cossie" instead of "swimsuit," or "boot" instead of "trunk," or "lift" instead of "elevator"... yep, I got'ya. And that's kind of fun. I feel more like a citizen of the world.
That's what is amazing about people... we adapt. We adapt to survive and, if we're lucky, to thrive. My whole family has adapted. Nathan told me the other day that he didn't want to move back to Texas. "It would be so boring," he said. Dane doesn't comment on the trash and litter any more. All Bitsy cares about is spending time with her friends. Everyone is happy. Sure, we complain but, heck, that's normal, too! Who doesn't complain about their lives from time to time?
Well, now that life is back to normal, I am hoping I can make blogging part of my normal routine as well.
Good question.
I was thinking about this in the car just yesterday as we spent 45 minutes trying to cover the 4.5 kilometers between school and home. Why aren't I blogging anymore? Why aren't I snapping pictures of every little thing?
The answer is, because life here isn't an adventure anymore. Life is normal. Downright boring, in fact! (Well, not all the time, but I'll get to that later) Seeing men pee on every street corner is normal. Seeing food sold from wheelbarrows is normal. Seeing children younger than my Dane beg on the streets is normal. I even have a normal beggar I give money to. He knows me and looks for me every afternoon. It's all so ... normal.
Having a steward in my house feels normal. Having a driver feels normal. Spending hundreds of dollars each week on groceries still doesn't quite feel normal, but I'm working on on it. I've also gotten quite good at deciphering accents. I used to be terrible. If someone spoke English with anything other than a Southern drawl, I was lost. Not anymore. British, Dutch, South African, Scottish, West African ... no problem. And if you say "hooting" instead of "honking," I know what you mean. Or "cossie" instead of "swimsuit," or "boot" instead of "trunk," or "lift" instead of "elevator"... yep, I got'ya. And that's kind of fun. I feel more like a citizen of the world.
That's what is amazing about people... we adapt. We adapt to survive and, if we're lucky, to thrive. My whole family has adapted. Nathan told me the other day that he didn't want to move back to Texas. "It would be so boring," he said. Dane doesn't comment on the trash and litter any more. All Bitsy cares about is spending time with her friends. Everyone is happy. Sure, we complain but, heck, that's normal, too! Who doesn't complain about their lives from time to time?
Well, now that life is back to normal, I am hoping I can make blogging part of my normal routine as well.
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