Getting in the groove

So, the other day I walked out of my room at my home stay family's house and saw my little sister pants down peeing in a bucket in the middle of the house. I thought nothing of it and went on my way. It occured to me later that my shock value for things is slowly decreasing, so I decided to put some things down in writing that at one point were a little strange to me, but now it's becoming routine and ordinary. For example; going to the bathroom outside in a whole in the ground, using the same soap to wash the dishes, floor, clothes and body, second hand shirts that people wear here that are sent over from the states like the one that my friends 9 year old host brother always wears that says, "this bitch bites", being proposed to daily, riding in a chapa which can only be described as a 'Little Miss Sunshine' van that is falling apart at the seems and usually needs a good push start to get going, and the capacity is 15 people but somehow they shove 20-25 people (and sometimes chickens) in their at once for quite the luxurious ride, the over use of cooking oil, eating everything with your hands, and oh so much more.


I'm having a really good time at training, but it's not really a good depiction of how my life is going to be for the next two years. There are 40 of us Americans in this town so there is always people around to hang out with. We find out our site placements on Wednesday, and I´m getting really excited. This country is absolutly beautiful so I think I'll be really happy wherever I go. It is sort of bitter sweet though because I've made a lot of close friends here with the other volunteers and we are all splitting up come December. It's amazing how fast friendships are made when we're all in unfamiliar territory and we're all going through the same things. It's a really good group and everyone is young and fun and just all around good people. Everyone brings something different to the table. For example, I have this one friend who is the total opposite of me and extremly anal retentive. He's always overly cautious about germs and hygiene. So it was quite ironic when he came down with a bad case of scabies. He was the butt of all jokes for quite a while. It was the best when Moçambican men would come up to him and try to shake his hand like they often do. He would have to explain to everyone in broken Portugues that he has scabies and he couldn't touch them because he's contagious. I think they think that he just some strange white dude now... it still makes me laugh till I cry to think of it.


So Thanksgiving is coming up on Thursday and its the first time I'm away from home on my favoirite holiday, so it might be a rough one. All the trainees are getting together and making a big Thanksgiving meal, or something like that because we kind of have a lack of resources. I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving though and eat lots of turkey and stuffing and think of me!

All my love xoxo