Things that make me smile
- This group of volunteers. We have been together a little over two weeks or so now and everything is running SO smoothly. Everyone is getting along---and like truly getting along, not just tolerating each other until the session is over. Their attitudes continue to be enthusiastic and full of energy, despite not having internet still, the CRAZY heat, the random power outages and all the lightening and rainstorms—which I actually love because they are really cool—even when they start flooding our rooms. There have been a fairly decent amount of these lately, and it isn’t even officially monsoon season yet. Monsoon season should be interesting for sure.
- This girl. These are some members from our branch—and I look forward to seeing this little one every week. She is so adorable.
- And this girl. She was at a colony we went to a few weeks ago and I could not-for the life of me get her to keep her tongue in her mouth while actually looking at me long enough to get a picture.
- Reading bed time stories to the kids-sometimes they don’t like you to actually read to them, but the other night I read a book about bears to a group of girls and it was absolutely picturesque. The questions and giggles and focus were exactly everything you can hope for when reading bed time stories to children. (And yes I do realize that most the things that make me smile have to do with children. I’m a sucker for kids what can I say.)
- When a monkey comes into the elephant house and steals someone’s drink. There are obviously bigger problems with this--like them overtaking our eating area on the green house roof a few night ago--but the pictures still makes me smile.
- Carl the goat. He is the creepiest thing but he always puts a smile on my face. One time Claartje was sitting on her bed and had that feeling that someone was watching her so she turned around to see Carl just staring her down through the window. A few days ago I was walking back to the volunteer hostel from the school and Carl following me—until I looked at him and then he stood there all innocently. There was a maintenance worker who was watching and laughing pretty hard. Like I said, creepy but he is also freaking hilarious. Oh Carl.
- The newly installed TP holders in the squatty potties. When I first came the TP could be found numerous places around the stall, and often times wet from who knows what. It was nasty.
- The newly installed industrial bug light zapper on the Elephant House Roof. We eat dinner up there and sometimes the bugs are so bad. Like can’t open your mouth the eat because the bugs are so bad. The constant stream of smoke and smell of burning critters isn’t the most pleasant thing, but Ill take that over the alternative any day
- When I‘m up for a late night potty break and one of our bathroom frogs jumps on my foot. It is kind of funny but mostly just gross and definitely not something I am hoping continues to happen
- When I really need to use the bathroom but the tie on my Aladdin pants is in a hopeless knot. It happens way to often.
- Running errands on Sunday. It is hard because nothing really opens until 10AM, but we have to be ready to go at 12:00PM. That sounds like a lot of time but it really isn’t considering catching rickshaws and transportation to and from the church to the mall or wherever it is we need to go. If I could go by myself I could check things off my list pretty quickly (most of the time, this morning we spent a good amount of time waiting for the camera battery man to show up) but since we have to be in groups for safety we have to get everyone ones errands done. I know strength in numbers is more important, but when you have such a short amount of time once a week or so, it can be frustrating.
- The Indian concept of getting in a line—there isn't much of that concept here. It is 100% normal for me to be in line at the super market and then have someone or multiple someone’s come snake their way in front of me. Usually it is men too because of the whole patriarchal society things. I’ve learned to be aggressive and stand my ground but it is still annoying. So much aggressiveness should no be required to simply stand in line.
- When bugs fly/crawl in under my clothing. This happens way to often for my mental sanity, because sometimes it takes a while to find them but you can sure feel them. Not super at all.
- 6. The current pink eye problem on campus. I feel like I am the mean American on the playground when I have tell kids they can’t touch my face or cover my eyes and make me guess who it is. They look at you so hurt. I try to explain it is because we are trying to stop the pink eye epidemic, but I don’t think they totally understand that, while I know they understand me telling them No, No, No. And believe me, they understand that, because there is almost always a kid in the background who mocks everything I say.
