The best part so far?
The people I work with. The ladies I work with at the Ministry of Health inspire me every day. Their passion for healthcare and their determination to help people despite the mountain of challenges they face is astounding.
The incredible contrast of the landscape. Namibia...oh Namibia. Beeeeeautiful.
My host family. Even though I no longer live with them, they continue to be a source of love and strength despite the 800 some-odd kilometers between us. They are facing a difficult time at the farm now because the rains have not yet arrived, and yet they continue to be positive and uplifting. They are amazing.
The sound of rain falling on my tin roof at night. Its so soothing.
The African sky. You have to see it to believe it.
The worst part:
The heat some days. Uugh.
Giant mosquitos. Most nights they are so bad that they make an audible buzzing noise which echoes from the ceiling; the entire room hums with their presence. Its really bad when I'm sitting on the toilet and there are hundreds of them swarming around me. And heaven forbid an unfortunate toss or turn during the night leaves one of my limbs pressed against the mosquito net--it results in massive swelling of said body part due to thousands of bites in one concentrated area.
Flying cockroaches. Yep, you read that right. Its something out of my worst nightmare. Most people have an irrational fear or two...mine just so happens to be cockroaches. I know they can't hurt me, and yet they still gross me out. They are disgusting in the states, where they only scurry around on the floor. Here, they dominate both land and air. -Insert dry heave-
Not knowing if I am making an impact. Some days I get disheartened. At this stage I have plenty of "What am I doing here? Can I really change anything? Am I really making a difference..." moments. It comes with the territory, and I simply try to weather the tide.
Missing my family. This is a BIG one. As crazy and weird as my family is, they are an incredible group of people. I miss sitting in the garage shooting the shit with my stepdad and hearing about whatever his new project is (building shelves for his gun cabinet, planting a new round of peppers in the yard, remodeling some random thing laying around his garage). I miss snuggling with my mom under the afghan my grammy made, watching timeless old movies on TCM. I miss spending days with my sister Keri shoveling snow, watching movies, admiring her photography, and walking to our favorite sammich place. I miss romping around in the Burb with my brother, laughing til we want to vomit, eating obscene amounts of Del Taco, and having him blow foul smelling air up my nose through a straw while I'm trying to sleep. I miss beating up my brother Eric (who is, at heart, a big bucking chicken). I miss waking up to the sound of my dads guitar, and the smell of Ma's coffee and pancakes drifting into my room with the first morning light. I miss spending endless winter days watching the snowflakes fall from the windows in our Big Bear house while surrounded with some of my best friends on earth. I miss the sound of my little sister Bayli's laugh, I miss reading with her, and tucking her in to sleep. I can hear her little voice saying "commme hereeeee" for her thousandth goodnight kiss.
The last one is the hardest of all. Still, it all balances out and I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.
Until next time...
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