Yesterday, I was reflecting on our lives here and I started listing all the things that happen here regularly that we don't find too strange anymore, but y'all back home probably will.
Regular things that aren’t regular back home.
1. Taking a shower in constant fear of being electrocuted. Just Google “Guatemalan shower heads”…
2. Squeezing into school buses that already contain at least 65 people. Not that I counted or anything.
3. Dipping dishes into bleach after washing them because the water is so contaminated. Because that doesn't defeat the purpose or anything… nope.
4. Waking up, walking outside and analyzing the cloud covering on “volcan de agua”, the volcano we see from our front yard.
5. Sleeping in a room smaller than my room at home with 6 other girls.
6. Translating everything in my head, even if I’m just at home with my teammates.
7. Brushing my teeth in the front yard with my nalgene, usually with at least 2 other people.
8. Hearing and feeling everything from firecrackers to small eruptions to earthquakes.
9. Analyzing on a daily basis whether I’m actually getting tan or if I’m just dirty.
10. Analyzing how touristy we look in comparison to the other white people we see in Antigua. We're usually alright.
11. Stores and banks with guards holding huge guns. No big.
12. Kids and adults running around with machetes attached to their waists. Again, no big.
13. Laughing at myself hours after making a language error and realizing I said “I like your feet” instead of “I like your hair”. True story.
14. Discussing bodily functions with my teammates on a daily basis.
15. Praying that the bus driver doesn’t hit one of the many stray dogs or people walking across the roads as we speed by…
16. The day you decide not to bring your rain jacket is the day that it absolutely WILL rain.
17. Our nalgenes have been washed at most once. And we've been here for 3 weeks. Totally acceptable.
18. On worksites, using whatever kind of "bathroom" you can find. Cornfield, bush, grassy half-built room… they all work well.
19. You haven't washed your hair for 3+ days? Impressed, not disgusted is our first reaction.
20. Family Time and Feedback are normal nightly activities.
