Dead Body

Let me start this blog off by just saying my very tiny house currently smells like dead animal.  Why you ask?  Oh, just because we had a whole dead goat skinned in my house all day and then my roommate cut it all up into pieces to cook after school.  No worries though, she gave me some too.  Ok, rewind though.  I woke up this morning at 6 like I always do and I walk to the kitchen, but before I can get there, I see some furry little stub on top of the cabinet staring me in the face.  Now, I’ve never seen this furry little stub before so I quickly go back to my room and grab by headlight.  I get out there and yup, there is a tail staring me in the face.  Attached to that tail?  A naked body with half its legs and no head…yummm!  I prefer not to see the meat I eat in full form.

To also add to my day, I was in the office before school started like I always am, and the principal arrives with a work bag/briefcase type thing.  Now, I’ve never noticed this bag before, but today it captures my attention.  I am not sure why, but to my surprise, it ended up being a Roxy over the should bag.  Oh, I got a chuckle about that and I am sure people were wondering why I was laughing.  It isn’t exactly funny, but I have to laugh when I see these very American things in Namibia.  For example: one of my teachers had on a Pittsburgh Pirates hat, I saw a Zemba in a Steelers shirt, and I’ve heard a Namibian say y’all.

On top of all of that, I had an interesting dream last night.  Basically, I was back in America and incredibly homesick for Africa.  I was missing the simplicity of African living and the small town feeling and all of the other crazy things that currently I take for granted.  I really hope that when I return home I do miss this place.  I hope that in some form or fashion this year is embedded into my heart.  Into my soul.  Now this stuff I can’t make up because I really do live in Africa, but I didn’t get to see how my dream ended because a very loud cow was standing outside of my window and chose that moment to make his morning greetings.  The scenario was so incredibly ironic and as I woke to his loud moo, I got a little laugh before falling back to sleep for a little longer.

As much as I miss home and my family and long for the tiny things like Chipotle (where I don’t see the chicken attached and still feathered), I am continuously entertained here.  There is never a day where I don’t stop and say this is Africa.  I am definitely living an African lifestyle, more so than some people who are actually African.  I can proudly come home and say that after this year, there’s probably not much I can’t tackle.  I may be girly, but any girl who can pee in a bush, use an outhouse every day for a year, sweat more than should be allowed, and take cold showers, can definitely hang with the big boys.