Hey, hey, hey!
Long time no talk! We’ve been pretty busy here. Last Thursday Liz, Esther and I moved into the big American house! Our friend, Allison, who has been staying with Rich and Anne, needed a place to stay while Anne and Richard went up to N’djamena for some meetings. So we volunteered to stay with her in the house so she wouldn’t have to be along. Ahh, nuts all five of us getting to stay under one roof for a whole week . . . :o) Needless to say it wasn’t like pulling teeth. So we are now on Tuesday and we will go back to our respected huts on Thursday evening.
Let’s get honest now. I have decided that the two places of living have their ups and downs. I will list them starting with the Hut:
Hut +
Speak French
Not worry about cooking food
Own living space
I get to love a family
I understand the culture much faster
I am exposed to the culture
Hut –
Harder to see the others
Feel guilty about not spending time with my hut fam.
Pressure to eat all of the food
Certain eating times
No freedom to cook my own food at my own will
Can’t make tea first thing in the am
House +
All under one roof is FUN
Relaxing places to sit and read and think
Easy to get up and go outside for worship
No one to have to explain myself to
Fun food to cook
No guilt about staying late and talking or not going home right away after work
House –
Have to cook for ourselves
Less French is used
I am unfortunately set apart from the locals
At times I am in the house area all day because of work and then I come home to the same place I worked all day – not fun.
No little kids to love
No adventure on my own
Lots of people coming and going so there is less stability here
All in all both places are nice. But I must admit I miss my famil. I miss getting to see them in the afternoon, and hearing them outside my hut in the early morning hours. It is easier when I don’t have to worry about what I am going to fix for supper and if I’ll have enough to feed all of us. I miss seeing Mowgli, Gungadin and Swari run towards me when I am walking home after work and I love my little American Hut. But I have loved sharing a room with Liz and getting to pray before we fall asleep and talk after our lights have been off. I love puttering around the house after everyone has gone to bed getting things ready for the morning. I love sitting in the garden room drinking tea as the sun finishes rising. But I know it’s all temporary. Things will be changing. People will be coming and we would have to move anyway. So at least I get to go home to a hut with people I love.
Let’s get honest now. I have decided that the two places of living have their ups and downs. I will list them starting with the Hut:
Hut +
Speak French
Not worry about cooking food
Own living space
I get to love a family
I understand the culture much faster
I am exposed to the culture
Hut –
Harder to see the others
Feel guilty about not spending time with my hut fam.
Pressure to eat all of the food
Certain eating times
No freedom to cook my own food at my own will
Can’t make tea first thing in the am
House +
All under one roof is FUN
Relaxing places to sit and read and think
Easy to get up and go outside for worship
No one to have to explain myself to
Fun food to cook
No guilt about staying late and talking or not going home right away after work
House –
Have to cook for ourselves
Less French is used
I am unfortunately set apart from the locals
At times I am in the house area all day because of work and then I come home to the same place I worked all day – not fun.
No little kids to love
No adventure on my own
Lots of people coming and going so there is less stability here
All in all both places are nice. But I must admit I miss my famil. I miss getting to see them in the afternoon, and hearing them outside my hut in the early morning hours. It is easier when I don’t have to worry about what I am going to fix for supper and if I’ll have enough to feed all of us. I miss seeing Mowgli, Gungadin and Swari run towards me when I am walking home after work and I love my little American Hut. But I have loved sharing a room with Liz and getting to pray before we fall asleep and talk after our lights have been off. I love puttering around the house after everyone has gone to bed getting things ready for the morning. I love sitting in the garden room drinking tea as the sun finishes rising. But I know it’s all temporary. Things will be changing. People will be coming and we would have to move anyway. So at least I get to go home to a hut with people I love.
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