being in africa, where it's always hot, where there are no "back to school" or halloween or easter bunny displays, it is so hard to keep track of the dates.
in america, if i remembered an event, i'd think, oh, yes, there was snow then, it was last winter. but now, i have to really think about it. was it raining? what other events happened near that same time? and even then it is usually surprising to me how much time has passed.
after my first 3-6 months here, even when i knew that it was winter in america, i often joked that i still felt like it was summer break, simply because of the heat. but now that i've been here fifteen months, i clearly understand that time has passed. it is just really hard for me to figure out how much time. i think that is one of the reasons that peace corps' 27 months tend to pass quickly. even though we are aware of days passing, they run together so quickly, and without a break or change in the calendar, they just form this clump that we americans cannot understand.
i didn't think i would miss those tacky, consumeristic displays at stores, but i guess i kind of do. and i DEFINITELY miss the changing seasons, and winter especially.
happy birthday. thanks for pouring yourself into those kids. hope things work out for you to make a visit. we move into our new house in two weeks. i am pumped. neal
ReplyDeleteAnd the older you become, the more time passes quickly. I remember older people telling me that when I was younger and I can't believe I'm now repeating it. I do, only because it's true. As it passes quickly, then it's hard then to remember which year that was in. I do things like - "that was the year the snow was deeper than the eaves of the house..." You are right, we tie many things to the seasons. I like your observations and enjoy how they make me think.
ReplyDeleteHello! My name is Jon and I am a student at CU Boulder. I am currently in a Reporting 2 class and I am writing a story about what future peace corps volunteers can expect to see if they leave for a West African country. The story has to have a science or environmental theme to it.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your blog, it's obvious that some of the stuff you write about has a lot to do with my story and I was hoping you could answer some of the following questions if you have the time: What vaccines did you have to get before and while volunteering? What diseases and/or general illnesses are common in your country? Have you been sick at all? What different creatures, animals, insects, etc. do you encounter (or not want to encounter) during your volunteering? Also, if there is anything else you could share about the environment you live in, that would be great. For instance, is it stifling hot? Or too rainy?
Thank you so much and I (as a hopeful future peace corps volunteer) look forward to reading more of your blog.
p.s. this story won't be printed, it is just for my class
Whoops. I forgot to leave my contact info. in case you have time to respond. My e-mail is jonathan.tattum@colorado.edu.
ReplyDelete