A few people have written a ‘what my day looks like’ blog, and I was inspired to do so as well, so here it goes.
5:30 a.m. Radio is turned on in the room right next to me. Hear my dad unlock the squeaky backdoor—grab my TP and flashlight, find my outdoor shoes somewhere near the door, go out to the latrine to take care of business, or a ‘short call’ as it is called (you aren’t supposed to actually say you are going to use the toilet), then go back to my bed for a bit.
6:15 a.m. Dad opens my door and calls in to me “Good morning Nocheewalla. Wasuzeotia” (good morning/how was your night). Mumble back, “bulungee, wasuzeotia.” He responds with “bulungee”(good) then repeats this process with my brother Peter and then Sully/Francis (when I first got to the house they told me his name was Francis, but everyone calls him Sully).
7:30 a.m. Wake up, get dressed for the day, drink my tea and maybe have a little food for breakfast (whatever they give me), and head out for school.
8:30 a.m. Get to the IMME quarters and work on homework or just talk to friends in the quarters until I need to get to class.
1 p.m. Lunchtime, AKA the most stressful part of the day. We stand in line (the only lines I’ve seen Africans form), grab our food (rice and beans in a sauce…sometimes potatoes or fruit. I actually enjoy it a lot), and then walk down the steps while frantically searching for a few openings at a table. Find a spot, sit down, smile at the others at the table, and eat. Food is piping hot, which combined with the weather makes us extra warm.
2 p.m. Time for class. The clouds start to change, and the temperature drops. Thunderstorm! The rain cools everything off, but is so loud on the roof that we can barely hear the lecturer in class.
6:30 p.m. Time to walk home. Across campus, through Technology Park gate, past the boda-bodas, past Dean & Phil’s house, by the brick-makers, up the steep, windy hill, past the kids who greet me with ‘hi mzungu! Bye mzungu!’, see the brick wall and Lake Victoria in the distance (with the sunset…it’s awesome), past the hotel across the street, and I am home! Greeted with, ‘Yes Jill. Welcome Back’ from Mama, then ‘welcome back’s from the boys. Shoes off at the door and into my room to put my bag away.
7:15 p.m. Bathing time. Grab my green basin, walk outside and fill it a few inches deep with water from our water tank (which catches the rain water). Back inside to the bathroom, which is just a cement room with a hole in the floor where water drains out. Make sure I am clean and the red dirt is off my feet, and then to the latrine (it’s kind of an issue when you are locked in your house at night and not allowed to go out to the latrine. It’s essential to make sure that you can make it through the night). Then its time to do homework, watch TV, or see what is cooking outside.
9-10:30 p.m. Dinner at some point in this time period. After eating, its bedtime. Tuck my mosquito net around my bed and fall asleep listening to music videos playing on TV, bugs chirping, rats running across the rafters, or dogs barking in the neighborhood. Mmmmm…sounds of village life. Another day has passed, and 5:30 sometimes seems to come really early.
The sunset on my way home. I just love it.
And here is my class schedule:
Monday:
12-1 Faith and Action
4-5 African Lit
Tuesday:
2-3:30 Reading the New Testament in Africa
4-5 IMME Practicum
Wednesday:
11-1 African Traditional Religion
2-3 IMME Practicum
3-4 Contemporary Issues Seminar
Thursday:
9:30-11 Reading the New Testament in Africa
11-12 African Traditional Religion
2-4 African Literature
Friday:
Tomorrow we are going Whitewater Rafting on the Nile, and some are going bungee jumping also, but not this girl. I'm a little nervous for the rapids, but also very excited. It should be a great weekend, and fairly restful.
Hope you all have a great weekend.
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