My new normal.

Blending in and making new friends

My new normal

Nine months have passed since disembarking from the 747, for the most part I’m feeling settled into my new community and my days are no longer clouded with confusion.

Here are some of my new normals:

Secret friend party

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      STRUCTURE:   I no longer have a daily planner, and neither does anyone else. Things get done and it’s never too late, you might have to wait, but it will happen. Days are from sunrise to sunset and a week has 6 days, 1 is put aside to relax. This is a very big change for me, at home my daily planner was sacred , and Sunday’s took the overflow from the week before. Lack of water and electricity:  This is now so normal that I don’t grimace when the fan stops, well okay, I don’t grimace as long as I did before. Now I just go sit outside with my family, who also complains about the heat.  The shortage of water has a time schedule: 8:00 am – 4:00 there is no water, so I plan storage and flushing the toilet before or after work.  It works.

·         PRACTICALITY:  Drying off with a cotton cloth rather than a towel after a shower is normal. Some days have been so hot that bucket baths are frequently taken, a towel would stay damp all afternoon but the cloth dries quickly.  Feeling the sweat ripple down your forehead is also my new normal.

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     REALITY:  I am now able to control my gasps and winces when I am in the hospital’s infirmary. No longer do I tear when seeing a person’s skeletal frame lying there on the hospital bed, or a small child’s eye swollen shut from an infection of who knows what.  Diarrhea, undernourishment, AIDS, and even dermatitis are the foes to a happy life here. A smile, a light touch, and a plea to God are in my new normal.  

These changes in my normal routine have a double edged sword; it comes with the adventure but it does take adjustment.  Sometimes I sit back and wonder if it’s worth it,  then looking at these children's faces I no longer doubt my stay.

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