It started when I farted
& I headed to'rds the door
my bowels overtook me
& I shitted in the floor
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
nother day in the life
Life on a mission is sometimes just life. It's amazing-- good & bad-- what people can adjust to. I try to take photos of things the second I find them interesting or out of place, because they'll soon seem normal. Last time I went to the beach I didn't really notice the men staring at me & the two other 'white women' I was with before they came over & asked if they could take photos with us, or the herd of goats rolling in the sand. Walking out of the convent after lunch today, I was only slightly impressed by the 6 foot snake the gardener William was still beating to death. (btw, thank goodness he's not Hindu or Jain & is okay with killing those awful things..)
It's strange that living in a beautiful place full of prayer & beauty one can still have crummy days. Most of us here alternatingly have electricity or water. I'd rather have electricity though, so my fan can stay on & just shower at someone else's place. Waking up from a nap because I'm sweating, or because the women who live under me are burning leaves in a flower pot that seems to vent right up through my window isn't so bad anymore. I can now manage to stay half asleep while I throw off my sleeping bag, slip on flip flops, rummage for a flashlight & stumble to the bathroom to squat pee, all the while checking the hall for spiders, centipedes, snakes, etc. Children vomiting, crying, fighting is also totally controllable now.
It's also amazing to see what stays the same-- what I don't think I will get used to. I cannot bring myself to walk around barefoot. I've been 'offensive' at some places & in certain company for leaving my sandals on, but just- ew- not going to happen. When the toddlers take off their shorts in the middle of the room (they don't wear underwear) and then walk over to the bathroom, leave the door open to do their business, wash their little hand & bring me their shorts to put back on them.. I would just prefer if they were little barbie dolls without real um, parts.
Speaking of 'parts'.. most of the men here are totally disgusting. They where these weird 'man skirts' that I guess are traditional clothing, but anytime it's just women around, they will lift them to adjust themselves, or just flash it out.. They also all pee publicly, & not off in a corner, just anywhere- right when they feel like doin it like the damn cattle. To walk to the University, we take a back trail & pass by what looks like a dormitory & these guys will all run outside & drop their towels. The other day in the bus, me & one of the French volunteers managed to find a seat, & an old drunk stood in the isle & played with himself as he starred at us, & flashed his skirt open a few times. I've seen way too much disgusting male genitalia for one flippin lifetime.
Well hell. That's a pretty negative way to end, huh? Okay, on a different note- a totally non disgusting Indian man- been reading the life & times of Ghandi by... (can't remember the author's name, but he's really good so I'll insert it later) & it's really pretty amazing. He did a lot more work in South Africa than the movie gave him credit for.- Yes, my extent of pre-India Ghandi knowledge is that, a book my brother lend me once about his teachings that I flipped through on a flight from Alaska, & for some reason i know he used to try to eat a tomato a day to avoid constipation. Apparently his father & grandfather were prime ministers in a small west Indian City, he got his law degree in England in 2 years and 8 months where he was shy & did his best to imitate western men (but kept a promise to his mother to avoid wine, women, and meat... so not very western at all in my opinion) He also decided at age 36 to be celibate & kept this vow until his death. It's really good so far, but I'm only 150 pages in & its bout 600 I think. I'll keep you posted.
It's strange that living in a beautiful place full of prayer & beauty one can still have crummy days. Most of us here alternatingly have electricity or water. I'd rather have electricity though, so my fan can stay on & just shower at someone else's place. Waking up from a nap because I'm sweating, or because the women who live under me are burning leaves in a flower pot that seems to vent right up through my window isn't so bad anymore. I can now manage to stay half asleep while I throw off my sleeping bag, slip on flip flops, rummage for a flashlight & stumble to the bathroom to squat pee, all the while checking the hall for spiders, centipedes, snakes, etc. Children vomiting, crying, fighting is also totally controllable now.
It's also amazing to see what stays the same-- what I don't think I will get used to. I cannot bring myself to walk around barefoot. I've been 'offensive' at some places & in certain company for leaving my sandals on, but just- ew- not going to happen. When the toddlers take off their shorts in the middle of the room (they don't wear underwear) and then walk over to the bathroom, leave the door open to do their business, wash their little hand & bring me their shorts to put back on them.. I would just prefer if they were little barbie dolls without real um, parts.
Speaking of 'parts'.. most of the men here are totally disgusting. They where these weird 'man skirts' that I guess are traditional clothing, but anytime it's just women around, they will lift them to adjust themselves, or just flash it out.. They also all pee publicly, & not off in a corner, just anywhere- right when they feel like doin it like the damn cattle. To walk to the University, we take a back trail & pass by what looks like a dormitory & these guys will all run outside & drop their towels. The other day in the bus, me & one of the French volunteers managed to find a seat, & an old drunk stood in the isle & played with himself as he starred at us, & flashed his skirt open a few times. I've seen way too much disgusting male genitalia for one flippin lifetime.
Well hell. That's a pretty negative way to end, huh? Okay, on a different note- a totally non disgusting Indian man- been reading the life & times of Ghandi by... (can't remember the author's name, but he's really good so I'll insert it later) & it's really pretty amazing. He did a lot more work in South Africa than the movie gave him credit for.- Yes, my extent of pre-India Ghandi knowledge is that, a book my brother lend me once about his teachings that I flipped through on a flight from Alaska, & for some reason i know he used to try to eat a tomato a day to avoid constipation. Apparently his father & grandfather were prime ministers in a small west Indian City, he got his law degree in England in 2 years and 8 months where he was shy & did his best to imitate western men (but kept a promise to his mother to avoid wine, women, and meat... so not very western at all in my opinion) He also decided at age 36 to be celibate & kept this vow until his death. It's really good so far, but I'm only 150 pages in & its bout 600 I think. I'll keep you posted.
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