Regularity is comforting when you are bombarded with sensory overload. The Peace Corps Volunteers are old news now and as long as we do the neighborly thing and say hello to everyone and give the kids their high-fives then the village is content. Unfortunately, that turns my 5 min walk to and from class anywhere from a 30min to 1hr ordeal but this is the role of Peace Corps, we are the village oddity, the mascot for America. I'm getting my first person perspective similar to that of a teenager working at Disneyland dancing in a Mickey Mouse suit.
We went to the market at Bo Central with our Krio class the other day where we had to show our teachers that we can shop/bargain in Krio. I love a good bargain but that market is insane! I was a bit overwhelmed and decided to put off my toiletries shopping list for another day. I was able to bargain for a pineapple and some flip-flops for the shower. I freestyled it and instead of saying "I Diya!" in Krio, I would use my usual international bargaining opener by yelling out "Gat Damned That's Fucking Expensive!!!!" lol! It seemed to be effective. :D
So far, the treated water has been good to me, no major bouts of vomiting and diarrhea in comparison to my less fortunate fellow PC folks. We were issued water filters and then we have to put 2 drops of bleach for every liter of water. It doesn't taste too terrible, I mean, not gonna lie, I took a big whiff if it today and couldn't stop thinking of times I accidentally swallowed community pool water as a child. The hint of bleach is off-putting. But no complaints here, I am alive, well, and currently have a decently functioning digestive system.
I'm currently looking for ways to communicate to my family that I would like some alone time. The SLs are very similar to the Filipino culture where everything is community based and you have to really mind your Ps & Qs to not offend somebody. I finally had the guts to tell my mom that I can only go to church on Sundays bc I have HW. I just think I'm maxed out with 1 revival a week......most likely working myself to less than that. I don't want to repeat last Saturday night where as I sat outside the church to listen to choir practice as many of my friends were passing by the road on their way to the Obama Bar......somebody save me and hand me a beer! I'm trying to be very respectful but it drives me nuts that I'm being treated like a woman-child where my host mom calls me 3x a day, I know it's with good intention but it's a bit suffocating. My host dad lectured me about making sure to call both him and mama Kenyah when I am coming home beyond class hours. Dude, I work for only $2.50 a day I can't be calling peeps left and right and eating up my cell units like it's nothing. Definitely working on explaining to them that I need time to blow steam on my own and say it in a way where it doesn't offend them and misunderstand it as me saying I don't want to be with them. I mean we were already warned about their overprotectiveness and they were also warned that Americans need some alone time, it is in our culture.....so we are all trying to understand each other: American and Sierra Leonean.
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