The Good...

First off..i have to give HUGE ups to my fUHNatics dragonboat team on an amaaaaazing season! You guys are amazing. Paddling with you is something I missed terribly, and I can’t wait to join you guys in the boat next season. I loved reading up on your results and all the banter…Congrats on all your accomplishments….how you guys consistently broke the 2 minute barrier is beyond me, but I definitely have some training to do to catch up!

Anyways, about a month ago, as I was approaching one month, I wrote an entry in which I listed the things I miss from home. As I approach 2 months here (that was a quick month!) I thought I would talk about the things that I love here. Because its just as important – if not more so – to focus on the good here rather than whats wrong.

1) I love the windows in our shower. Taking a shower in the morning with sunlight coming through is a great way to wake up (no, they’re not transparent windows).
2) I love the picturesque moments. Walking through our neighbourhood, there are so many kids playing around and it cracks me up sometimes to see the things they do. I walked by a boy and girl bouncing a basketball, and I looked around and wondered where the hoop was. My question was answered when I saw the girl make a circle with her arms and the boy banked a shot off her face and into the makeshift net. Then they switched and the boy became the hoop…it was pretty funny.
3) The beach – Aside from the sun and the sand (and the incredibly salty water) I love just staring out into the Indian ocean, wondering if there is someone on the other side somewhere in India or Sri Lanka staring back at me.
4) Perfect Pizza - the pizza place we visit every Friday night. It’s become a ritual for us to go for pizza on Friday night, and I love the pizza they make!
5) I love the smell of the bakery that I pass by everyday on my matatu ride home. It only lasts like 5 seconds, but I’ve timed so I know exactly when to take a deep breath (although sometimes I get it wrong and end up inhaling a full breath of exhaust)
6) The learning – and there’s been a lot! To be in a totally foreign environment and learn something or realize something you never even imagined…that’s the main reason I’m here. And the amount that I’ve already learned is incredible, I think I’ve learned more than I will ever be able to contribute. I know I’ve complained about the pace, and wanting to be able to do more, but I think one thing I’ve learned more about is the idea of pace. Not only do they work at a different speed here, but they use a different speedometer altogether! So like, lets say I was a car, and I’m used to travelling at 100km/hr. Before I came, I knew I would have to slow down to like 20 km/hr. But my notion of 20km/hr is something totally different and so a good learning has been realizing what their idea of fast and slow is…but it still drives me nuts sometimes!
7) I love the people I work with. I may rant about the insurmountable problems in health care here, the complacency, etc. etc. but the people I work with are here, they are committed and they are not giving up. You can only admire that kind of drive. Plus, being a small organization, it feels like family here.
8) Debating with my supervisor. He is probably the most interesting, and knowledgeable person I’ve met here. A wealth of information, it is very fun to debate ideas and theories and the field of international development with him. Goes to show you that being physically worlds apart does not always mean that the thinking is different.
9) I love our porch swing. Set up perfectly to watch the sun set over the water as you rock back and forth (if only I could do something about those damn mosquitoes!).
10) My gym. The best medicine for anything thats ailing me and the only place i can take deep breaths in the city without causing severe lung damage

And finally…I love it when it rains. The weather here is a little odd, it’ll be sunny and hot most of the day, and then every now and then the clouds come in, the skies open up and it absolutely pours for like 20 min….and then its sunny again. I guess my favourite part is after the rain ends. The dirt is washed away, the streets are little emptier, and the air feels crisp, cool, and a little cleaner – even if only for a moment.