1. Not having any days that feel like the weekend. Everyday is a workday in the bush! You try to take a day off to do "just relax" and three hours later you're bored and wondering where everyone is. Inevitably they are doing something you were trying to avoid like weeding the fields or a four-hour church service.
2. Being peed on by babies. I admit that I always feel lucky when I am passed a baby. Not only are they all super cute but it also means that the mother trusts you enough to not drop him/her on his head (a trust that most American mothers would likely not lend to me either). Since I've been a volunteer the kids have been the best part of any day and those little, crying nuggets are no different. However, diapers are not a luxury enjoyed by the babies of the bush. This does not, as one might hope, speed up the potty-training process. Instead it means that you will often be transformed from being the trusted momentary caregiver of the little tyke into the depository for its daily milk intake. I'm surprisingly used to it now. I carry around an extra lamba.
3. Getting laughed at whenever you talk to someone new. Perhaps it is out of surprise, but whenever I meet someone here or even if someone simply overhears you they are overcome with laughter at the fact that I am a white person speaking 'gasy. I know its not a bad thing, but I continue to feel a little confused whenever I saw "good morning" and someone cracks up.
(...more to come)
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