The Things They Carried

Been Rereading the "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien recently. If you haven't read it, I suggest you stop reading this, go ASAP to your local bookstore/library/amazon.com/e-reader, whatever and read it. Actually I don't suggest, I request. It's a decently short read.

Anyways, the first chapter is about the men in this unit and the things they carried during the vietnam war and how it described them as people. I thought about my own stuff that I carry everyday and thought it would make for a good blog entry.

I'm removing the obvious stuff that I carry (wallet, phone, kindle, keys) because that's pretty darn obvious. And a bit boring. But here are six things I carry with me every day

My Fake Wedding Ring

A week before I went to South Africa, my dad asked me to get a wedding ring. From his research, he figured that it would help keep some of the men away if they thought I was married. I was a little freaked out at the time, as I had just broken up with my then boyfriend and the idea of being married, even fake married, freaked me out. But he kept on insisting and since it was one of the two things he asked during that period* I went out and with the help of my best friend who was visiting at the time, went wedding ring shopping. Going into a jewelry store and asking the salespeople to help me find a fake wedding ring was pretty entertaining. We ended up picking this one out, a simple silver band that I ended up putting on my right hand. However, while in africa, I have never taken it off and put it on my left hand. One reason is that I stayed in my training village. Saying I was married in my training village with 30 plus trainees and lots of gossiping sounded like a bad idea, plus I was always with at least one other trainee, so men hit on us less often. Once I was unmarried I couldn't really be suddenly married. And I guess I was uncomfortable with being married, even fake married. Thus, I needed a fake boyfriend. My friend Wyatt readily agreed, and for the early part of my service, I told everyone who asked he was my boyfriend and showed pictures of him when asked. Wy, thanks for that, I owe you a beer. Around June things started to get complicated...but that's for later in the entry. 

My hair tie

This  is an easy one. It gets pretty darn hot in Bundu, so I tie my hair back in order to get some relief from the heat. Unlike almost every other peace corps girl in my group, my hair is still longer than shoulder length, so this hair tie gets used most everyday. Also my host sister loves tying my hair into knots using this hair tie. She is luckily cute enough to get away with it. 

My Vision Quest Bracelet

When I was finishing up my senior year of high school, half the senior class and I went on a vision quest. I sat in the desert by myself for three days, no food, no communication with anyone save a local coyote (school sponsored. Yes, I went to hippie school). Funnily enough, after three days in the desert starving, I got a lot of insights about myself and how I want to live my life. We all received commemeration bracelets after we came back together as a group. It's been more than five years and I still haven't taken mine off. Ever. Yeah, that was pretty important. Most people mistake it for a hairtie so I very rarely get questions about it. 

My community doll

My sister got me this doll for my birthday right before I left. It's the mascot of greendale community college, based in Colorado...which is the setting for one of our favorite tv shows, Community. I hold on to it because its tiny, reminds me of my family, makes me laugh and reminds me that I'm at least doing better than all of the characters on that show. Except for the people in the Air Conditioning Repair School, but hey they have a guaranteed job for life. You can't beat that. 

My Picture

This is a decently bad picture of my boyfriend. We met in May, started dating in June, he left the country in August...and we decided to keep on dating. Long distance relationships are well acknowledged as idiotic ideas, but we are both confessed idiots. He left this picture along with several other items in my house before he moved back to america (I still can't quite figure out the compression bag and the coffee maker), and I've been carrying around ever since. 

As you can see, I've been collecting many bug bites during my time. Most came during the time I went to see some friends to watch the election results. I'm now calling them obama love bites. 

*the other I didn't do and thus I'm apologizing for here, Dad, I should have been pack 24 hours before like you asked. As usual, you were right. I'm sorry 

Typical Day

Sorry readers (aka mom, dad and uncle gordon) there hasn't been a post in awhile. I actually wrote one October 24 but didn't post it until today. Still relevant

I've been having somewhat of a writer's block in blog posts. Which would explain my lack of updating and amazement at the volunteer in South Africa that I know who posts on her blog every single day. But then I realized yesterday was a pretty normal day and I hadn't talked about my normal day very often, so I'm going to write about that.

I wake up around sunrise. Usually that is anywhere between 515 and 6. My curtains have no protections against the sun, so if the sun is up, than so I am I. If its before 630, I let myself try to go back to sleep. Usually I fail.

Around 630 to 7, I get up, start making breakfastt (and by making I mean grabbing an apple or yogurt or bread) and make coffee. Whoever lovely person sends me a care package, can you please include some of those starbucks via instant coffee? The kind they have here isn't really cutting it anymore.

 I check facebook and the news by my blackberry. Found out the giants are going to the world series!  I usually don't have to go to work until 10, so I sometimes watch an episode of something. Yesterday was different as I had a skype date with a friend of mine. Using a modem, I can actually get on the internet in my little village. Unfortunately the connection is not that great. I think it cut out about 4 times during our hour long conversation, but it was really nice to chat with a friend.

After that, I polish up my lesson plan and start the ten minute walk to school. Two english classes to grade nines, with a lunch in between. My first class is typical. Incredibly rowdy and loud, so much of my teaching is done by walking over to the groups that are somewhat paying attention. The learners got their report cards back yesterday, I see five of them, and all of then have doubled their english scores since I've started teaching. The four who were failing are now passing.

That puts a smile on my face. However, while I'm basking in that, a fight breaks out. Although these learners can get rowdy, this does not look like a play fight. And the learners that are fighting are each at least five inches taller than me and outweigh me by at least 20 pounds. However, some of the larger learners break up the fight. I try to send the learners. That were fighting to the principal's office. But they won't go. I end up running to the principals office myself and getting him to break up the fight. Apparently those two learners are suspendeed.
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Class remains in chaos for the rest of the period. Even some of my best students found some money somewhere (seriously I have no idea where it came from and it wasn't mine) and started dancing around the classroom. I leave class five minutes are, rattled by the fight and their behavior.  Class is sometimes like getting pounded by a sumo wrestler. I go back home and lay on my bed and collect myself.


Leave for class and get there just as the principal is closing the gate. My second class is smaller, has more girls and is usually just better behaved. This time is no different. The lesson goes very well and I finish early, and give the class an impromtu talk about halloween, as its one of my favorite holidays and one that is not celebrated here. A couple of the girls ask about yoga classes and girls club and I tell them we can start again next week.  Finish class and head home.
 Nap time. I take a nap and wakeup around the time the kids get home from school. Play with them for about an hour and talk to my hhost family. Exchanged bbms with friends about upcoming vacation plans. And how everyones day went.

Start making dinner early while watching friday nightt lights. End up spending the rest of the day doing that, while also planning tomorrows lesson. The enduring conundrum of how to improve the learners reading abilities without books keepson coming, but everyday brings a new solution