Fish Juice and Undressing

Lafye ( I don't think that's the right spelling but that's really not important)- a piece of material about the size of a double sheet. It comes in a myriad of colors and patterns. This is what all the women wear over their clothes and it covers their head as well. Following are the instructions on how to put it on. First, take a corner of the material and tie it in a knot and hold it in your left hand. Gather the rest of it behind your back, with the top of it at your waistline. Bring the knot around to your right side in the front. Bring the rest of he fabric that should be on the right, over to the left. Cinch the two ends over each other very tightly. (Trust me, the tighter the better). You will have a lot of extra fabric hanging down on your left side. Make a small dog ear with your fabric at the top by your waist and tuck it at your left hip. (Don't make too much of a dog ear because it will hurt you later). Tuck the knot that should be out at your right side in the fabric that is there. Now, take both hands along the extra fabric and sling it up behind your back and over your head. And yes, there will still be extra fabric. Tuck a little of the fabric by your neck on the left side. Then throw the rest of the fabric across your front and over your left shoulder. Now as you can probably tell, this takes quite a bit of time to accomplish every time you leave the house. And if you have the wrong length, or make too big of a dog ear, or even if you don't have your legs far enough apart, the process doesn't work out. And you will either not be able to walk, or it's going to fall down. Believe me, it falls down alot!! And that gives the locals a big laugh. Then you need the help of several people to re-clothe yourself in the middle of a crowd! As you can probably conclude, I rip my lafye off as soon as I make it back to the house. One lady here says she forgets she has it on most of the time. I think it's going to be a long time before I get to that point. Here's hoping it comes soon!
MEAT ROW: We went to the market today. There are tons of carts and spaces where people are selling everything from basic fruits and vegetables, to shoes, to blow-up animals. (Seriously!) Probably, the most interesting part of the market is what I like to call "meat row." It's a covered area with a very narrow aisle and tables on both sides. First, picture a lot of people pushing their way through from all directions. There's a different meat on each table -- fillets of everything, fish, liver, something in a very odd shape, etc. Now, when you're looking at a particular piece of meat, the seller literally slams the table really hard to get all the flies off! Then, they hold the meat high in the air so the buyer can see it from all angles. Now, while you're looking at the meat, other people are transporting meat up and down the aisle. There were numerous times when I looked up to see someone carrying the thigh of a huge animal over my head! I'm sure you can only imagine the smell. The only thing that really got me was when I was looking at the fish table, and something started to drip on my foot. Not a very good feeling!
Once your meat is purchased, the seller puts it in a small, black, plastic bag. You carry it in the bag with all your other food. Needless to say, the FDA or PETA would have "strokes" at the sight of "meat row." But, let's face it - you've got to eat!

in 48 hours.....

In 48 hours I will hopefully be flying over the atlantic, sleeping comfortably, and have plenty of leg room. Well what can I say....I like to dream big. The nerves have started to settle in right at the back of my throat and in the pit of my stomach. I have kinda been waiting for them to make an entrance. The past few months have generally been filled with excitement, and when people would ask if I'm nervous about my new journey, I could honestly say no. I knew the nerves would show themselves at some point. I don't think hardly anyone can move to another continent without some reservations. In the past couple days I've actually had the thought, "what am I doing??"

 The excitement far outweighs the nerves I've experienced the past couple days. The process to reach this goal has been so long and full of emotion and transtition and all those other slightly scary words that mean things are changing and I'm growing (hopefully).  Thanks to all of you who have walked by me up until this point. You have given me the strength to get to this step. I wouldn't be here without yall. I can't wait to talk to you from the other side!! 

Space bags and Peanut Butter

My first overseas trip was 2 weeks long. I was able to pack two 70 pound bags absolutely free.  I didn't realize at the time how glorious of a privilege that was.  Those days weren't that long ago, and I suddenly feel extremely old for talking about the "good ol days," when packing for an overseas trip was easier.....but those days are gone and I am left with reality. The reality is that I get two 50 pound bags for free, but get ready for the huge charges to come for bringing overweight or extra bags, not to mention an overweight extra bag. All these little details is enough to stress any girl out. 

When observing the multiple piles of supplies all over my room that need to fit into 4 bags that seem to be shrinking by the minute, several thoughts flutter around in my head (flutter? did i really just say flutter?) Am I too American and think I can't live minimally and deserve all this stuff? Am I too attached to my Crest ProHealth toothpaste because I'm packing multiple tubes? How many granola bars does one need over a 2 year period? If I know I'm living in the desert for the next 2 years, why do i still feel the need to pack several jackets? How can I ration 8 jars of peanut butter to get them to last the longest?  Why does everything I plan to pack suddenly feel like it weighs 20 pounds?!?! Yes, I agree, there is a lot of stuff going on in my head, and about crazy things like packing.

Along with all these crazy thoughts and stresses of packing, I've found some pretty awesome tips about fitting lots of things in tiny packages:

 

1. Space Bags are your friend. These bags allow you to stuff tons of clothes, towels, etc. into a clear bag and then you get to suck all the excess air out of the bag with a vacuum. The joy I experience when I get to see a huge pile of stuff shrink before my eyes is incredible. It kinda makes me want to put everything in space bags...and I mean everything!

2. Open everything! Packaging just takes up space and precious pounds at the airport scales....and it's amazing how many places you can stuff Crystal Lite packets.

3. Have background music when packing. The new James Morrison cd really put me in a good mood while stuffing things into space bags.

4. Pray for broken scales and really nice check in people at the airport. You may have noted that none of my tips included how to make things lighter.....still trying to figure that out.

Hope this helps when you're preparing for your next adventure.