Friday, September 25, 2009

Home and Home again

It has been an amazing time. The commune was amazing. The family was really nice. It is really hard when no one can talk. We did a pretty good job! Although I'm back home.. Ok Eric no comment from you!! First I'll tell you about the site then why I decided to come home. If I could only paint a picture.. When I got out of the Taxi who will only go if there is 6 passengers and himself. Tight squeese. I'm in this Mountain town looking up and down. The bridge is out so everyone has to go around in the mud. Donkeys everywhere talking to each other... People milling around. Smoke rising from several places. Trash is everywhere. My host family was there to meet me and walk me back to the house. I mean treck up the mountain to the house. It is all rock. There are no paths to follow just rocks. Oh boy I thought carrying 50 lbs of stuff well I made it. I would have to make this hike 2-4 times per day. Let me tell you a little about the house and all. I go into meet the parents who are retired and I'm sure younger than me with the 3 girls. Its Ramadan during my stay which means no food from sun up to sun down. I know so much more about Muslem Religion than I did before. They show me my room. Like I said everything is made out of cement. Those poor Donkeys carrying all that cement up and down..

I have one foam cushion and a single hanging light bulb. They show me the 3 other rooms one living room which is also their bedroom. They have 5 cushions, a rug and a tv on top of a sideboard. Everytime you come into the room you need to take off your shoes. Not knowing why before I found out because they Pray on the rugs five times a day. Second room the kitchen. The size of small bathroom. Kitchen sink, 2 burner hot plate. Round wood spool they use for a table and 3 plastic kiddie step stools they sit on. Then we go up stairs outside where there is the turkish toilet 2 walls and a sheet. So this is interesting to say the least! They carry the water so its cold only. There is a public Hamman that is a public shower that they will use once a week. No heat. I beleive I have more camping equipment than they have total in their whole house. The first meal was to break the fast. This is what they eat every night for 1 month. Soup (clear broth) dried figs, 1/2 hard boiled egg, bread along with tea. They then have dinner at 10 - 11 pm which consists of coucous with a few root vegies 2 pieces chicken for 6 people and water. There is no stores or cafes open so no muchies either. With it being Ramadan it was a very family orienated. When I went back to my room my mind went crazy.. I started to think about going up and down the mountain 2-4 times per day. I knew I would not beable to to this with out falling. You know me and falling. Then i'm looking at what I brought to wear and I have no boots or heavy coat. I'm here with tennies and sandles with skirts. Then I am with a family that it means so much to be together and I'm not with my family. So after sole searching I decided to come home. I would not have been fair to me the Peace Corps or my family if I wasn't there 100%. I don't know what I will do now. I will look for a job of some sort. I will enjoy my family and friends. As the saying goes What will I do when I grow up!!

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