I’m coming home (for a little while anyways). There are only 131 short days until I step foot in Ohio. I believe that I have reached the point of integration. The “When There is no PCMO” (Peace Corps Medical Officer) handbook says there are 4 stages of cultural adaptation. The first is being fascinated and excited by the things that are new. The second is when this excitement is replaced by frustration. The third stage is when you are in your post and you are taking the first steps to integration i.e. practicing your language as well as trying AND failing at cultural activities. The final stage is when you can successfully navigate your community and culture.
So I can only imagine that I will have to go through these four stages again when I get back to America. Only this time I will be on warp speed. I mean I only have three weeks to re-adjust … momentarily… to American culture. I’ve already accepted the fact that I will probably end up crying at least ten times. I started reading a book by Brigid Keenan titled, “Diplomatic Baggage”. Granted I am NOT an ex-pat wife but I can completely understand her angle of uprooting herself and then having to question her decision she is faced with something new and most of the time scary.
I got to thinking that I’ve really handled the situation well. I’ve been very lucky in that I live in a relatively Westernized area of Niger. I mean, I’m only thirty kilometers from Niamey. I have indoor plumbing (ignore the fact that my water has been cut off for two months) and I don’t have to wear typical Nigerien woman garb unlike some of my peers. Today I was very amused when I started listing off the things that I’ve seen and done that some people would never imagine.
How many people can say that they drink their morning coffee or tea out of a plastic bag? How often do you see a donkey cart trotting along beside a car? And camels? Well, I mean, where do you see them other than in a zoo or on the side of a cigarette carton? Here’s some Western versus Eastern perspective for you:
Each morning I wake up to my cell phone alarm (W)
I ride my bike to my job (W but more eastern since it’s not a car)
I buy my breakfast food from a woman sitting on the side of the road and it comes in plastic bags (E = open cook stoves are not the same as street vendors and how many street vendors do you see in Westerville, OH?)
Every woman around me is covered head to toe in beautiful (HOT) fabrics even though the temperatures almost always surpass 100 degrees F. (E)
Donkey carts (E)
Lack of power and or cell phone coverage from noon until 4 PM (E)
Street children singing in Arabic trying to earn some food (E)
Handicapped and mentally ill people wandering the streets with no help (W/E)
Buttas (for those of you not yet acquainted with this word: it is a plastic tea kettle used to hold word for abolitions during prayer, as well as washing your hands and private parts after using the toilet) (E)
Marriages where the bride and groom aren’t even in the same city (E)
Men mumbling along to American songs thinking they’re all that but you can’t help laughing because they don’t know 1) how to pronounce or 2) the meaning of the words they are attempting to sing. (E)
Eating with my hands (E) but that is cancelled out by the fact that most of the time I am given a spoon.
“Fofo, anassara” – would it ever be acceptable in America to walk down the street and say “greetings white person” … I don’t think so (E)
“Cadeau, cadeau” (E) Westerners like giving gifts but in day-to-day life most things are given as exchanges.
Leemu haari – plastic bag popsicles aka pieces of heaven (E)
Yogurt in a bag (E)
Frarma and franglais (E) people here are so much better with languages.
Items in the market are more expensive for me therefore I have to send a child with my money to shop for me (E)
The obvious nature of communication. “Hey you’re riding your bike to work” … thanks for pointing out what I already know. (E)
Having slow internet is more frustrating than having no internet at all (E)
No markets are indoor except for in regional capitals (E)
Bush taxis = cars that defy all laws of safety yet still manage to get you where you need to go (E)
Tea making requires three cycles with a mini tea pot (E)
The list is funnier in my head but granted, I’m the one who really understands what all this feels like. I try to explain it but without living it a little bit the experience is kind of lost in translation. Kai, quelle dommage! One of my biggest fears is not having anything to talk about when I get home. I mean, I’ll have stories but I don’t know how many of them will be interesting outside of the Peace Corps community. That’s why I hope all of you look at my pictures. Then you can start preparing interesting questions for me to answer (so much easier than me just rambling on).
The things I most look forward to generally revolve around the sharing of culture. I can’t wait to watch a LONG slideshow of all my Africa photos thus far. I can’t wait to give out my souvenirs (jewelry, figurines, clothes, toys), and I especially am very excited to burn CDs of my favorite African music for all my friends.
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