Things that are surpringly acceptable

I find that when I am abroad things, I would like to think, that I would never do in America become acceptable, if not routine. For instance, while trekking in Nepal, I discovered how well ketchup went with fried rice or even chow mein (I did not come up with this on my own).

Here in Senegal are a few things that I somehow deem acceptable as well… Not cooking for myself (the majority of the time e.g. only cooking for myself when “away” from home); instant coffee (although this isn’t a new phenomenon, it is something I only subject myself to when it is the only coffee available at boutiques); excessive sugar (in tea, coffee, or by consuming soda or snacking on sugarcane); massive amounts of carbs and fried things; fried spaghetti with onions and potato; bean sandwich (beans with varying/unknown spices) on a baguette, occasionally with spaghetti and onion (if I’m feeling adventurous; fried canned meat (which I tried for the first time in country) with onion on a baguette; riding a bike that treacherous terrain without fully functioning gears or brakes; waiting for a shopowner to be done praying to buy something

Also it is the lifestyle nuances such as: finding frogs, unknown insects, mice, or bats in one’s hut; going at minimum 3km to get cell phone service, and even farther for electricity to charge one’s phone; on that note, going 75km for internet; being woken by chickens at who knows what hours of the night; having goats, chickens, sheep, and cats wander around the common living area, and consequently doing their business everywhere; doing laundry by hand/in the river by slamming clothes against rocks; having to wait unknown amounts of time to get a car somewhere; needing to sweep one’s room everyday to clear it of feathers, dust, dirt, unknown defecation, etc;

Things that are great though are: the weekly market near my village; visiting other volunteers; the sunset over the grass roofs of huts; listening to the BBC focus on Africa and world headlines at the end of the day; an amazing night sky; having a time during the day when you are not expected to do anything (after lunch during the hottest part of the day… I typically read or study since I am not a “napper”); the simplicity of living; having meals prepared for you so you can go on a run in the morning and come back to a hot breakfast; feeling deeply appreciated; having opportunities to collaborate work in nearby villages; being recognized and known throughout a few village radius; finding new bush paths that lead to somewhere useful; making my hut a home; tailors (I wish I had better accessibility/an excuse to use them!); setting up my hammock next to the river to read; studying or listening to the BBC by candlelight in my hut to be joined by my host mom and little sisters for dinner; bonfires in the "cold" (65 degree) evenings.