Anne and I have compiled a list of cultural experiences that we have had since September to give our readers a better idea of what the day to day looks like for us. Funny, good, bad, or otherwise, these small things have been a huge part of what has been one of the most (if not the most) fruitful experiences of our lives.
Have you ever…
waited for the city electricity to come on to
- do the laundry?
- charge your phone, computer, or ipod?
- iron your clothes?
- use the internet?
- watch t.v.?
- re-freeze your ice cream in the freezer so you don’t have to eat ice cream soup?
hosed down the dirt road in front of your house to reduce the amount of dust that flies in?
waited for the hottest part of the day to take your shower so the cold water doesn’t bite as much?
walked a mile to get computer and internet access?
given your child test money every month so that he/she doesn’t fail because their teacher didn’t have enough money to pay for copies?
slept under a mosquito net?
made a meal from scratch? Or how about every meal, every day? (without microwaves, slow-cookers, or ovens)
met a third or fourth grader who had never used a pair of scissors before?
hung your undies on a line to dry for all the neighbors to see?
shelled your own peas, shucked your own corn, or cleaned your own rice? Better yet, have you ever picked your own fruit or vegetables?
taken a bucket bath?
had to run down the street to buy a new bottle of drinking water because the water on tap wasn’t clean enough to drink?
sat next to a grown man or woman while they touched a computer for the first time?
chopped down a plantain or banana tree with a machete?
kept a broom in your shower to sweep the water down the drain when your finished?
gone out back in the morning to pick fresh papaya to put in your oatmeal or oranges to make freshly squeezed orange juice?
been woken up during your afternoon nap by a pickup truck with a loudspeaker making advertisements, buying/selling items, or selling vegetables?
chased down the guy with the pickup truck selling vegetables yelling the name of the vegetable(s) you want to buy?
been woken up by Christmas carolers at 5 am?
seen a family of 6 scrunched onto one motorcycle?
eaten boiled bananas or plantains?
drank coconut water from the coconut?
found the neighbor’s chicken walking through your kitchen?
run your half-cooked beans over to the neighbors’ house because your stove ran out of gas?
climbed on your roof to make sure your water tank has enough water for you to shower?
chased the garbage man down the street with a month’s worth of garbage?
made a makeshift broom out of tree branches?
bought exactly the amount of food you needed to make a meal?; “a half a head of lettuce, 3 cloves of garlic, half cup of cooking oil, and two pieces of bread.”
sat on a stranger’s lap in a cab so the driver could fit 7 instead of 5?
