The Toughest Job You'll Ever Love

This slogan from PC from years ago is SO true. However, what the general public might not understand is that the "tough" part doesn't really refer to living w/o creature comforts, cooking over charcoal stoves, squatting to use the bathroom, bucket baths,etc. That sort of stuff isn't really tough. The tough part comes from the daily emotional exhaustion. First you can't communicate well, then randomly waves of "I want to go home" wash over you for unknown reasons. Then, an hour, minute, etc. later, you're fine & the prospect of staying here for 2 years is perfectly reasonable. The cycle continues constantly and it wears you out. It really is tough. However, at the same time I'm loving being in Africa & realizing that I might possibly make it here. Currently I'm in Njombe (see TZ map) and it's nice here. The weather is cooler & there are lots of volunteers around to hang out with. We're staying in a hotel for the last little bit of time here so all volunteers & shadowers can hang out together. We get REAL toilets & hot showers. It's so nice!!! I sent a post about my trip here to be posted from at home, so Iwon't repost it - it'll just be posted after this one& be a little out of order. Oh well. Anyway, I got my hotel room for last night all to myself (awesome) and there were no lightbulbs in it. Not a big deal until it got dark while we were out. So, we returned from our adult beverage consumption & my room was DARK. (Africa is DARK - can't explain). Anyway, I was able to go to the desk& tell them that I needed light in my room now (as opposed to later when they usually do things) in Swahili, I was understood & the guy came up & got me a lightbulb & showed me how to get the lightswitch on the wall into just the right position so that the light in the bathroom would stay on. Moments like that make me feel like I'll make it here. One day at a time is all I'm promising myself or anyone else at the moment. I'll find out in 3 days where my permanent site is, so be on the look out for new address, new info, etc.

Tomorrow I take a 12 hour bus ride to Dar for some adminstration stuff & to go to the dentist - yuck! Thurs we head back to our homestays for 5 more days.Thanksgiving day they ship us off to our sites where we can't travel from for 3 months - yep, Thanksgiving,Christmas,Hannukah, New Years all on our own! We plan to get together w/those who live close to us, I hope! School starts 2nd week in Jan, so it'll be a long 6 weeks alone, but I hope to enjoy the solitude & being on my own again after living w/ a family.

New book ideas I'd love to get:
Look Me In the Eye (don't have author on me)
Dewey by Vicki Myron
Going Hungry (again, no author w/me)
Duchess (i think?) by Philippa Gregory
The Longest Trip Home by John Grogan

I've finished Twilight #3 (Eclipse) and am about to finish Second Glance by Jodi Picoult. I've now read all of her books- send new ones if she comes out w/them!

Miss you all!