What I miss about home is, I think, going to change as time goes by. For instance, I don't miss any foods yet; I am so busy trying new foods I love here. Eventually, however, I'm sure that I will start to crave certain foods and miss more things from home.
What I expect to miss the most is people. I'm going to miss seeing all my friends and my parents as often. I'm meeting new people here, and so far that's been going well for me. Harriet and Michele are good company to have here in Galle this first week, as is Michael and his family with whom I am staying. They are much more accommodating and social than I was expecting in a host family. I'm sure that the volunteers in Pinnawala will be wonderful too, but I miss the easy communication of familiarity. I think I have taken for granted the ability to have at least a few people around me with whom I can speak freely, to make a comment without wondering if I'm going to be misunderstood, judged, or offensive. I also expect to miss cheese.
Right now, though, what I miss the most is the feeling of being clean. This is not so much a surprise, but it's different than I imagined. My shower here is actually pretty good. It's after I leave the shower, I feel great for about 10 minutes, but then I am covered in a thin layer of sweat. 10 minutes later there has been a layer of dust and dirt that has settled on me and mingles with the sweat, sticking to me.
I expected to miss being clean because for 10 weeks I would not have a decent shower, but it turns out that I can. No temperature control, but the water always comes out with decent pressure and lukewarm. It's much cooler than I usually like, but that's when the air around me isn't as hot and humid. I don't know what the shower will be like in Pinnawala. We'll see.
Less personal feelings, more elephants!!!
ReplyDeletePsssh, what do you care, Stephen? You don't think there should be more elephants, you think there should be more me sitting in the lab listening to the whir of the computers or falling asleep in an early morning meeting. I'd much rather listen to the crashing of waves and fall asleep shrouded in my mosquito net.
ReplyDelete*Also* if you'd been reading this blog, you'd know that I don't go to the elephant sanctuary until Sunday. After I actually see one, I'll write about them.
"Not even Michael Crichton would have the balls to write a love story blog from the elephants perspective"
ReplyDeleteGreetings! I heard from your Mom that you washed an elephant today. Don't they just go back to getting mud-coated so they can be cool? (I was at the Korean spa with you before you left).
ReplyDeleteThey actually don't put mud on themselves here. Maybe because they get washed twice a day the river and the breeze keeps them cool enough.
DeleteAnd even if they did, washing them is so fun :)