Friday, June 6, 2008

I've been in my village about four weeks. This weekend I had to go to Southern Province for the twice-a-year house meeting. I'm not quite sure how to sum things up. Things definitely aren't bad. But I also can't say that I'm loving everything about life in the village. I think more than anything it's just...difficult. And I'm sure you're all saying to yourself "duh". You just moved into a village in the mountains in Southern Africa. Of course it's difficult. I know, I know. But I've realized that expecting something doesn't necessarily make it easier. I have a lot of free time, which is nice at times, I read a lot. And I have my moments I enjoy, like starting my day on my porch with real coffee looking at the mountains, or listening to the news on the Voice of America every day to stay just a little connected with home, or going with my clinic staff to a clinic outreach last week. But it's just tough to be so isolated. It's way more alone time than I've ever had, and some days it's hard. But I really like my village and the clinic staff I'm working with. They seem genuinely concerned about the well being of the people in the area and work hard to raise health standards and change behavior to lead to a healthier lifestyle. I think as I continue to live there and get to know the community these things will subside.