Time Won't Let Me Go

20/5/12

I’ve been thinking a lot about time lately. The time I have left here, the time I’ve already completed and the time it will take me to adjust back to the “real world”. We measure time here in many ways and it seems to change throughout our service. At first it was all about how much time we’d survived since arriving. So it was “Yea, one week in country!”, “One month down!” and “Got through my first week at site without crying!”.  As we got settled in it started being about countdowns: “3 days until classes start”, “Two months til Reconnect” and for me, “30 days until I’m back in America for the weddings!”. We celebrated the milestones of being in country for a full year and then at site for a year. I think I even remember seeing the “500 days in country” mark celebrated on Facebook.  We counted down to the end of our first year teaching, vacation and visitors from home. And now we’re in our second year of service and there is a whole new set of things to look forward to. Instead of “One trimester down!”, it’s “Two trimesters left!”. We celebrate and mourn our “lasts” and plan even more opportunities to see each other. We (Moz15ers) have about seven months left and we’ve started worrying about all the things we still want to accomplish and see and also what we’ll all do after we return to the states. I can no longer carry a baby to term in country (that 9 month mark came and went, haha!) but it’s too early to start packing and saying our goodbyes. I’ve noticed I’ve started thinking about time in terms of what’s in season. As in “I didn’t see any mangoes in the market, my last mango season is actually over” and “Thank goodness the avocado season in Dombe is so long, I’m not ready to give up guacamole as a daily stable”. For most places, pineapple season is ending but papaya season is just getting going. Winter is finally upon us which means less rain but also less of that debilitatingly hot sun that seems to scorched vegetables in the ground. We’ll see better veggies in Dombe and eat way more salads. And before we know it the countdowns will be “Two weeks left in the school year!”, “One month until C.O.S.” and even “One week until I’m back on American soil!”. But you know what’s interesting? With all this energy spent of counting down and marking off days, I usually have no idea what day it actually is!

My original language group. One week into PST.

Almost through with PST!

First day of class in Dombe

A huge milestone: finally buying a bed frame!
Plus right around the "one year at site" mark.

Last Beer Olympics

Time Won't Let Me Go - The Bravery