Ask any current PCV or Returned
PCV to talk about their daily routine and you will probably hear something
along the lines of, “No such thing exists.”
I now know this to be (somewhat) true.
You never know what the developing world is going to throw at you. For example, what you expect to be a simple
30-minute ride into town for fresh produce turns into a 120-minute, 3 different
taxi ride experience. Well, in hopes of
giving all of my devoted blog followers, aka Daddy, Mamasita and sisters, here
goes nothing…
Monday through Friday
6:00a – Rise and shine to
the sound of goats and cows
6:10a – Lanudry! I choose to do a little bit each morning so
that the pile never gets to the size of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
6:45a – Insanity workout
with Shaun T
8:00a – Cold shower
8:30a – Prepare breakfast
of egg whites or oatmeal or a protein shake or fresh pineapple or banana and
peanut butter
9:00a to 4:00p – Head to
the hospital for the day. This can
include helping organize the pharmacy, going on outreaches into the villages
where I help conduct health education talks regarding HIV/AIDS, water and
sanitation, hygiene, and nutrition. This
can also include simply talking with the hospital staff about America, helping
clean mushrooms that’ll be used for sauce, or watching a football (soccer)
game.
4:00p – Head back to my
house to check email, get on Facebook, write a blog post, call the family, and
decide what I will cook for dinner.
5:00p – Prepare dinner,
which typically is sautéed vegetables over brown rice or eggs or homemade chips
and salsa
6:30p – Writing and
reflecting time. This could be letters
home to family and friends or to the 2nd grade class I am
corresponding with. Sometimes this is in
my journal or just on a piece of scrap paper.
Sometimes this is a simple to do list or shopping list. Nonetheless, it includes pen and paper.
7:00p – Reading. Thank gosh for my Nook.
8:00p – Movie time! I know you are probably thinking, “A
movie? In the Peace Corps?!” My response, “Heck yes!” Thank gosh there are plenty of PCV’s out
there with loaded external hard drives, which allows me the opportunity to
watch everything from Glee and Modern Family to Grease and Toy Story.
10:00p – Lights out! Unless there’s no electricity and they are
out already.
The above also includes
the weekend, if I am at my site. If I
happen to be elsewhere, most likely at Brittany’s, it looks like this…
Friday
5:00p – Get to Brittany’s
and begin to cook dinner. This can
include veggie enchiladas, macaroni and cheese, chicken flavored noodle soup,
potato soup, or popcorn.
8:00p – Continue the epic
2-year cribbage battle.
11:30p – Lights out.
Saturday
7:00a – Rise and
shine. Again, to the sound of goats and
cows or to her cat pouncing all over me like I am a bounce house.
8:00a – Begin to cook
breakfast. Eggs, potatoes, pineapple,
tea… Something along those lines.
9:00a to 5:00p – Play
cribbage, watch How I Met Your Mother, nap, go for a hike, facials, nail painting, or simply
watch her kitty for cheap entertainment.
5:00p – Figure out what to
cook for dinner.
6:00p – Head to the market
for food and cook dinner.
8:00p – Again, more
cribbage to the sounds of Florence and The Machine, Mason Jennings, and
Trampled by Turtles.
11:00p – Nighty night!
Sunday’s at Brittany’s
looks pretty similar to Saturday, other than me returning to site by the early
afternoon.
Amendments to the daily
routine…
- Some days include a visit
to Mbarara, my closest “city”, where I go to the market for fresh green beans,
lettuce, eggplant, cucumbers, and carrots or stop by the Post Office to pick up
letters and packages (Thanks Mom, Dad, Nana, sisters, and Copelands!)
- For weekend dinners I am
usually with other Volunteers cooking Indian food, chili, Mexican (we really
like Mexican!), amongst other cuisines.
This is usually followed by some sort of game. Settlers of Katan anyone?
- There are days at the hospital that are
incredibly slow so sometimes I’ll head into town to visit with some of the
friends I have made, like Ann. My go to
yogurt lady in town.
If you are any bit
intrigued by this post please feel free to book your airline tickets over here.
If you do, the following can be
inserted…
- A safari into Queen
Elizabeth National Park
- Rafting The Nile
- Jinja (This includes
milkshakes!)
- Making more Mexican food
- Visits with my awesome
Peace Corps friends
- Lake Bunyoni
- Murchison Falls
Miss you all to the sky
and back and even more…
(Adapted from my Mama’s
saying of, “Love you to the sky and back and even more…”)
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