Long time no post

July 1^st, 2008

7:50PM

 

Having returned from a much needed vacation from the States, I feel much better about life. I can't say for sure which I feel better about: the people & culture or the climate. My grasp of the language has made it so I can get along in the village without much of a problem. I understand most of the time what is being said to be at least- other conversations that I try to listen to fly by me. They talk a different way to each other- less well pronounced and much quicker. Also I feel like I have mostly set my boundaries with people (or at least I think I have). Everyone more or less has stopped asking me for gifts and presents all the time. I've learned to parlay it off a bit. This has been a gradual process. My counterpart (aka not my "really really" counterpart now) was the worst to begin with. He wouldn't even greet me and be polite by pulaar standards. He won't even talk to me in pulaar. He would have someone do it for him when he was sitting next to me. He would just barg into my room or into a conversation then start making demands. I'm made it know that I'm not a gift giving machine. Though it is hard to be generous here without people thinking you are a fool with too much money to burn. I am generous with people that help me and are respectful. People that barg into my room and start making demands don't get anything.

 

So that has been my general policy with people. If they act greedy with me or try to trick me, I become suspicious. It is sad to say but I know generally 30 seconds into a conversation what they are about. Everyone here is in poverty by American standards.

  Other than that, the second thing that is much easier is the climate. Don't get me wrong it is still warm here. It is humid. But it is not nearly as hot as it was a month ago. Man I was dying. I was grumpy, mean and probably a little nutty. I would consider that the number one reason that I didn't write to this blog. I couldn't bring myself to write anything. I was too miserable. It is better now.