Archive for March 9th, 2006
Mmm … chicken. We're headed to the beach to eat some grilled chicken in a little bit. It will be a great way to finish my day off.
Last weekend we the team went up to the highest point in Freetown, a Catholic retreat center called Javouhey House. The view of town was amazing, as was the silence and food. We had several good discussions and a lot of time to just sit and relax.
The weekend was bittersweet. The time away provided good opportunities to read and talk. It also provided the closest environment to the US that I've experienced since being here. In a way, I had forgotten some of the pleasures and conveniences left behind in the states. It was by no means just like the US, but there were likenesses that reminded me of the "difficulties" that awaited me upon descending the mountain.
The descent was difficult … both literally and figuratively. The original taxi driver forgot about us and the one that did come a few hours later (which provided two additional hours of relaxation … a hidden blessing) came with a box with brakes. Thankfully, all we needed to get down the hill was four wheels, a seat, and brakes. He didn't have much more than that. My knuckles were a little bare, but we were down the mountain. The following few days were rough, up until today. Culture shock set in and everything that was different from the culture of my birth felt like lemon juice in a paper cut. My community both here and at home has been wonderful in asking how I'm doing and spending time to let me talk about how I'm feeling. Thank you all.
This time will pass. It is almost a right of passage that must be passed through in order to make it to the other side where I will not need to remind myself of the beauty that surrounds me, I will see it at first glance.
So yes, I have a day off and it has helped immensely. I listened to my iPod (one of my few guilty pleasures) for two hours this morning before rising for breakfast at 9:30. I read, played guitar, though, prayed, and journaled until 4:30 when I finally left the house. So yes, things are hard right now, but they're not as hard as they were a day ago, and there is chicken to look forward to.