This morning I awoke and found I was in Africa. Having arrived the previous evening I assumed a good night’s sleep would prepare me for the moment when it would finally set in, when reality would finally set in. The moment when I would realize that I had arrived, and that I wouldn’t be going home for a long, long time. However, the moment never came.
I’m not sure why, perhaps because I was expecting it, because I had been contemplating it for so long. Or perhaps I was distracted by this cold I have been nurturing ever since kissing my sister goodbye at the airport. Or maybe I have grown too old, too cold, to numbed to experiencing new settings that Africa seems strangely un-exotic. I admit, so far I have seen nothing, just this hotel compound, the road our matatu (van taxi) drove to the mall, and the mall itself (which could easily be transplanted anywhere in the U.S.). It all seems so common to me. I am disappointed by the lack of a sudden shock.
But these are early days, and the good company more than compensates for the lack of exciting scenery. The other volunteers are a splendid bunch, and I foresee many joyous days ahead of us.
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