lauren laughs

i don’t so much have a “fully functional” kitchen yet. i’m reminded of this at odd moments… like when i bought a can of beats to eat on a salad, but then realized i had no can opener. nothing a pocket knife can’t fix. or when i decided i’d make brownies this weekend, but had to do so without measuring cups. the result: brownie goo the entire staff made fun of.

so i’m on a mission this week/weekend to set up my kitchen. i’ve got dad’s monster van parked in the driveway till sunday, so i might as well make use of it! so far, i’ve purchased a spice rack (including 20 spices), a liquid measuring cup and a strainer. odd mix, i know.

i LOVE the vintage wallpaper that adorned my bathroom up until this weekend. it was so super cool, but it was peeling in the worst way… so it had to go. let me tell you, taking wallpaper down from the wall is no easy task. goodbye lovely little butterflies on yellowed background…
and then i painted, which was also a bit of a task… mostly because i had no step ladder so i did all kinds of acrobatics to get from one high corner to the next. painting has always been a social event for me, usually helping friends, but this time i was going it alone, and that was quite nice too. i kept thinking, ‘i’m doing this just for me.’ sounds silly, but it’s a rare occasion that i put that much effort into anything that’s only going to benefit me. i’m still debating if i like this blue, though…

sometimes my mom likes to remind me that i was a cheerleader by thrusting her finger up in the air and shouting, “go keeaaaatts!” because that’s how we used to say it in high school.

this is a different kind of cats. this is the city bus.

after my woe-is-me-i-have-no-social-life moment yesterday, i did indeed email some friends to see what was going on this weekend (the answer is EVERYone is leaving town), and someone tipped me off about an outdoor music venue downtown. so i pulled out my bus map and went downtown. easiest thing ever. even coming back in the dark and rain wasn’t a problem. i kept thinking, i’m on a reputable city bus with lots of people, and that’s got to be safer than riding on the back of a motorcycle with a stranger in benin, right? i am lovin’ me some public transportation.

not to mention… i met someone last night that likes both biodiesel AND salsa. i mean, what are the odds. thank you city bus, for expanding my social horizons.

well i never thought the day would come when i was bored on nights and weekends… but it has. i am meeting lots of people and i have at least one social activity a week, but i’m spending even more time alone here than i did in benin. part of me knows i ought to enjoy the respite. in two months’ time i’ll be longing for the days when i could come home and do nothing but read. but when it’s almost every day? it gets old. my eyes hurt from reading. last night i thought i’d give myself a break by watching a movie… but i only have one… love actually… yeah… great movie to watch when you’re already feeling a bit lonely. yesterday, in a moment of weakness, i even agreed to babysit on a saturday night. this is serious.

ok. i will stop whining at start being proactive. i’m going to email my new acquaintances and make plans. right. now.

i went to home depot this morning to pick up paint supplies with my landlord. i’m in a really unique situation, where instead of having to track down my landlord and wait months for anything to be accomplished, i see mine every day. and every day he smiles and says, “how’s the house? anything you need?” (tip for the day: if ever you can rent from the church… do it!)

while i was waiting at the paint counter, i noticed a slightly funny, slightly familiar, very friendly guy mixing paint. i thought to myself, ‘huh. that guy looks just like mason… haven’t seen him since high school.’ then i looked at the guy’s orange smock, which said: “my name is MASON” in big magic marker letters. no way.

yes way. an old friend from rockbridge county. because the world really is that small.

i spent most of yesterday at a theme park with 25 middle schoolers. i’ll be honest and say i could have sat at a table in the shade all day and been happy… i’m not the biggest fan of rides and such. not that i mind them, it’s just not my idea of a rockin’ good time. but i did go on rides… lots of them. all of them. even the worst i’m-gonna-puke-my-brains-out rides. why? because i’m earning my stripes. those middle schoolers went home thinking i was cool, and i went home feeling a little queezy.

so i ate some week-old pizza, cold, and i didn’t get sick. (i was making sure it was safe before telling everyone else at the church to help themselves).

at some point last night, i got a little bored… so i walked to the grocery store. it gave me some time to reflect on how FAR from africa i am.

1. there are no fences. everyone has big welcoming front yards, unencumbered by walls topped with broken glass. there are also no guards. you can look directly into most neighbors windows, and that’s okay.

2. there is grass and it’s pretty. in africa, grass is considered a messy yard. my guard was constantly pulling up my grass. granted, grass can look messy when you cut it with a machete. no machetes here.

3. there are street lights.

4. despite all the comforts of the outdoors… the safety, the grass, the lighting… everyone shuts themselves up inside. no one is out on the streets talking to each other. def not africa.

5. no one stares at me or sings the whitey “yovo” song.

6. the grocery store… ooooh, the grocery store! i don’t even know where to start on that one. luckily, my grocery store is a smaller “express” version, so i don’t get TOO overwhelmed.

7. lots of cars. no motorcycles. less pollution. more trees. no beach. fireflies.

i’m still far from all my close friends, though. peeps here are super friendly, but i know it will take 6 months to a year before i have any really intimate friendships, and that’s kinda sad. but do-able.