Give me a break!

I am nearing the completion of one of my longest, break free, stretches here in Didinga – close to 4 full months!  The last time I flushed a toilet, used a curling iron, enjoyed a salad, went shopping, wore jeans, submerged my body in running water or ate cheese that boasted an expiration date, many of you were probably just taking down your Christmas trees.

I love these Didinga Mountains.

I love my simple, bush life.

I do.

But… I also love breaks from these beautiful Didinga Mountains and this simple, bush life.

After nearly four months of Sudanese sunshine and daily two and a half mile dusty treks to and from school, my feet are dry, cracked and let me assure you, anything but clean.

If I exclude the rockin’ Easter turkey I devoured a few weeks ago, the last piece of meat I chewed on, I eventually spit out, as it was simply too tough to swallow.  That was about two months ago.

These days, fruits and vegetables are something we read about in fantasy cookbooks or watch in fancy American movies.  As we wait for rainy season, the ground is simply too dry for gardening and the planes that regularly deliver our fruits and veggies, have been few and far between these days.  As a result, we have been eating a solid diet of lentils, beans, bread, rice, noodles, lentils and even more lentils…  Oh, no, that isn’t quite true.  I forgot to mention the copious amounts of chai and popcorn that have been consumed.

And should I even mention the mice?  Oh, the mice. 

At the risk of disgusting those tender readers let me just say that mice drowning in your wash water (that you unknowingly wash your face with) and pooping in your sugar bowl is one thing, but mice nesting in your hair, while you are sleeping, is an entirely different thing!

I am in need of a nice warm bath, a mouse free night’s sleep, a bowl of fruit and a 20 pound block of cheese!

And folks, the good news, the really extra amazing news is….  this Wednesday I will be flying from Nagishot, Sudan to Nairobi, Kenya – the land of hot baths, mouse free sleep, fruit and, if I still have the craving, 20 pound blocks of cheese! 

This, yes this, is very, very good news!