This usually happens to me about this time during international experiences. All of the cultural differences and little inconveniences begin to overwhelm my senses and I start longing for the comfort of home.
It started when I woke up last Friday morning. I had wanted to take a shower the night before but we still didn’t have any water after 2 days. I hoped that there might be water in the pipes by the time I woke up that morning, but the pipes were still dry. Not only that, but we also didn’t have any water in the barrels so I couldn’t even take a bucket shower. So I went to internship feeling dirty. I sweat soooo much all of the time here, so if I don’t take a shower every day I feel really nasty. This was now the second day I had not showered. My face had gotten slightly sunburned the day before from being out in the field all day. Friday I also went out in the field all day and my face burned even more (despite sunscreen). The sun never stops shining here, which all of you back home are probably envious of, but I would like just one cloudy day to give my pale, white skin some reprieve! Other little annoyances that really irked me that day…being shouted at or honked at by almost every single man who drove by and obviously being talked about in Swahili by the people I was with at internship but not being told what they were saying. I would hear them say my name and then everyone would turn and look at me. When I asked “What are you talking about?” no one answered me. After about the fifth time this happened I was getting really frustrated. I’m sure they weren’t saying anything negative, but just the fact that they made it obvious they were talking about something pertaining to me but wouldn’t tell me what they were saying, really started to upset me. They were really concerned with trying to find me chains to hang up my mosquito net though, which I am really grateful for (although we weren’t successful in finding any). They really are very caring people and are concerned for my well-being.
The weekend was relaxing and I stayed out of the sun as much as possible so my sunburn is starting to go away. I thought a lot about home and how badly I miss Target (my weakness in life, my 2nd home…). Other things I was missing- friends/family, driving a car, air conditioning, speaking English, my independence, blending in (not sticking out like a sore thumb), Western toilets (that flush), running water, American food.
Oh and this tops it all off. This morning I unlock the door to my “office” (they gave me a little storage closet with a desk in it, which is fine for my purposes) and this overwhelming smell hit me. It smelled like a dead animal. I closed my eyes and prayed that the smell was wafting in from outside through the open window. I looked around the floor, under things to see if I could find anything. I didn’t. I sat down at my desk and slowly opened the top door. Nothing but some old files. Closed it. Opened the bottom drawer. Let out a little scream (much to my embarrassment). There in the bottom drawer laid a decomposing rat with flies swarming around it. I quickly jumped up and ran into the nearest office and told a staff member that there was a dead animal in my drawer. I think she found my obvious dismay a bit humorous although she was kind enough to not outright laugh at me. She just told me she would get the cleaning person to come in an clean it up and to not go back in there today because of the smell. Oi.
Don’t be alarmed- I’ve experienced culture shock before and I know that I will get over it (or learn to deal with it). It’s interesting how the cycle works. The first couple of weeks in a new place are exciting and fun. Then everything hits you like a brick wall and you realize how different everything is and begin longing for familiarity. Then you start getting used to the differences and begin to get better at the language and feel more confident. This is usually the point I have to go home! It’s hard to believe I only have close to 2 more months left.
Has anyone else had similar experiences with culture shock? What was your experience like?
