To the days that make it worth it.

Note: I wrote this a few weeks back and never got around to posting it. But, it's still very true! :)

One of my favorite things about living abroad is the way that good things, no matter how small, always seem to be amplified. Good days, classes, or moments are really good. By the same token… when things are bad, they’re pretty bad…

I spent all day in bed yesterday, really sick. Running stomach, fever, headache, and sore throat. And it was awful. To make matters worse, the electricity was out. As a girl with a dead laptop whose primary coping mechanism when sick is to watch too much TV (in college, when I was confined to my dorm room with swine flu for a week I once watched 10 NCIS episodes in one day…) this was hard to take. Also, it meant I couldn’t heat up water in my kettle, and therefore couldn’t enjoy hot tea (coping mechanism #2). So… I slept. A lot. I read a little. I lay there feeling miserable.

And today, I’m feeling better. By tomorrow, I’m sure I’ll be back to normal. My host family has been awesome. Maxima made me gargle salt water, and Omama made me soft porridge (a lot like cream of wheat – essentially Kavango baby food!). They chastised me for not wearing a sweatshirt and shoes once the sun went down, and fussed at me for looking thinner.

For all the crazy ups and downs, I’m so glad the good outweighs the bad. When I get to the end of every day, week, and month, I can look back and say: there was a lot of good, and a lot of bad… but when I add it all together, it comes out positive. Always. Little things, like Chicken City’s ice cream machine working when I go to Rundu, or my learners asking me “what’s up?” outside of class. When my dog cuddles with me at night, or when my little host brothers smile at me. When I learn a new word in Rukwangali, or teach a new word in English. When I look up at the stars, or watch the sunrise. Good always comes out on top, if you look for it.

So, to sum that all up, I’ll say this. Some days, you will poop your pants on your way to the latrine. But most days you won’t. And those days make it worth it. :)