February 13, 2012
I had the opportunity to see what it was like to really live in Africa this past weekend. There are a couple of Peace Corps volunteers who teach in the local schools and live near our village. It’s been such a delight to be able to get to know them over the last few months. Since we often host them when they come to our market (which is larger than the ones in their villages), Stephanie invited me to spend the weekend with her.
So last Thursday afternoon the Litseys dropped me off on their way to their weekend getaway in a town another 15 kilometers away. If you’re not familiar with the Peace Corps method, the basic explanation is that they try to have their volunteers live like the people they are working with. This means that the only furniture within Stephanie’s house (of 3 bedrooms, 1 living room, and 1 shower room) is a bed, a table and three straight-backed-wooden chairs. Then as far as appliances she really only has a water filter. So how does cooking work? How do you wash your dishes? Where does your water come from? What about going to the bathroom and showering? And what do you do when it gets dark?
Well here’s what I learned…
Water: In order to get water, Stephanie has to work for it. She has to walk to a neighbor’s yard, remove the well covering, drop down a bucket attached to a rope (no pulley system), haul the water up by hand, pour the water into one of her personal buckets, and repeat until she has the desired amount. She then has to carry it back to her house (which is approximately 150 yards). I’m used to carrying buckets of water about 30-50 yards, so that walk was definitely testing my strength and endurance.
Cooking: Her only way to cook anything is with an outdoor charcoal-stove. Unlike a charcoal grill, this contraption is simply a circular metal pan in which you burn the charcoal. It rests on a base that raises it up off the ground about a foot. (By the way, our “charcoal” is made here by pre-burning/smoking wood, it’s not nearly as convenient as the stuff I remembering using in the States.) Thankfully there are a lot of things you can do with pots and it is possible to cook a variety of items with this method. (For example at different times over the weekend we made rice, leaf sauce, and oatmeal)
Dishes: Because she doesn’t dirty a lot of dishes and in order to conserve water, Stephanie goes outside and uses a plastic tea pot to pour some water into one of the larger dirty dishes. From here she simply uses the local bar soap to create a lather and uses this small volume of water to wash all of the dishes. After everything has been scrubbed the soapy water is tossed and she proceeds to rinse the large dish and fill it with clean water. The rest of the dishes are rinsed here. Throughout this process she at most uses a quart of water.
Bathroom Business: The simple answer is that she has an outhouse. However the outhouses here are literally just a room around a hole over a large pit. So they are affectionately dubbed “squatty potties.” As for showering, well there is a small closet-sized nook in her bedroom that has a slightly tilted, tiled floor (all other flooring is simply concrete) and a hole in the wall for water to drain out of. Here she sets up a bucket with water and a cup and “Voila” we’ve got a shower!
No Electricity: It’s amazing how simply you can live when you don’t have any electricity. At about 6:30pm the sun has set enough that it is almost impossible to see inside a house that has no electricity. The simplest solution Stephanie has found is to use a candle to allow for basic light within the living room. Unfortunately, it’s really hard to do any work with only one candle for light. So she also makes sure to have a flashlight and batteries available so she can read and grade. Also, the flashlight is incredibly handy for any evening strolls to the outhouse. Since you’re limited to what you can accomplish in the dark, she tends to go to bed around 8:30/9:00. This means getting up around 6:00 which works perfectly because sunrise is around 6:30/7:00.
Electronics: Stephanie doesn’t live entirely without electronics. She has a cell phone and an MP3 player. It is possible to get these items recharged in town when someone is running a generator, but that isn’t always reliable. But luckily, her mom mailed her a portable, solar panel pack about the size of a study Bible that charges during the day and can recharge small electronics.
Besides learning about how to live here like the locals do (without all of the comforts we missionaries live with like stoves, water tanks, toilets, electricity, and cushioned chairs), I got to see where she teaches and how she interacts with her village. It was great to see all the relationships she’s built and how well-received she is by everyone. I admit that I don’t think I would be brave enough to go live out in a village by myself. Thus, I greatly admire the progress that she’s made and her attitude toward her job.
One of the best parts about this weekend away was that I was incredibly grateful for all that we have here at home. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed sleeping in my bed again after three nights of sleeping on concrete. It was also a nice break from being with the Litseys and it gave us all a chance to be refreshed before we enter into our last 10 weeks of school.
Prayer Requests
- God’s doing a lot in my heart right now and although it’s been challenging, I know that “He who began a good work in [me] will carry it on to completion.” (Philippians 1:6) Please pray that despite the growing pains that I will continue to look to Him and rely on His strength and wisdom daily.
- The last few months before going home are apparently the hardest and every one of us here is feeling that strain. Please pray that we are able to focus on the tasks that are still at hand and that we have the necessary patience to serve in our given ministries.
- Many people all over our region have purchased or received Scripture in their heart language. Please pray that they read it over and over again and that the Holy Spirit continually works on their hearts to bring them closer to Him.
Committed to our Faithful Creator,
Julie
I had the opportunity to see what it was like to really live in Africa this past weekend. There are a couple of Peace Corps volunteers who teach in the local schools and live near our village. It’s been such a delight to be able to get to know them over the last few months. Since we often host them when they come to our market (which is larger than the ones in their villages), Stephanie invited me to spend the weekend with her.
So last Thursday afternoon the Litseys dropped me off on their way to their weekend getaway in a town another 15 kilometers away. If you’re not familiar with the Peace Corps method, the basic explanation is that they try to have their volunteers live like the people they are working with. This means that the only furniture within Stephanie’s house (of 3 bedrooms, 1 living room, and 1 shower room) is a bed, a table and three straight-backed-wooden chairs. Then as far as appliances she really only has a water filter. So how does cooking work? How do you wash your dishes? Where does your water come from? What about going to the bathroom and showering? And what do you do when it gets dark?
Well here’s what I learned…
Water: In order to get water, Stephanie has to work for it. She has to walk to a neighbor’s yard, remove the well covering, drop down a bucket attached to a rope (no pulley system), haul the water up by hand, pour the water into one of her personal buckets, and repeat until she has the desired amount. She then has to carry it back to her house (which is approximately 150 yards). I’m used to carrying buckets of water about 30-50 yards, so that walk was definitely testing my strength and endurance.
Cooking: Her only way to cook anything is with an outdoor charcoal-stove. Unlike a charcoal grill, this contraption is simply a circular metal pan in which you burn the charcoal. It rests on a base that raises it up off the ground about a foot. (By the way, our “charcoal” is made here by pre-burning/smoking wood, it’s not nearly as convenient as the stuff I remembering using in the States.) Thankfully there are a lot of things you can do with pots and it is possible to cook a variety of items with this method. (For example at different times over the weekend we made rice, leaf sauce, and oatmeal)
Dishes: Because she doesn’t dirty a lot of dishes and in order to conserve water, Stephanie goes outside and uses a plastic tea pot to pour some water into one of the larger dirty dishes. From here she simply uses the local bar soap to create a lather and uses this small volume of water to wash all of the dishes. After everything has been scrubbed the soapy water is tossed and she proceeds to rinse the large dish and fill it with clean water. The rest of the dishes are rinsed here. Throughout this process she at most uses a quart of water.
Bathroom Business: The simple answer is that she has an outhouse. However the outhouses here are literally just a room around a hole over a large pit. So they are affectionately dubbed “squatty potties.” As for showering, well there is a small closet-sized nook in her bedroom that has a slightly tilted, tiled floor (all other flooring is simply concrete) and a hole in the wall for water to drain out of. Here she sets up a bucket with water and a cup and “Voila” we’ve got a shower!
No Electricity: It’s amazing how simply you can live when you don’t have any electricity. At about 6:30pm the sun has set enough that it is almost impossible to see inside a house that has no electricity. The simplest solution Stephanie has found is to use a candle to allow for basic light within the living room. Unfortunately, it’s really hard to do any work with only one candle for light. So she also makes sure to have a flashlight and batteries available so she can read and grade. Also, the flashlight is incredibly handy for any evening strolls to the outhouse. Since you’re limited to what you can accomplish in the dark, she tends to go to bed around 8:30/9:00. This means getting up around 6:00 which works perfectly because sunrise is around 6:30/7:00.
Electronics: Stephanie doesn’t live entirely without electronics. She has a cell phone and an MP3 player. It is possible to get these items recharged in town when someone is running a generator, but that isn’t always reliable. But luckily, her mom mailed her a portable, solar panel pack about the size of a study Bible that charges during the day and can recharge small electronics.
Besides learning about how to live here like the locals do (without all of the comforts we missionaries live with like stoves, water tanks, toilets, electricity, and cushioned chairs), I got to see where she teaches and how she interacts with her village. It was great to see all the relationships she’s built and how well-received she is by everyone. I admit that I don’t think I would be brave enough to go live out in a village by myself. Thus, I greatly admire the progress that she’s made and her attitude toward her job.
One of the best parts about this weekend away was that I was incredibly grateful for all that we have here at home. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed sleeping in my bed again after three nights of sleeping on concrete. It was also a nice break from being with the Litseys and it gave us all a chance to be refreshed before we enter into our last 10 weeks of school.
Prayer Requests
- God’s doing a lot in my heart right now and although it’s been challenging, I know that “He who began a good work in [me] will carry it on to completion.” (Philippians 1:6) Please pray that despite the growing pains that I will continue to look to Him and rely on His strength and wisdom daily.
- The last few months before going home are apparently the hardest and every one of us here is feeling that strain. Please pray that we are able to focus on the tasks that are still at hand and that we have the necessary patience to serve in our given ministries.
- Many people all over our region have purchased or received Scripture in their heart language. Please pray that they read it over and over again and that the Holy Spirit continually works on their hearts to bring them closer to Him.
Committed to our Faithful Creator,
Julie
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