Life has changed a bit for me. My tales are no longer from the tundra for now. At the moment, I am sitting in a dorm room in Gaborone, Botswana sweating. Adele plays on the background and a fan circulates hot air around my room. My room is half the one I left in Point Hope, complete with a twin bed, desk, closet, and two bulletin boards reminding me I am back on campus. I share a kitchen and bathroom with five other people. And while I have been too hot to concentrate on anything but the sweat rolling down my body, I did write this last night about my first week here:
I miss pulling the covers up under my chin and feeling tucked in before drifting to sleep. I miss my dog instinctively knowing I'm getting ready for bed and jumping on my spot waiting to play and laugh one more time before the day ends. I miss sitting on my piano bench and bringing picture books to life as my students sit on their square on the rug eagerly waiting for me to turn the page. I miss my students laughter. I miss turning on the water facet and knowing water will flow. I miss the air conditioner. I miss my couch - sitting on one end, my dog in the middle, and the man I loved for four years sitting on the other end. How often would I gaze down at the three of us and smile knowing at that very moment, all was right in the world.
I miss so much about my little life in Point Hope. Everything made sense. And yet here I am. And I struggle. A lot. But I keep going because this part is not supposed to be easy. It's supposed to challenge me in ways I didn't think possible. It's supposed to challenge my thoughts, ground my values, and help me reflect on who I am as a teacher, researcher, and person. And so I write, from a dark, hot room with tears coming down, to tell you I am not ready. I still long for so much only the Arctic can provide. But this is going to start with or without me, and I refuse to let this part of my so-called life leave me behind.
So here goes nothing.
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| the man, the crazy dog, and the ice i left to come sweat and learn. |
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| My goodbye to the south... landing in Atlanta before boarding a plane to Johannesburg. |
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| Kate (the other Fulbrighter here with me in Gabs) and I in the airport in Jo-burg. After 15+ hours on the flight, we are looking (and feeling!) good, right?! Get us to Botswana! |
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| At a hash event (will explain more later) where I voluntarily ran (walked!) a 5k in the hot, hot heat for cold beers afterwards :) |
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| Mustard in a stein is delicious! |
More to come on my daily life here. Life is getting more routine here and the heat is residing a tiny bit (or maybe my body is adjusting) and I know the closest place to buy South African wine, so let the writing begin! |
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