America, the land that I love

While we were in Swaziland, I made a list of the things I missed about America. Allow me to share:

1. I missed brushing my teeth without having to use a water bottle. The water in Swaziland is not so good for our tummy. It's amazing how we take our clean water for granted. Besides, it's really difficult to get all the toothpaste off your toothbrush without the faucet.

2. I missed the availability of electrical outlets in the bathroom or near a mirror. This is probably only something a girl would notice, but we did not have a single outlet in any of our bathrooms. And all of the mirrors seemed to be just beyond "cord's reach" in all of our hotel rooms.

3. Three words: Diet. Dr. Pepper.

4. Privacy and quite time. I love every member of our team, and I miss them so much. However, we did not have a single moment to ourselves the entire trip. I had difficulty sleeping through the night, so those early morning hours were the only times I had to quietly mull over my thoughts. We all discussed towards the end of the week how much we appreciate privacy now.

(talk about your close quarters, lol)

5. Talking to my family and friends. I did not have service for a majority of the trip. Swaziland is like the island on Lost... No cell reception except for about a 1/2 mile stretch on the drive to the primary school in Ndubazi. I would prepare all my text messages and hit "send" like crazy once I saw those coveted bars. As much as I love my social networking, I didn't really miss Facebook or Twitter.

6. A shower that keeps the water in the shower. We were in Ndubazi for the longest period of time and the shower had to be the WORST! Reason #1: the shower curtain was not long enough. When I would step out onto the rug after a shower, water would come out of the rug. Yea, it was that bad. Reason #2: the water pressure was a bit like daggers. Washing my face in the shower was not so fun. But don't worry, I still have both my eyes =) Reason #3: The water temperature fluctuated from "ice ice baby" cold to scalding hot for about 5 seconds each temperature every 3 or 4 minutes.

7. Having ice in my drinks (again, the parasite problem)

8. My hair straightener. A ridiculous one? Yes, but still.

Check back for my list of what I'll miss about Swaziland =)

Happy Saturday! xoxo, E