Something New

Ya know… after a year in Africa, what used to seem strange is no longer strange. It all starts to become normal. Not much catches you off guard. It’s just a part of everyday life in Africa.

And then there are those rare occasions when it hits you again. Something fresh… something new… something never before seen. Well tonight my roommate and I went to the lovely movie theatre. Yes we have a great movie theatre in Africa… and it’s just across the street! So we settle into our seats and prepare for the movie as usual. We enjoy the first half of the movie. Nothing too odd. And then a lovely couple enters the theatre and settles in to enjoy the second half of the movie. I know you’re probably thinking… wait, did they just get here? Don’t they know they missed most of the movie? Did they pay full price to watch the end of a movie? But see, this is all a part of normal life here. Time is of no importance. You get there when you get there. You leave when you leave. Hakuna matata! No worries.

So the couple settles in for the last half of the movie…nothing surprising. And then it happens. Out of the corner of my eye, I see something scurry down the wall. I quickly alert Marissa and pick my feet up off the ground. Well she’s kind of thinking I’m crazy at this point and just seeing things.

She says, “What was it?”

“Ummm… I don’t know!”

“Was it big?”

“YES!!”

Well we have lots of lizards in and out of our buildings. Maybe a lizard just caught my eye. Maybe I was seeing things. Maybe I was going crazy. But the rest of the movie I kept one eye on the wall…just in case. Just as the movie was ending, there it goes again, back up the wall! Well this time I wasn’t the only crazy one. Marissa saw it too! And it was huge! No doubt about it. Definitely not a lizard! It was fuzzy! Did I mention huge?! We let out a little squeal and a burst of laughter. But we maintained our composure until the credits started to roll. Then we raced out of the theatre making sure nothing was following us.

After living in Africa for a year, strange things may become normal. But I will never be okay with huge, furry things crawling up and down my walls!