Cheap Entertainment

Part of traveling in more exotic regions is being able to take whatever comes at you. For me, I just try to find the humor in whatever crazy situation I find myself in. And I am pretty much amused by everything.  I think having to take an umbrella and flashlight to go to the bathroom is fun. Taking a cold bucket bath while looking out over the beautiful green mountains is highly entertaining. Eating a chicken that I watched quietly die at the point of a kukuri does not bother me. Careening around cliffs in an over packed car with 1000ft drops inches away from our tires is hilariously terrifying. I also find it funny that I lean over to the other side slightly to try to balance out the car—it’s the way I play video games, urging little Mario to run faster and faster (Mario is the only video game I care about). Changing into swimming attire behind a tiny bush—fantastic good fun. Going for a run straight up a mountain and deciding that Captain Roy was right—you should never run a good horse uphill.  Then, running intervals up the mountain through thick fog—joyous! Sliding into the top bunk on a train—good times!  Driving through a river, sticking my hand across the border into Bhutan, not managing to kill the ginormous spider in our bedroom, swimming in a river, visiting a temple, eating crazy delicious food—uproarious.

And all of that was just from one trip to Sikkim! Here are some more things in my life that bring me great amusement:

*Being the tallest person in the office (besides Andrew) but still not being able to reach the shelves in our kitchen cabinets.

*I’ve taken to stuffing my bra with tissues and not for the immediately obvious reason. The problem: Indian clothes for women do not have pockets. Not the leggings that I wear under the kurtas (long shirts) and not the saris either. And you never know when you are going to need a tissue. And I get tired of carrying bags with me everywhere I go.  It’s nice to have a good place to carry extra things…

See a place for pockets in this outfit?

*Things my boss says. For example, we were discussing the subject of broadening our national partner base and he was vetoing one suggestion: “Oh, those people won’t work with us. They have AC.”

*Things national partners have said to me: “Amanda, I like you. Your thinking is very authentic.”

*Getting a twisted back from riding hours sidesaddle on a motorcycle to get to a project site. It’s always more fun on a motorcycle, especially if you don’t have to wear a helmet.

*Riding a little wooden boat across the Ganges to get to a project site. Everyone on our boat was standing up and balancing precariously. On the way back it was dark and a thunder storm was coming. Super-fun!

           

*I recently noticed that when I’m driving around in new places, trying to take everything in, I open my eyes extra wide—like I can suck the beauty into my soul through my eyeballs.

*I also really love farm animals. Especially the piggies. Probably because I've spent so much time in countries where they are mythical creatures that don't exist in modern civilized places...

This photo is does not need to be rotated, Marian--Younna took it like this.

Of course, those with me are not always amused by my amusement, and there are things that drive me crazy too—being honked at loudly by passing cars when I am innocently walking down the street and there is plenty of room for them to go around me. Since one particularly loud dance party at a camp for Palestinian orphan children, I have had extra-sensitive eardrums. Being honked at for me is like being smacked in the back of the head—it is actually physically painful. And nearly incessant. I have a special hatred for the extra-high-pitched ones.  But I’m ok with that too—if I go deaf in India, I’m already in with some of the deaf community here and my Bengali sign language is getting better. Imagine how great my sign language communication would be if I actually were deaf? Bus drivers everywhere are wanting to help me find out, it seems…

I could still do this if I were deaf, right?