About zippers, dirty nails and pants-struggles.

On the last blog I wrote about what I love about the bush. The time I spent here also revealed some things I miss or mhm I have still to adjust to. Enjoy my daily struggles – my back sending complaint-E-Mails, my underwear wishing for a private date with a real washing machine, Netflix-Burritos and Olaf.

the zipper-sound of my tent

I already hate that sound so so much. I just have like bad thoughts connected to that sound… cold, dark, bending my old back. Living in a tent  is just sooooo exhausting. How often am I wondering if I really have to pee again or if my mind is just messing around. Is it worth it? To get dressed, get out of the warm cozy sleeping bag, getting in your closed shoes, crawling (yes crawling because you cant walk normally out just like out of a door) out of the tent, Walking through the dark night – not knowing if a lion is going to attack you (ok I am making this story more intresting than it is… it will probably just be a little bug running around). Walking to the toilet, facing the next problem of the possibility of sitting on a spider or having a snake under your feet. Going back to the tent close it real tight so nothing can come in.

Sleeping while small creatures just as ants and bugs crawling over you giving you an all night tickle-massage… And you know getting dressed and undressed in a tent – it is just for young people. And yes I know I am only 28 years old. But hell my back is sending many complaining mails to my whole body. Just to get your underwear on, every muscle in my body is working and at 5 o Clock in the morning when it is freezing phu I tell you – it takes all your energy. Everyone who ever experienced a weekend at a festival in a tent, knows how exhausting a tentl-life can be.

So after almost 3 month I miss simple things as door knobs and doors, getting dressed in a upwards position, not sleeping on the ground and not having to open a zipper 100 times a day.

Dirty my new second name

Dirty – normaly it is ment in a sexy way… be more dirty… believe me… I am hell of dirty. But definitly not in the way you think…

Yes of course we do have showers, even warm ones from time to time. The water stream, well – lets put it that way: it is ecological  and sustainable. Your shampoo will stay for a few day in your hair Because you won’t be able to wash it out properly. Your finger & toenails – well – they just love the dirt. It’s like magnets. As soon as they are clean the next second they are dirty again. My feet? I think they don’t even know anymore what clean means. I mean I am of course able to maintain a certain hygiene-Level. and the above Levels – they doesn’t matter here much. But my cloths would also love to make some love again in a washing machine. So far they are only able to take some flirting bath with my hands. In general, to have a shower without already getting dirty feets by getting out of the shower.

Or just having the feeling of being fresh again and 5 minutes later you sit around the nightly Campfire and everything just smells like smoke. As I said – no one really cares, which makes it such an easy life but I also miss it a little bit to get dressed, do my nails and put on some make up. But here – It doesn matter, no one cares:  Warthogs & Impalas don’t care how I look and the less they can smell me the better.  But I mean I look around and see the Beautiful fur of a Leopard, the crazy beautiful feathers of a Lilac-Breasted Roller Bird or the shiny back of a Dungbeetle and I think – ok no chance for me to keep up with the beauty of the nature. 

All day wet instead of a Netflix-Burrito

It is more what I miss the most… Food and having a cozy night in front of the tv. I don’t say that I miss it like everyday or that I would trade. But just a few days ago – it was raining, and cold. It was just the perfect weather to stay in bed and watch some Netflix, cuddle and eat some goood food. Like a Pizza or some Asian Food. For desert some nice chocolate.

windy afternoon

Privacy is as well rare. You share bathrooms and toilets and most of the time you can’t really close it or it is just a curtain. Because our camps are in the middle of the bush – we are not allowed to just walk away and have a private stroll. You eat together, you study together, you drive together… And the day is so structured and compacted that you most of the time don’t get too much time alone in the tent. So what I really miss at the moment, just one afternoon at home, in my bed, with some good swiss chocolate and a good movie. Wrapping me up like a burrito and just chill.

Shorts or long pants?

My biggest struggle shorts or long pants – yes I mean it. You can ask my tentbuddy – every single morning almost 80 days now – I ask myself should I wear long or short pants? If you think – well just look outside – well at 5′ O Clock in the morning everything is dark and you only see Maybe if you can see stars or not. Ok Ninja – then just feel if ist cold or warm outside. Well againg at 5’O Clock in the morning it is most of the time just cold. (Often because I just have to get out of my comfy sleeping bed). Well ok – then what have you so far experinced? Huch Africa – I have every Kind of weather experienced so far. An in really weird combinations. Well ok – but is it really so bad if you take the wrong decision? YES – Because if I decide to wear shorts and we are going on a 3h drive in the morning and the sun won’t come out – I ll be freeezing the whole 3 Hours and the wind of the vehicle moving is most of the time not helping. If I decide to wear long pants – and the sun comes out – well I am going to pull of an „Olaf“ and will melt.  And believe even at mornings where I say – okey just put on anything – I ll Always just be wrong. I guess I have to spend some more days in Africa to understand the weather better 🙂

cold

hot

cold

Okey okey I know – it is nonsense what I am talking here – but honestly it is actually one of my biggest problem out here in the bush. And I kind of like it.  Because if I have problems like that it means that everything else ist just fine and I have time and energy to waste on a simple decision just like shorts or long pants?!