Some Practice Required

On the morning we left New York we received an email from an intern currently working at BASE. She had been tasked by her home organization with putting together relevant information for future interns and sent us what she had compiled so that we could come as prepared as possible to Dang. Her email opened with expressed excitement regarding the newly acquired generator that was now at the BASE “guest house” in Tulsipur. Nevertheless, she advised us to enjoy whatever hot showers we could take now. Since there is not even an actual shower but only a tap and a bucket, the temperature of the water will likely be the least of the challenges I face. The few attempts at bucket showers I have had in the past have so far been fruitless endeavors, rendering me a cold, soapy, and still remarkably dirty mess. As I don’t foresee that I will become a master of the bucket anytime soon I imagine instead that others will have to adjust to my developing, growingly complex, and nuanced smell. I’m totally cool with the squat toilet though.

From what I can gather Tulsipur seems to be the ideal place for a rugged and rustically inclined Luddite seeking sanctuary off the grid. We have been advised to bring along plenty of reading material to fill the many idle hours of we are sure to have. I have a feeling I am going to wish I knew more games that are played alone and require only sticks, rocks, and perhaps a tire for special occasions. It is somehow surprisingly hard to mentally prepare for boredom, though I’m glad to be focusing on that instead of all the possible situations in which I will be thankful to have had so many shots in the past few days. I suppose now I’ll be able to harass wild animals with confidence and step on as many rusty nails as my heart desires. I also need to focus more on honing my skills with using my right hand in hopes of increasing my dexterity and comfort because it sounds like utensils will probably be scarce when we take trips into villages and I already miss the mark on too many occasions when I try to shovel food into my mouth with my dominant left hand. Because I know that I will be inadvertently offensive on enough occasions I would like to avoid doing anything that I already know is inappropriate.

To be fair, though, I’m sure that hiding behind the malaria, rabid animals, 5am wake up calls, child slaves, and dysentery will be splashes of color in the dust incrusted picture that has been painted for us.