predictability.......

I was feeling very tired thinking about the week that lay ahead, all in neat little compartments and everything mostly very predictable!

in our village, life is rarely predictable and i guess i have just become so used to this Unpredictability, that too much predictability and inflexibility really gets me down!

I mean, school always start at 7:50 (and they have bells!), classes at 8:30, shops open at 8 and close at exactly 7 and so on! The traffic lights change after every few minutes, the microwave ticks of the minutes to the second! You turn the tap and water comes out, you flick the switch and the light comes on - and if it doesn't, you find out why very quickly.

All good things, for sure! But i must admit, Africa at her best does not work like this! Maybe the shop will have what you want, maybe the shop will even be open! Maybe the truck is still stuck on some border or river crossing. You need something today?? Good luck if you set your heart on it!! All you will probably gain by thinking along these lines is high blood pressure, which i predict will happen if you continue in these unrealistic expectations!! :0

Somehow it's part and parcel of deep, dark Africa, but also part of her allure....yes, it does get one down some days, but i do miss it! I miss not quite knowing what, where or when things will happen!! I miss getting up without a fully worked-out program! Don't get me wrong, i do do my work and have a rough program to follow, but it's never set in stone! It can't be! What do you do if you are cooking supper and a baby is about to be born? Do you look on your schedule to see if it's slotted in? Or what if the tank overflows or the veld burns down or there's a rat in the kitchen?? These things do not like to be put on hold!! And it definitely does make the days more interesting....

Ah, i guess, i just miss "home".....