THE LIFE LESSON LIST

    I know, shoot me! I haven’t kept up with this blog since the summer. It’s now October.  My friends back in the States are enjoying pumpkin spice lattes, bonfires, harvest moon porch parties, and wearing all their new fall line fashions. I’m still here in the jungle. It’s still 100 degrees each day and my wardrobe still  consists of tanktops, flip flops, and pony-tail holders. Life in the States goes on. Life here in the jungle seems to have stopped about a century ago. And because nothing ever happens, I have seemed to run out of inspiration. I’m going to have to dig deep, folks.

 One thing that has changed has been my schedule. I homeschool with another friend and her son on Mondays and Wednesdays. Lola, my home-help (I don’t dare say maid!), spends the night with us on Wednesdays so she doesn’t have to return to her house far in the jungle at night after her meetings. On Thursdays, we practice English and she cooks and cleans.  Friday nights and Saturday mornings are used for our Bible studies.  The other days, I either try to get some much-needed rest and do absolutely nothing, or I’m out in the preaching work for 6, 7, or 8+ hours on foot.  It’s a hot, dusty, muddy existence here and it’s become my new normal.  I think if we returned to the States now at this point, we’d feel incredibly out of place. 

In talking to my friend today, I realized I’m just a few weeks short of having lived here a whole year now. Here are some things I’d like to share that I’ve learned during this 2011/2012 year:

1.       Within the past year, we’ve moved 5 times. I’ve learned the art of packing. No, I’ve mastered it!

2.       Wear some bug-spray to help prevent dengue, but allow yourself to get enough bug bites that you build up bug immunity.

3.       Treat everyone with compassion. You have no idea what it took for them to face the day.

4.       Poor is being in debt. I have never met a poor person in Ecuador. Living in a one-bedroom shack on the river with your own chickens and garden  is freedom, not poverty.

5.       The variety of foods that Jehovah created was a gift I never truly appreciated until now.

6.       Humans were designed to overcome almost any physical or mental trial and depending on your inner strenghth, you can do so with joy.

7.       Someone always has it worse than you.

8.       Walking is the best way to stay in shape. Walking in the rain is the best way to feel alive. Walking with wet clothes is the best way to get a rash and pneumonia.

9.       Sleeping well with dirty feet is nearly impossible.

10.   Don’t go anywhere without your umbrella, or else it will rain.

11.   If you bring the large umbrella, it won’t rain. If you bring the mini-umbrella it will rain sideways.

12.   If it looks like it’s about to rain and you need to get home, you better hail a taxi now. Once it starts to rain, all the taxis will be taken.

13.   Never leave home without your own reusable grocery bags. If you do, you will be picking up your purchases off the dirt after the regular plastic grocery bag  has broken in half.

14.   Never buy your veggies at the grocery store. They cost more and they taste worse. Exceptions to this rule are lettuce and potatoes.  Don’t buy cheese anywhere. It’s just gross here in Ecuador.

15.   If someone, say a Bible student, offers you food  you eat it no matter how gross it looks. To refuse their food is the ultimate insult.

16.   Just because you never went to school doesn’t mean you are worthlessly stupid.

17.   A skill is MUCH more valueable than a degree.

18.    Reliance on Jehovah is MUCH more important than a skill or degree.

19.   My parents were right! You truly can do anything you set your mind to.

20.   My friends were wrong! I’m not as high-maintainence as they thought.

21.   Electricity is not a necessity…unless you work online like we do!

22.   You can always find water somewhere to at least wash your hands. You do not need 24/7 access to running water to survive. No, you don’t. I promise.

23.   Gas is way more important to me than electricity. Knowing  how to start a fire is more important than either.

24.   Taking daily cold showers  I’ve learned that not only do they suck, they also lower your immune system.

25.   I realized I haven’t had my hair even trimmed in a year and a half. Somehow I’ve survived this also.

26.   My desire to be beautiful will never cease just because I’m sweaty and dirty every day of my life now.

27.   Argue a point just to prove you are correct, and you may lose the respect of more than one person. Agree on a point even though you know they are wrong, and you may gain a loyal friend for life.

28.   Keep your bathroom floors and toilets spotlessly clean. You may end up with your face in or on it if you eat something disagreeable.

29.   Don’t complain about anything to anyone who’s lived here longer than you; they don’t really want to hear it.

30.   If you ask for advice, you better follow it or they will be offended.

31.   Trust your body, not a doctor. Sleep, eat, exercise and take medicine only if you feel like you should. After all, our health is our greatest treasure.

32.   A house is only a home if you have a couple of wild lizards in it that you call by name.

33.   True love involves helping that one to overcome his/her greatest fears.

34.   It’s hard as crap to learn a new language!

35.   Never expect a Latino to actually show up on time, be where they said they will be, or to do what they said they will do. Basically, yes, they are all liars. Deal with it or move back to the States.

36.   A true friend visits you when you are sick. A true friend lets you visit them when they are sick.

37.   Cleanliness is relative.

38.   Alcohol and high altitudes make me sick. Cheap alcohol in any altitude makes me sick.

39.   Owning a motorcycle is the fastest route to suicide. So is eating food from street vendors.

40.   If you want to have some real fun, dance with a Latino. If you want to get laughed at, dance for a Latino.

41.   It’s actually a good idea to have a few spider webs in your house, but not such a good idea to have a bee nest in your shower. (Personal experience)

42.   Greet everyone  you make eye contact with.

43.   If you greet your neighbors by name, you are less likely to be robbed.

44.   Spaniards were a horrible, oppressive  people and ruined the Ecuador of yesterday. Americans are a greedy and narrow-minded people that are ruining the Ecuador of today.

45.   Time truly does heal all wounds, at  least 90% of the way.

46.   Regret really wears you down after a while. Let it go.

47.   I’ve learned that the jungle provides everything you need for survival. I’d almost be afraid to leave it here, because I’ve discovered so many natural cures, foods, and teas.

48.   I realize we haven’t traumatized my daughter by moving here. We’ve given her a gift that will profoundly shape her life for the better no matter where she lives in the future.

49.   I’ve seen a whole new side of my husband, and I fell in love with that one too.

50.   Physically, I haven’t done as well as I thought I would here, but in every other way I’ve achieved way more than I thought possible. I’m so glad I tested my limits. I should have done this  17 years ago.

This is actually just a hint of all that I’ve learned over the past year about life, myself, and relationships.  And if I’ve learned this much in one year, imagine all that we’ll learn during forever. That’s going to be a much longer list.