21 things I learned today

1. If you forget your umbrella, it will rain very hard. If you are lucky the nice Lebanese men will let you stand in the Super Market until the rain stops. On a good day you will hear an argument about Hezbollah in Arabic.
   
2. On a hot night, there will be no power=no A/C. On a cool night the power will always work but you will not need the AC.
   
3. "The African is always in pain" Pastor Tony…when dispensing Ibuprofen, make sure you have enough for the whole crowd, not just the friend who fell down in the street in a rain puddle and has been in pain since the night before.
   
4. If you eat all the food on your plate they will say you are greedy, if you leave some they will wonder why you don't like it.
   
5. Most days, when you are working with 80+ children you will have moments of pure panic, when you are sure that they will overtake you and you will have to pull out all your hair.
   
6. Most days, when you are working with 80+ children you will have moments of pure delight, when you are sure that nothing could be better than this moment.
   
7. You cannot escape number 5. On a really good day you will experience 5 and 6…it is a RARE occasion when you have 6 without 5!
   
8. Simple things take 2x as long.
   
9. Some milk does not need to be refrigerated at all times…right?!?
   
10. The Minnesotan has an advantage here…ya means please, so you can still use it regularly.
    
11. Football is serious business. It's polite to pretend that you are interested.
    
12. No matter what the weather, after walking up the hill to the orphanage you will be soaked with sweat and need to change your clothes…it happens to everyone, not just me!
    
13. Keep your eyes shut in the shower, the water makes them sting (I actually relearned this today, as I do everyday!)
    
14. Find joy in the little things…like ant poison, flashlights, cool drinking water, hugs from children, and the sound of the generator running.
    
15. Trying to get 40 boys to share 12 books is not a good idea…take one for everyone to avoid fights.
    
16. When the children pray, don't be surprised if you cry over their words of love and encouragement. They love all their aunties and uncles and pray fervently for them.
    
17. Skype, no matter how bad the connection, is a beautiful thing. The children love to see and hear their friends in America.
    
18. My dancing can provide at least an hour of entertainment and laughter.
    
19. If you taxi does not have a door handle inside, reach out the window and open it from the outside!
    
20. A children's sermon needs only to be ½ as long when it has to be translated into Krio. Singing loudly when you lose all control stops them dead in their tracks.
    
21. Hearing, "we luck you Anty Cari" (in Krio, the word love sounds like luck) makes EVERY lesson and EVERYTHING worth it.