Getting dressed is colorful. I pull on brown pants, turquoise tee, Workman-red converse, and a bright blue sweater that I got from a share box last year, with a knitted green heart sewn over the hole in the chest. It's cool outside. So many weeks I've been slagging through the irate heat of 80 and 90 degrees, and now all-of-a-sudden we're moving under a haze of 60 to 70 degree weather. Winter is upon us, it would seem, and I wonder if this is how it's going to be for the rest of my time here. I can't help but hope: after all, fall is my favorite season and this is about the temperature that would be. Still, I am glad that I at least get to experience some semblance of "winter" this year - even if it's not quite to the same standards that I am used to.
There are some things that you forget about if they're not a part of your life. Scales are one of those things. I haven't really given too much thought to my weight here, aside from thinking that I should exercise more and wishing that the pool chemicals hadn't been put off-balance. There was the time early-on when I thought "HOLY CRAP, I'M REALLY FAT!" - but then I started taking antibiotics for my stomach problems and that went away. Every now and then I've thought to myself that I perhaps had a bit of belly pudge going on, but since it never seemed to stick, I decided that I could accord it to similar digestion issues. Aside from that, I haven't really given my weight much of a thought. But the other day one of my friends gave the comment, "You're really looking good, you've been losing weight. I've noticed that you've been gradually slimming down, or becoming more muscular, or something like that since we got here." I was rather startled, since I haven't felt like I'm slimming down at all, but I accepted the compliment. So now I'm curious: when I get to a place with a scale, I'm going to have to weigh myself and see if I really have changed my weight in any direction since I came here.
In an unrelated vein, I'm cutting back on my food spending right now. Trying to focus on fruits and bakery items that will fill me up healthy, and hold off from buying chocolate every time I go to the store. I'm walking the fine line between keeping my shelves stocked and finishing what I have by the time I leave. I purchased what I think will be my last large jar of peanut butter - although it's possible I may get another small one before I go, depending on my consumption. I'm branching out and enjoying a hot dog or a pie, and not purchasing the usual P7 juice to go with it, so that I pay less for my meals. My goal is to finish off my meal plan by the 8th or so and then just pay cash for my meals until I leave. The reason for all this saving: I'm almost out of money, and I decided that I'm going to buy whatever I want and do whatever I want because, heck, I'm here! And I might not get the chance to buy something or do something again!
I've got such little time left. Today is the last day of classes, tomorrow I leave for a weekend trip to Ghanzi for Easter Break, and then I'll have a few days bumming around campus before the next week starts and I take my exams. Somewhere in there I'd like to have a "Good-bye" party with the choir. Nothing big, just some good fun and good company. I'm busy trying to start tying off my loose ends before I go, so that everything is in order. That means collecting signatures, returning books, paying library fines (my setswana books went overdue, are you surprised?), exchanging photos, receiving music, and all sorts of other fun things like that. Because when I get back from my little vacation here, I'll have 14 days left. I'm sad to leave, but I'm excited to go back home and share everything with my family and friends - which means I need to get everything I possibly can to share!
;)
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