Never did I imagine...

Not that I want to be a god or a hero. Just to change into a tree, grow for ages, not hurt anyone. -Czeslaw Milosz

During the last couple of years in Colombia, I played a game with the SEEDers who were placed at the same organization as me.  We called it "Nunca me imaginé" (Never did I imagine).  Time and time again we found ourselves in situations that we never imagined we would witness or participate.  Here are 22 examples from this game that have stuck in my mind:

Never did I imagine...

1) Falling off of a mule in the dark into a dried up river.

2) Falling off of a motorcycle (practically at a stand still) with 20 pounds of fish.

3) Riding a motorcycle with 2 large cakes on my lap for 3 hours.

How the cake arrived...

4) Having to travel hanging onto the outside of a truck because the inside was too full of ñame.

5) Having a six year old ask me to borrow my machete to clean the weeds out of my yard. (No, I never did own a machete, but it was not a far fetched request since the weeds in my yard were more like a jungle.)

6) Gutting 200 raw chickens with my bare hands at midnight (see my blog post A Chicken Adventure for more information on this one: http://laniincolombia2.blogspot.com/2015/06/a-chicken-adventure.html)

7) Eating yuca three times a day.

Yuca and Mac 'n Cheese

8) Eating the innards of a cow... And liking it!

My friends cooking cow innards soup!  

9) Waking up regularly at 5:00 am to sweep my yard... And liking it!

10) Having to pause my phone conversation because the neighbor's donkey was making too much noise.

11) Having a group of adolescents in my house practicing social political raps that they wrote.

12) Having lice... twice.

Nothing like a night time lice check.

13) Witnessing such blatant corruption in the political process.

14) Getting confused for a Cuban.

15) Attending so many funerals and wakes.  The whole town is invited to the funerals, and the wakes last for 9 nights and are community events.  In a town of 6000, people die fairly regularly.

16) Being close friends with a priest... Padre Joey really helped me get through some rough times these last couple of years!

17) Having so much interest in the region to learn and spread the sport of Ultimate Frisbee and then receiving so much support from the Ultimate community in the United States for continuing to playing in the Montes de Maria.

18) Sleeping just as comfortably in a hammock as I do in a bed.

Very asleep.

19) Reading more Colombian laws than US laws.

20) Being faced with the decision of if I want to use the last of my water supply to wash dishes, bathe, or flush the toilet.

21) Learning about the amazing strength and resilience of women in communities devastated by violence and how they have worked hard to move forward and do the best they can for their families and communities.

22) Being surrounded by people who give me so much love and support (and food!) yet barely know me.

Here's to looking forward to more new experiences and adventures!