So this week I managed to single handedly flood a small part
of a village. I have to now pass through a village every day to get to the
other base where I work. Each day I see a piece of land that no one was using
and I always wondered why there wasn’t a house there. One day I decided to use
that piece of land to turn around in a car I was using and got stuck in mud
very quickly. Unknown to me there was a burst water pipe underground which has
made the ground very soft. The car being stuck in the ground then made a great
hole for the water to spurt from. This could then not be fixed for a few days.
Therefore I did not make eye contact with the villagers for those few days. I
am sure I wasn’t in their good books. But I learnt….I will now not be
questioning why land was not being used. I am sure there is a good reason.
I have learnt the rules for the road here…use your horn to
communicate; it is not just used as a form of aggression. Everyone but you has
the right of way. Motorbikes will and do come from all angles, so if your car
has side mirrors…use them! The roads generally do not fit two cars so if you
see a car coming towards you, get out the way quickly because as I have
said…everyone else has the right of way.
I have learnt that the British dry sense of humor gets lost
and can often offend unless you are talking with a local who knows you well. Do
not try and be funny to a stranger. Especially those in authority over you,
like the police or immigration. This will not break the ice. Just no. Don’t do
it. Believe me!
I have learnt the language (mostly) that is spoken here. The
Portuguese is not really Portuguese you would hear anywhere else in the world.
It is mostly pigeon Portuguese, which to me is perfect. I find learning
languages really hard to learn. But my local friends here have been very
patient with me, and still are.
I have learnt that long leggings are a big no no. Very un-cool.
But you can wear bright pink and orange together, chequers and stripes and
winter hats in 40-degree weather. Every lady has a handbag and that bag holds
respect. No one is to look in that bag but her. If you need something from that
bag she will be the one to get it, however close friends you are!
I have learnt that music from years ago is very
big and is played all through the night. ‘I found a love in a hopeless place’
is everyone’s favorite. Closely followed by ‘shine bright like a diamond’.
However I feel that anyone else in the world but me, knows what new music is a
hit right now.
I have learnt not to take running water, electricity and a fridge
of food for granted. That crazy stuff can and does happen, but God is always
there with you in it so never fear.
I have learnt how to be ok with not knowing the latest
trends and tv shows. I have learnt to be ok with eating the same meal 5 nights
in a row. I have learnt about living and working in a community, when to open
my doors and when to have boundaries. I have learnt how to live with nothing
but trusting for needs to be met. I have learnt that in an atmosphere of
worship, even those with deaf ears will feel the attraction to draw near into
His presence..
This place has changed me for the good, has given me
perspective and made me much more secure in myself. This place has made my
relationship with God bigger and greater. I learnt that the big God I believe
will be there for others, is there for me too. That He makes blind eyes see and
deaf ears hear in the natural and the spiritual.
This is place is a great place of learning, particularly
because I am a foreigner. However that is something I shouldn’t take for
granted, but to use it to go low and slow, to humble myself and forever be in
that place of learning.
This place is a gift and it is an honor to be here for such
a time as this.
