Siestes l’apres-midi

One thing that Elgin knew a little bit about before we came but is new for me is the Siestes l’apres-midi – or the afternoon nap.

The afternoon nap begins right after lunch and depending on how fast your gobble down your food it starts around 1:30 and goes until 2:30.  We go back to work at 3:00.

The reason for this afternoon nap is like all hot climates – it is just too hot to work.  Everything shuts down – especially oneself.  So we turn the air-conditioner on a bit in our bedroom and nap!  I am thinking this could become a habit!

Elgin and I have found ourselves to be creatures of habit.  To us, adding Noodles to our lunch option in addition to Chipotle was not easy.  However, one aspect of getting out of our comfort zone is losing many of our habits and gaining new ones.  The afternoon nap is one of our gains. But here are ten habits we have been forced to lose:

1.     We love movies and movie popcorn.  There are no movies in Niamey so there is no movie popcorn.

2.    We love coffee.  Our coveted four-cup percolator really only makes two cups and after a morning walk there is only time for one pot and who wants hot coffee.  There is no Caribou in Niamey.

3.    We love a glass or two of wine at night.  There is wine in Niamey but not at the Center.

4.    We love a cool bedroom at night.  Our bedroom is not cool.

5.    We love dry cleaned clothes.  There is no dry cleaner in Niger.

6.    We love to read the paper in the morning and watching the news at night.  There is no English paper in Niamey. and besides we couldn’t get it if there was one.  We do not have a TV.

7.    We love being with our kids and grandkids almost every day. They aren’t in Niamey and we can only see them once in a while on FaceTime.

8.     We love our iPhones and have been totally dependent on them.  They don’t work in Niamey so we don’t even carry them around.  Elgin uses his as an alarm clock.

9.    We love to go out to eat.  Since we can’t drive we seldom eat out.  This has the consequence of more cooking “in” that is “in” the heat.

10.  We love being on the go.  Our life right now is really slow and limited pretty much to the Center.

It is funny how the things we thought were so necessary to our lives can be tossed aside so easily.  Except for the kids, there isn't much we can't do without, and do so surprisingly with ease.  It's the people we miss, the community, our friends, and the church.  It is missing these things that really get us out of our comfort zone.