Milestones along the way

I woke up on my second day here and I realised that every day is going to be a challenge from now on. I won't have normal days anymore. That is daunting but you really just have to make the most of it and realise that it's all good for you. I can only benefit from my experience here. To be so out of my depth (and sometimes a bit lost) but manage to overcome my daily or should that be hourly fears, has got to be character building at least. I have moments where I think 'yes but I've build my character and I'm quite happy with it thank you very much' but I obviously still feel the need to challenge myself or I wouldn't be doing it.

Mary, a friend who I only met last October and who's got me doing this, is in Colombo and she's been really good to talk to. She assures me that her first week was also marked by milestones like crossing the road. So I know I'm normal - or as normal as Mary is which I'm not sure is necessarily reassuring. (Just kidding M.) It's true though, it's like learning everything all over again. The first day I had to go out by myself (2 days ago) I can't tell you how courageous I felt walking down the dusty hot busy roads (with nutter drivers everywhere) with everyone looking at me and shouting hello, asking me if I wanted a tuk tuk, even asking if I was lost and looking for the tourist bit. "No, I live here" I replied. Well, I do!

And yesterday I went into shops to find fairly obscure things like scissors, wooden spoon. We need them in the house but it's not like you can just go to John Lewis. (Not that I have often shopped in JL, more like PS - pound shop!) So I'm going into shops where you don't know if anyone will understand you and trying not to look and sound stupid or lacking in confidence and also trying not to take out 5000 rupees instead of 50! It's quite daunting. But at least I had a laugh with a shopkeeper when I had to draw him a coat hanger. I was supposed to get receipts and the word is CHIT but of course I asked for a CHITTY CHITTY (clearly on a musical theme) and got blank looks in return.

Today's big milestone? I bought myself lunch. I walked along by myself to the lunch shop and asked for an egg lunch packet. It's rice, curry, egg, and various other things like coconut, dahl, vegetables in a square paper packet. I'll take a photo later because it's hard to describe. Anyway it was a meal and I bought it myself. And it was only 70 rupees, that's 35p. When you have to take a deep breath just to get the courage to go and buy lunch, you know you're on an adventure!