Living SIMPLY!

I think that one of the most challenging yet rewarding aspects of the next year will be in living simply. On a very modest (by American standards) stipend of monthly money for food, I will by no means be “roughing it” but will definitely have to carefully plan what I buy, particularly if I intend to visit some of the other areas including desired trips to Ecuador, Lake Titicaca or Machu Picchu.

Since my return from one month in Africa this spring, I’ve been more and more disgusted with how much waste and excess are present in America. It’s hard to watch reality shows, overhear some people’s ideas of “problems,” or watch people dish out $400 on a Prada bag. Dollar amounts are now translated into miscellaneous quantities… The cost of one month’s rent, one year’s food, etc. in Addis Ababa. The cost of a custom-molded orthotic that changes the ability to walk in a patient who has hemiplegia. The cost of a bus fare to make the trek to the fistula hospital for a woman whose life is threatened during labor/delivery. The trip changed the way I view things, sometimes overwhelmingly, and I found the transition back into American culture significantly harder than the initial culture shock when I first arrived.

I am definitely not trying to say that I am a good model of living simply; I definitely get caught up my own life and drama frequently. As middle to upper class Americans, we are really fortunate to have such an incredibly high quality of life. This should not necessarily constitute guilt every time we do something fun or beyond our basic survival needs, and I’m constantly reminding myself to stop making comparisons to my experiences in Africa and to instead give thanks for my many blessings.

So what would YOU really miss if you were going abroad for a year?

While I consider myself pretty low-maintenance compared to many people I know, I imagine it will nonetheless be a drastic lifestyle change. I don’t watch TV regularly (aside from the occasional LOST or -(guilty pleasure)- Grey’s Anatomy). I don’t particularly enjoy shopping for clothes, and get a rare bi-yearly pedicure if I’m lucky. Not the biggest fan of talking on the phone or text messaging either. I think that the parts of my daily routine that I will miss the most will revolve around using a gym or the outdoors for exercise/running/swimming laps and the possible lack of internet. Of course, I’ll also really miss the food. Specifically, my comfort foods- mac ‘n cheese being one of them. For those of you who know me well, you know to stay away when I’m hungry or haven’t exercised in awhile, so it could get ugly as I’m adjusting! I’ll make a post later on the common cuisine of this area. I know that some forms of gyms exist in Trujillo but I’m not sure if I will have the time, transportation, or money to experience them. (The bigger cities in Peru have a very stark contrast between the facilities available to the upper and lower class.) Plus, I truly want to experience daily life through the eyes of the people I will be serving, which will mean making many sacrifices.

While I will definitely miss these aspects of my current life, I also think I’ll really savor and embrace living more simply in a new culture, which I anticipate to be strongly based on family values and spending time together. This doesn’t mean I won’t occasionally fantasize about giant cheeseburgers, Wifi or elliptical machines!