I Won This Week’s “Lori Award”

I don’t start lessons on Thursday until after noon. But with my new transport options, I am still required to get up at the same early time in order to make it to school on time – even on Thursdays.

The first Thursday in March, I strongly considered ignoring my 6AM alarm and lying in bed all morning. But my sense of responsibility won out and I was at the bus stop as usual if a little bit groggy and grumpy.

So I arrived in the village by 8AM, and wandered towards my old house family’s house. I had some fresh-baked bread and a cup of tea. I was still exhausted so my host sister encouraged me to take a nap, promising to wake me up in time for some lunch before class. A few hours later I was well rested and well-fed and on my way to school.

I strolled into the classroom only to discover it wasn’t the class I was expecting to teach but the one scheduled for the hour after. I looked at Latifa to confirm my suspiscions. It turned out I had got the schedule wrong and I had slept through the class I was expecting.
Bugger! It wasn’t like I had been doing anything important. I had been napping – 800 yards from school.

So I hurried over to my next class. But in my rush I lost my footing in the mud. Of course I am well practiced in the art of falling down, so the only evidence of my fall was the mud on my hands. I could deal with that. And the older boys pointing and laughing could just be ignored. I stood up and refused help from a student coming the other way.

I walked another 10 feet and fell again. This time it was in such spectacular fashion I had mud everywhere from my face to the hem of my calf-length coat. Wonderful! School was no longer an option.

This time one of the laughing boys told his friends to stop, and came over to help me manage the 500 feet to my neighbours’ house. Where I spent the rest of the afternoon waiting for the bus.

Thus, as my Salyan neighbours so kindly pointed out when I stopped by before dinner: “Melissa. You went to the village just to fall down”. Sad, but true. Next time I’ll just stay in bed.

(The title of this blog post is a reference to another PCV’s tumble that was so epic it spawned ‘an award’.)