"The less routine, the more life."

Not a habit... yet

One of the first pieces of advice I got in the Peace Corps was that once I got to my community, I would need to establish a routine. It's a way to find normalcy when you feel like you are in the middle of chaos. It's a way to establish healthy and productive habits when it's tempting to slack off. I might have come to Namibia to get away from the daily mundane tasks and to embrace spontaneity, but I've found that my routine keeps me going. I found my set of habits and I like it. 

4 months later, I've unpacked. 

Trying to make the gym a habit

When I see the same taxi driver every morning, we wave to each other. At the only robot in town (a stop light), I see the same paper guys everyday hustling to sell their stack. When I walk into work, Aunty Margy is always there to greet me with "Goiemore. Hou gaan dit?" We have the same conversation every morning and I look forward to it. I start my day by checking my email, looking at facebook, and then moving on to Buzzfeed. The same boys come by my classroom everyday to mess with me and try to get me to come play with them. After work, if I need to get groceries, I see the same cashier at Spar. When I go to the gym, I am there with the same group of people at the same time every day. I do my routine workout and they do theirs. On Fridays, I stop by my favorite take away shop and get $10 worth of chips. I basically don't even have to order it anymore, they just know when they see me. On the weekends, I see the same cashier at Shoprite. And the same security guard who looks at me with judgmental eyes when I order a chocolate dipped cone at Hungry Lion.  I go to bed at the same time everyday and I wake up at the same time everyday.

Bottom line- Do what makes you smile

My routine keeps me stable and happy. I've been known to be a bit of a Type A personality, and I've carried that with me all the way to Namibia. But I'm not going to apologize for that or try to change it, I'm simply going to embrace it. I know when I'm having a bad day and I'm a little grumpy in the morning, Aunty Margy is going to ask me how I am and try to make me smile. If I'm not feeling up to walking all the way to the mall, my favorite cab driver will always turn around and pick me up when I lift my hand. These simple little things are what makes my world go around. So although I may never know if my all students will show up for class or if my electricity will be on when I get home, I know I can count on Hungry Lion to have my ice cream cone with a side of judgy eyes. That is the simplicity in my life and I wouldn't want it any other way.