Normal

Tonight, I was packing Jeremy's lunch for tomorrow and as I was putting a Capri Sun into his lunch box, I looked at it again and thought to myself, "Wow! Things have really changed since I got here...this Capri Sun looks normal to me now." I thought I would take a picture of it for all my friends back in the U.S. Just in case you wanted to know how to write Capri Sonne in Arabic...here it is.:) Capri Sun is something you can find here on a regular basis...which is a big help when you have kids who love to drink it.:)

After I packed Jeremy's lunch, I started thinking of all the things that seem normal to me now after living here for almost two years. Today, the kids' school was cancelled because the Nigerian government couldn't decide until late last night that the state assembly elections wouldn't be held until Tuesday, April 26 ( and that isn't certain yet). But, I wasn't surprised that we wouldn't know until the last minute. The school decided to make a decision last night before the government came out with their decision. They assumed that the election would be today. ( Which is what everyone else in Nigeria was expecting , also.) I guess I have just accepted that as normal.

Is it normal to have a year's worth of laundry detergent in your kitchen? For me, it has become a normal part of my life. I have to say I go into a bit of a panic when we reach that point in the year when I have only two gigantic boxes of tide left...

Is it normal to have a storage room with a year's supply of toothpaste, deodorant, vitamins, and birthday presents among other things? ( I really don't think I can go back to not having a storage room with all these toiletries wherever we live...it is like having your own pharmacy right in your house.)

Is it normal for your five year old to come home and ask why he sees people begging in the streets everywhere?

Is it normal for people to ask you for money just because your skin is lighter than theirs?

Is it normal for people on your compound to know where you are all the time? After all their home is your home, too.:)

Is it normal to take your daughter to the clinic and have everything stop( Yes, doctors stopped seeing their patients) and have everyone ( doctors, nurses, and patients) go into the waiting room to take a quiz about lifestyle choices? Yes, the waiting room was full of sick people! This took 50 minutes of consulting time in the clinic.

Is it normal to go to the fabric market with a security guard with a gun?

Is it normal for your child to identify the children in his class with the flag from their country?

Maybe normal happens wherever you are...I guess people can get used to things after they have been somewhere a while. These things are the "new normal" for me, and I have to say they are the furthest thing from the normal which was my life two years ago. I guess life is about adapting to the changes that come your way. After all, life is always changing, and that is one thing we can always count on. I just have to wonder what my "normal" will be in a few more years.:)