this one is more for my girlfriends out there who´ll actually understand where i´m coming from, instead of rolling their eyes the way most of my guy friends would. i was meant to leave santiago today, but i´m still here, lounging on the sofa. La Ramona sits impatiently in the corner of the apartment, her tyres pumped to the full, her new rear brakes gleaming, just dying to get my backpack and paniers on her rack and hit the road. and even though i share her enthusiasm, there´s a certain level of can´t-be-arsedness to the way i´m approaching my departure.
once i actually get going, i know that i´m going to be excited by the little details of everyday life, but for now, i can´t help already missing some of the creature comforts of vivi´s very liveable house. these include (and i already feel like such a wuss thinking about how quickly these come to mind):
- having hot water with the turn of a tap. as much as i love washing in streams/lakes in summertime, it´s a pain in the arse feeling cold, tired, and dirty at the end of the day, and having to choose between having a cold dip, heating water specifically to wash, or just staying smelly.
- having a proper table to chop vegies without worrying that half of it is going to fall in the dirt, and that i´m going to have a slightly pebbly meal with earthy overtones.
- having a well-equipped kitchen and large stove where i can actually prepare the sauce separately from the pasta, have a different pot bubbling away with the starter soup, and a large bowl to toss a side salad. as opposed to chucking everything into the only pot i have and boiling the sh!t out of it (the tried-but-true technique that i´m assuming most of us learn in our early 20s, juggling assignments, 3 jobs, and a student social life)
- having a fridge or at least cool cupboard where you can keep perishables, instead of having to buy just half a carrot, one small capsicum, a teeny onion, and 4 string beans, and 1 bread roll, because i know that if i get any more, it´s just going to get squashed or go funky. (funky bad, not start whipping out john travolta moves in my backpack. although that´s an image that´ll keep me entertained for a while now...)
- washing the dishes with a sponge instead of relying on my bare fingers and/or dirt
- having enough clothes (again, vivi´s wonderful hospitality must be noted) to not have to wash every night if i want decent-smelling clothes to put on my back, so that i don´t scare people off when i go into the panadería to buy my one bread roll
most of these things are practical things, and not surprisingly to do with food (those who know and/or have lived with me will understand). but there´s another issue that occasionally wakes to bite me on the bum before i put it to sleep again: my feminity.
the thing is, i´m not a girly girl by nature. i´ve been accused by previous partners of having more testosterone than them - i´m guessing they meant personality, although the hairy chest, bulging adam´s apple, and deep voice may have thrown them, - and my (rather girly) mum has long ago given up on getting me to pay more attention to my beauty ´regime´. it´s true that i generally prefer to splash cold water on my face in the morning, tie up my usually knotted hair and get on with the business of enjoying the journey. but every now and then, i DO want to feel like a girl. for instance, i love using vivi´s nice big brush to do my hair here. the piddly one i´ve got gets points for size and waterproof-ity but jeez, does it lack in luxury. just once in a while on the road, i want to be able to toss my head like a Pantene model and have my ebony locks fall sensually around my shoulders. because even though i´m frequently encouraged by comments of ´wow, you´re so brave´, or ´it´s great what you´re doing´, it would be nice to be able to turn a fella´s head because i´m *purty*, and not because there´s a scruffy girl riding past with holes in her clothes, grease stains on her legs, and grass sticking out of her hair. ´what gives?´ some might think, is this really that important? well, no, in the whole scheme of things. but like i said at the start, this is one for the girls, because ANY girl will understand what i mean when i say that i´m going to miss feeling pretty.
*sigh* i feel so much better now. with that little bout of girly hysteria off my chest, i can now go back to packing my stuff, and getting excited about the stuff that really matters!
