Sustain Yourself

Documenting the first fruits of my labor: baby marrow! (yes, singular).

What's for dinner?
For starters we have a spinach salad with cucumber and green apple, only made complete with greens grown by yours truly, and tomatoes from my landlord’s garden here on the compound. Sprinkled with fresh cracked black pepper and drizzled with balsamic vinegar, we have the most perfect compliment to a pleasantly overcast summer afternoon.

And for the main event that never fails to disappoint: those white Setswana sweet potatoes (also from the backyard garden) pan fried in a little olive oil and garlic, and seasoned with home grown rosemary.

You like those pseudo shabby chic plates, eh? I think they compliment my woodgrain. I mean, it's no granite and fine china, but it'll do. :)

The sense of accomplishment and novelty of cooking a meal with things created with the aid of your own two hands only proves the very fact that I am American. However, the most beautiful part is that after France shared his tomatoes and sweet potatoes, I offered to prepare them to my liking. He agreed to share our dinner and seemed to enjoy a salad not drenched in mayonnaise for dressing and the freshness of herbs that so perfectly compliments the very simple taste of a potato (rather than those ready-made MSG infested “soup packets”).

These are the small moments where I fully embrace my time here, taking the opportunity to appreciate a slower and simpler kind of life that isn’t totally inaccessible in the States. It’s just that context is everything and to find a moment with a perfect balance of exploration and sharing and just peaceful complacency with my life here is enough to sustain me and revive my spirits for that next roller coast ride of emotions that seem to phase in and out. At least now they change a little less frequently. For today, I’m coasting on the vibes of a good Monday afternoon.