I learn so many things by living in Africa. For example, did you know that sand has a distinct smell? I would never know this smell unless I lived in Mauritania where everything is covered in sand. Every morning the smell invades my senses and reminds me where I am.
I think about scents a lot. I decided to make a list of the scents that make me the most happy:
- lavender
- bergamot
- grapefruit
- almond
- ginger
In Benin the smell of mold began to make me nauseous. My clothes were covered in mold. Every surface in my house was mold. Even in the food I ate; I could smell it in the rice, the beans, the corn. This smell took over my life.
When I arrived back in the States, I forgot the smell of mold completely. Unless I made a trip down my to the basement, this smell was absent from my life. My sterile, antibacterial environment protected me from it and so many other scents. Since leaving Benin, this smell only returned when I traveled to the DRC, Haiti, Rwanda, and Belize and brought with it so many memories. It is the scent and flavor of living in a tropical country!
I am grateful for these smells because they remind me that I am living in a place where there is so much to learn... and smell!!!
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