On living with a PCV...

Sure, I've had roommates before. My freshman year at Spelman College, I had a roommate. My junior year, I had three roommates (six or seven if you counted boyfriends). From senior year in college until after grad school, my best friend Loopy should have paid half of the rent, utilities, and food for as much as he stayed over. Nothing, thus far, has seemed to compare to living with my current roommate/friend/fellow PCV- Elayna.

Elayna has an unusual obsession with cheese. On several occassions, she has assured me that, amongst her friends, she is not so bad. Sure, I like cheese (Cheddar, Feta, Blue Cheese, etc.), but I never really cared about it one way or the other. Ok, well, I lied. I guess I do have something for cheese, particularly when I'm eating certain foods. There was that one time, when I was very young and my grandfather came for a visit. He took me and my brother to Wendy's, stood in a very long line, and ordered a cheeseburger for me. When our order arrived at the table, I was hurt to find that there was no cheese on my burger; a necessary ingredient for the perfect burger! I proceeded to throw a hissy-fit in the middle of the store, and threw it down, insisting that it just wouldn't do. (Ok, I feel a sense of confusion and judgement in your eyes. I know I'm talking about living with a PCV...but it's a nice tangent. Plus, I really wasn't a brat growing up...I promise...don't judge me!). I grew out of the whole cheese thing, but living with Elayna has made me very aware of my daily cheese intake. Cheese is included in just about every dish I eat. F.Y.I. the Super Spar has a nice selection.

Elayna and I think about food a lot. Maybe this is due to the fact that, while in Pre-Service Training, we didn't really have much control over what we ate...we were thrown into a paradigm where pap and chicken feet are king. Additionally, for the first few weeks here, we had to go grocery shopping very frequently, because we had no refrigerator. Tragic, I know. We talk about food to our U.S. family and friends (I've had Cheez-its, Reeses Buttercups, toco kits, etc. sent to me), with each other, and with our co-workers. We talk about food so much at work that I think they think we have eating disorders. They say, "Oh my gosh! Man, you're always hungry."

We've even started to dress alike. This morning, we were busy getting ready for work. I tried on different outfits, first putting on my beige pants and collar shirt. That was cool, but it just wasn't the one. (I'm sure you've had that experience before). I finally decided on blue slacks (to add that professional touch), a light blue collar shirt, black shoes and belt. Five minutes before work was to start, we both walked out of our respective rooms to head out on our three minute treck to work. To our surprise and amuzment, we were wearing the exact same outfit and matching color combination...are we starting to morph into the same person? Luckly, we work at a counseling organization, so if need be, we can get face-to-face, couples counseling.