What do I want to change?

Many people have asked me if I now appreciate what I have in Norway more, after I have experienced the refugee camp in Sahara. But the truth is that there are few things I really miss from my good life in Norway. Some nights when I wake up with back pain I miss my mattress at home, but I have never felt that my life in Norway is any better then life here. Saharawis have so much that I rarely experienced at home. For instance, in Norway I have a fantastic family but we live far away from each other and I don't see them very often. In stark contrast to this, life in Sahara is concentrated around the family and the extended family is a part of every moment of every day. They live together, they help their family and their neighbors to their very best and they always share what they have. I even got one of my family's two baby goats. As my project manager said; the family is the most important institution in the Saharawi society, and the loyalty a Saharawi has toward his/her family is absolute.

Now, this is not to say that I don't miss my family at home and that I don't struggle with parts of the culture here. For example when we got henna and we couldn't wash our hands for 4 days in order to preserve the marks. This would not be a problem had we eaten with cutlery and not with our hands. After going two days without my daily hand wash I felt I had two options. One, embrace the Saharawi culture and face whatever consequences the lack of hygiene would lead to. Or two, stick to my own habits and reason and wash my hands anyway. I must admit that I tried my very best to avoid water. However after having participated in the slaughtering of the camel I washed my hands.

How much should you care? How much should you try to change the society around you and how much should you adapt to their culture? Personally I want to adapt as much as possible. That is why I happily sleep on the floor, eat with my hands and wear the melheffa. The Saharawis inspire me in many ways, and one day I saw my father, Bishiri, brushing his teeth. Apparently I have some influence as well. But we all take one step at the time.