From Rob's Point of view.

July 11, 2011

Greetings. This is Robert, Clayton’s stateside partner. I am eagerly anticipating his homecoming in less than 8 weeks! I just completed a week-long experience called “Live Like a PCV,” which I would like to share with you (http://www.livelikeapcv.org/ ). This was something I did to honor and better understand Clayton’s service.

For 7 days (July 4-10) I gave up: eating at restaurants, hot water, use of the dishwasher, temperature control (aka air conditioning), and television. Here are some of my thoughts and experiences from the week:

1. Giving up eating at restaurants was an inconvenience because I am on the road all day for work and it is SO EASY to stop at wonderful places like Subway or Tropical Smoothie Cafe. However, this actually aligned with my personal goal of eating healthier. Also, let's face it, preparing food from home is cheaper. Having multiple sources of motivation for this goal was helpful.

2. The lack of hot water, however, was more intrusive. I did not shut off the hot water to the entire house since I have a housemate who would have been affected, so I simply disciplined myself not to turn the faucets to “hot”. (Though, out of habit, my hand went for it many times!) I was annoyed by the fact that I was not using warm water to wash my hands (“Really? I’m risking germs for this challenge??”). However, I am pleased to say I did not get sick. I REALLY HATED cold showers. I can’t emphasize this enough. The physical state of being that makes me the most uncomfortable is being COLD and WET. I was really a wuss: I would aim the shower head straight down, soap up a limb, then gingerly – quickly – stick it in the stream to be rinsed off.

3. Refraining from using the dishwasher was not too much of a hardship; since I only prepared food for myself, there wasn’t much to wash. HOWEVER, combining this with item #2 was a little ridiculous: if I wanted hot water in the sink I had to heat it on the stove. The first few days I washed my dishes immediately. The last few days they collected in the sink and were washed on day #7 day #8. J

4. Temperature control. This rule applied to both home and car, but the car was not an issue since the air conditioning in my Vue had quit about a week prior. L At home, I did not use fans, but I did master the art of opening windows. You see, it is not as simple as having them open all of the time: there is a strategy. I discovered that for the daytime it actually made more sense to keep them closed. This way the house would stay slightly cooler than the outside: opening them would just let the hot air in. Evening and night-time, however, the windows were definitely open! I wore fewer clothes to bed and used less covers, if any. I had a beautiful experience one night of waking up to a storm. My immediate reaction was to close the windows of course, but when I went to do so I felt the most wonderful thing: the air was so cool coming in it was like air conditioning! So… what to do?? I sat for a moment, with the cool air hitting my face, then sadly closed the windows most of the way, and went back to sleep. Also, 2 lbs of frozen grapes were a nice treat to help me cope with a hot house.

5. Giving up the television wasn’t a big deal in terms of actually watching shows (after all, NCIS and Bones are in re-runs anyway!) HOWEVER, I have been using a series of workout dvds (yes, I will use this opportunity to give a shameless plug for P90X!) and no tv meant no P90X! How was I to work out without Tony Horton? I decided that I would do what I could from what I remembered of the routines. However, let’s not forget #4: I also did not have air conditioning! The heat REALLY decreased my motivation. Needless to say my workout while “living like a PCV” was not as thorough as usual. Also, I realized how much of a habit watching the television while I was eating had become. It felt awkward sitting in the livingroom with my cereal, staring at the dogs. They were not very good conversationalists.

As I write this, the air conditioner has been turned back on. Simply setting it at 79 feels like a luxury.

Initially, the list of items to give up didn’t look daunting, but that is because I didn’t realize how inter-related they were (as mentioned above). They were also far-reaching. For example, I did not give up the use of my stove/oven for this challenge, but did I really want to use the oven with the house already so hot?

Some of these may lead to permanent changes: for example, I may decide I don’t need the air conditioning at night. The lack of hot water, however, will not be permanent. I have resumed using it and it is not being relinquished again any time soon!

Doing the week was only part of the commitment. I also agreed to share my experience with others. This blog is my first step. I also plan to talk about it at church this fall.

I originally signed up for this mainly as a show of support for Clayton, and less for myself. After all, did I *really* need another illustration of what life has been like for him? I have been in close contact with him for his 2 years, and he has shared with me the struggles and joys of service. Plus, last fall I visited him in Benin for 2 weeks. The truth is, however, that I did learn quite a bit, as you’ve read. What these folks are doing serving abroad is incredible, and for those of us back home, there is no such thing as “too much” understanding!