Simpli Fi

The decision to purchase a vacuum cleaner while in Cairo came down to this— Would it fit in a container when we leave in 10 months? Before this only three months before, I asked the very same question for every item in my Springfield, Missouri house.

If it doesn't fit in a tote, it doesn't go. Simple fact. With parameters that restricting, I find that it does help simplify my life. When we arrived in our new home, it took me exactly 4 hours to set up an entire household. I just didn't have that much stuff to unpack. I'd like to keep it that way which means I have to think through every single purchase I make between now and moving day.

The never-ending dust overruled the vacuum's cumbersome size so we bought it. Now I have to decide what will stay behind to make room for it. Having so few possessions is a freeing experience.

We don't have many clothes so laundry can't pile up. There are enough dishes for two meals so the kitchen can't remain dirty. The flat is about 1/3 the size of our former house. That's 2/3 less cleaning, dusting, maintenance and straightening. Now I can do "spring cleaning" every week and still have most of the day left. 

All this new found time isn't used to sit on the couch and eat bonbons. On the contrary, all my time is devoted to language studies and cooking EVERYTHING from scratch. Yes, the simple life also includes fresh fruits, just-harvested vegetables and not one single boxed meal with glorious preservatives in sight.

No "One Skillet Meals," no frozen lasagnas, no rotisserie chicken at the front of the department store...It's like a "Survivor" episode for busy moms. So each day I look in my refrigerator and wonder what delectable meal I can create in 3 hours or less. Did I mention we don't have a microwave either? Even thawing is traumatic and time-consuming.

Thank goodness we have resources with great recipes. I use my computer to discover new options. First, I go to Google and then in the search bar I type in all the ingredients that I have available to make a meal (chicken, parsley, peanut butter and garlic salt). Then it will display pages of recipes using those items. I didn't say they all taste good, but at least I can give the concoction a name.

Another resource is this great cookbook that was gifted to me prior to our departure. It's written especially for cooking overseas. It has fab recipes and many helpful entries. Some of my favorites are:

"One ostrich egg will serve 20-24 people for brunch or breakfast."*
"...adding a bay leaf to my flour and sugar tins makes those little pests flee for their lives."
and my personal favorite: "Gelatin: 1 ox foot, 4 egg whites, sugar, 1 lemon"

Okay. So maybe if I were to be honest (and I am) I'd admit that I haven't made an ostrich egg frittata or even treated my family to one helping of ox foot jell-o. I'm not that granola. Still the minutes in my day have taken on a totally different look from those in my "former" life.

As I become more familiar with the local dishes, I'm shortening my prep time for meals. Since I have mastered three dishes so far, I'm practically a short-order cook (give or take 2 hours).

I'm appreciating this segment of my life because so many other areas consume my thoughts and energies. I couldn't spend the hours needed to learn the language and develop friendships if I had so many other "domestic" duties taunting me.

And to those of you out there joining me in this newfound "less is more" lifestyle, I raise my right arm, make a fist and say, "Simpli Fi."

*"Cooking from Scratch Overseas" by Neva M. Pugh & Jan Cunningham