CLEAN FEET

I was sitting here in my little Port Vila apartment last night looking at my feet and realized just how much I miss clean feet….yes, that wasn’t a typo, and I haven’t totally lost my mind…oh what I wouldn’t give to simply have clean feet on a day-to-day basis!! Just a few days before leaving home I treated myself to a manicure and pedicure for my big adventure – little did I realize that I definitely should have appreciated those sparkling toes – and toenails - much more than I did!!



It all started in Ekipe Village. First of all, the only shoes anybody wears here are flip-flops, Chacos, or something similar. I do have a pair of hiking shoes, but on a day-to-day basis, it’s just too darned hot – and they would be wet most of the time, so day in and day out it’s flip-flops for me too! Anyway, in Ekipe there were no sidewalks – just overgrown or muddy dirt paths throughout the village. Oh yes, I scrubbed my feet – but without really hot water, they never really looked clean. So, when I moved into Port Vila, I thought one of the “perks” would be clean feet! What I didn’t realize is that much of my walking is still on muddy paths or shoulders – or on dirty, flooded sidewalks and streets. So, I’m still stuck with dirty feet no matter what!


So, as a result I have taken to soaking my big Size 10s in a bucket filled with hot water, laundry detergent – and a shot of bleach just for good measure. So, I soak and soak – and scrub with both a nail brush and regular scrub brush. Last night I was so excited to see clean feet emerge from the bucket that I actually texted my fellow Peace Corps friend, Jane, to tell her that my feet were the cleanest they’d been in 3 months. She asked that I send a picture so she, too, could see what clean feet really look like! Ahhh, the things we take for granted.


Anyway, it’s back in the bucket with my toes tonight to start all over again…but on the other hand, while my feet are soaking I can watch the sunset with a glass of red wine – and watch the papayas ripen on the tree just outside my bedroom window. So, i don't know...maybe clean feet are just over-rated after all!!!