It's strange, really, the way we react to humorous situations. Think about it: something funny, odd, or unexpected happens, and all we can do is emit a series of body-shaking grunts, snorts, and other (shall we say "unique"?) sounds. It doesn't help matters any that we don't even have to know what we're laughing about to join in. One person's laughter is typically enough to get me started - or to at least bring a huge smile to my face!
The times that we do understand what we're laughing about, though, are absolutely priceless. Inside jokes, misspoken (or misheard) statements, strange (and often somewhat unfortunate) events: they help make up the hilarity of this life. Trying to convey that hilarity to someone who wasn't present for the perfect moment, though... well, let's just say that it's often somewhat less than successful. How many times have you tried to relay a day's laughter-inducing events to somebody, expecting to coax a few giggles out of them, only to be returned with a blank, glassy-eyed stare?
Awkward...
"You just had to be there," right?
It's all about the context.
Today happens to be the one-year anniversary of the day that I boarded a plane in Dallas with my GET Global Cameroon team. A little over 24 hours later, we'd arrive in Yaounde, our (first) destination. So many excellent memories...
As we know, though, memories fade. It was for this reason, among others, that I dutifully kept a journal for the duration of my trip. Almost every day, I'd write down the day's events, my thoughts about what I was seeing and feeling, and any other random bits of information I found journal-worthy.
Including trip quotes.
(Oh, you know this is going to be good!)
One of my favorites happens to be the first one I recorded:
"Just put your face in the scanner!"
I know, it seems like a letdown at first, so let me explain a bit:
My team had congregated at the DFW airport to check in our luggage before boarding our first Africa-bound flight. (Well, technically it was Chicago-bound, but we were still headed in the general direction...) Part of check-in was scanning our passports, per usual. Justin, one of our team leaders, was the first of us to go through the process, and he couldn't quite figure out how the scanner worked.
The airline lady was trying to be very helpful, I'm sure. I'm also sure that most people would interpret her saying, "Just put your face in the scanner!" to mean, "Put the picture of your face that's in your passport over the scanner." Justin, however... well, he thought she meant to literally put his face in the scanner.
So he did.
That moment was utterly priceless. The other eight of us were standing to the side, laughing as hard as we ever had. And as much as Justin will probably kill me for writing this out... I honestly think that that moment helped bring our entire team together in a way that nothing else could have. I doubt that I could have kept track of the number of times we quoted that phrase to each other during the trip! Laughter is not only the best medicine, it's also one of the best ways to create - and maintain - friendships.
A few other quotes from the trip that should be a bit more self-explanatory, even if it is all about the context:
Justin: "I had a hat. Has anyone seen my hat?"
Katie: "...I think it's on your neck..."
Silas (our local guide) turning on his headlights at night: "Look! Black people in da dark!"
Me: "I don't know if anyone expects anything here."
Wimbum man, greeting Cathy: "When I first saw you, I saw the face of China!"
Cathy: "...I'm Korean..."
Nikki, referring to Val's dislike of dairy products: "There's udder juice in your bread."
I hope you can enjoy these even a fraction as much as I do. And if you don't, and you're simply staring at the computer screen with glazed-over eyes and a bored, dull expression on your face...
You just had to be there.
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