An ant

...was baked into my bread (inconvenience).
...ate a roach in my bathroom (gross).
...forced a friend to come sit closer to me ("chance").

I drank a blended drink that puts wheat grass shots from jamba juice to shame.
I drank milk from a bag from a cow that put me to shame.
I drank from a hole in heaven's floor atop my flat with no shame (because that doesn't come with each new moon).

You're missing out.

Present needs:
Patience and compassion and energy and somebody to play basketball with.

Present certainties and thanks:
There is a fountain,
And the fountain leaked some refreshing drops of water on an otherwise dry day.

Peace be.

Two or three mental bridges

For me to cross into my new cultural setting, in order to be acceptable... things i did not anticipate:

Is not the life of a faithful sojourner in distant lands characterized by adaptations to cultural presumptions about the native? is not the common understanding that appearance is more natural and less "groomed," that food be the same, and foreign comforts to be found few and far between? should i not, then, adapt to such assumptions, becoming all things by all means, if only for some? and should i not, among such, reject the "vanity" of physical appearance, the benefits of healthy decisions, and the former comforts? is this not the image of the adventure i imagined and was promised? i seek my affirmation from home, because i don't receive it here.

For, perhaps, the three most difficult things i have faced thus far are proportional to these common misunderstandings. and thus i am even more of a cultural anomaly than formerly presumed. i am barbaric, dirty, and simple.

"Jamis, if you do not shave your face and comb your hair i cannot look at you and say you are fantastic."

"Jamis, you cannot eat this bread," as he attempts to scratch off a burnt piece and i scold him for touching my bread, "because this is dirty."

"Jamis, why do you not drink fizzy drinks? you cannot drink only water!"

Oh happy day. this past week has been characterized by the unexpected, but welcomed with joy. cow feet is becoming a staple, though i'm not sure the goesers would approve, and we swept the equivalent of maybe ten kilos of sand out of our flat. the sandbox is sure to never disappoint. love is abounding, though depravity sings a loud song.

Present needs:
Somebody stopped asking for a language soaking sponge for a brain, and that was a bad idea... because i need that.

Present certainties and thanks:
There is a fountain,
From which flow rivers of joy,
And i usually swim in it.

Peace be.

"Men?"

"No, a woman."
"Men?"
"La, a woman."
"Men!?"
"La! a woman!"
"Min amriki ow min hina?"
"Ah!"

This little misunderstanding almost resulted in a wedding between my friends sister and myself. my ears, confused by the rapid exchange back and forth between languages by mory*, had mistaken the term "from" for the english "men." i didn't mean to get into a conversation about who i would marry, but i wanted to make it clear i would one day marry a woman and not a man. i had mistaken his question, however, and didn't realize he was asking "min ween?", a woman "from where?" i, then, thought i was giving a safe answer, "likely from america," but didn't foresee the spiral that would take me down... "why not his sister?" meanwhile, abd* and his sister just happen to be sitting there staring at me and listening in. "i can't say yes," i thought to myself, "because that would definitely not go over well right now." "but how can i say no without being horribly offensive?" my friend looked at me, and i could see it in his eyes, "yeah, she's my sister, so what do you say huaja?" thankfully the man who i think likes me the least, yet whom i think has the greatest personality of them all, says, "yalla. halas. jamie, we are done for today, see you later." i think he saw how badly i was searching for a good translation of "awkward!" and decided to save me. haha, Thank You.

Present needs:
Two times the amount of energy and aptitude that i normally have on my best day.

Present certainties and thanks:
There is a fountain,
The fountain has more than enough water,
And those who drink of it won't be pitied (later on).

Peace be.

Tonight was told

A story, from beginning to end, that intrigues and captivates
Until hardness within gives proof of a compulsion from with-out;

This is a hard thing to accept
Without arrogance and frustration
It wouldn't be worth it

Otherwise.

Sometimes i forget and need reminding
That in two things alone can i boast,
Only the unseen is painless.

Present needs:
Wisdom and creativity in learning and compassion when walking.

Present certainties and thanks:
There is a fountain,
And the fountain brings a lot of joy and remembrance,
And (though they scare me silly each morning in the kitchen and bathroom) i have quite a few geckos to keep me company as i sleep.

Peace be, and joy abounding.

I thought you'd want to see

My door, which i am particulary fond of.


My bed, where i rest my head.


My wardrobe, far from narnia, but still the resting place for my "coats".


My view, completely in focus.


Present needs:
Time management and that language soaking sponge brain thing and wisdom in speech and love in action and attitude.

Present certainties and thanks:
There is a fountain,
And the fountain is cutting me out like the grand canyon (that is a good thing) into the shape desired,
And the fountain is letting me live... truly live.

Peace be.