Kung Fu Movie Capitol

Honestly, I never updated this when I was in Hong Kong or even after I got back home. It's now well into January and I am forced to recap what feels like years ago. I got into Hong Kong after high tailing it out of Thailand with my ass literally in my hands. I got in on a cool evening and there weren't that many cars out on the road. I ended up crashing pretty hard at my hostel, which was tiny, but nice. The next day I laid low and just did some minor walking around. After roaming for a bit I figured out that Hong Kong was going to be real expensive and that I had best find some free stuff to do.

I next day I continued my walking tour but ventured out even further. It is now that I want to take just a minute and talk about that man made wonder that is the Hong Kong skyline. If the Himalayas were in building form, this would be it. Monster buildings lined up one after the other. I remember thinking that New York City was impressive (and it still is, the Yankees suck, but NYC is awesome). I remember being uptown and looking at the WTC in the distance and thinking that it was a marvel to notice that in the distance it looked like a mountain. The thing about it though, it looked like "a" mountain. In Hong Kong, you can look down an ally and see an entire range. And the view at night? Breathtaking. So many lights that I figured the debt of 6 countries in Africa could be wiped out if Hong Kong could chill on the kHz for a couple minutes. I saw the light show that happens here every night at 8pm and as cheesy as it was, it was still pretty cool that they have a light show on their buildings.

I walked down the Ave. Of Stars, a Hollywood type walk of fame of all the Hong Kong film stars of past and present. I took a good long time here as its set next to the water and the view across is amazing. There was a life size statue of Bruce Lee kicking some ass which made me smile thinking of all the times I've watched Hong Kong flicks set in this town. I walked around the rest of the day checking out some random parks and called it a night.

The next day I took the ferry to Lanteau Island in search of the Po Lin Buddha statue. On the way there for just a fleeting moment I saw the big mutha sitting peacefully atop this mountain. It passed and I got very excited to see it close up. When I got up to the top I set my eyes upon what would have to be the biggest Buddha I'd ever seen. I climbed the 438 steps to the top and took a bunch of pictures and soaked in the scenery that this Buddha sees all the time. I walked back down and explored the monastery that the Buddha watches over. It was a modest complex trying to capitalize on the tourism that the big guy brings in but not in a greedy way. It was such a gift to me that I got to spend a little time with some monks here. I was with Tibetan monks, Nepalese monks, Thai monks, Chinese monks. Cool. That night I went to 007:Casino Royale, because if this was my intro back into Western culture, who better to do it than Bond?

The next day I spent the day on Hong Kong island which would be considered the business side between them and Kowloon. Bigger buildings, more suits, less local flare. Hong Kong park was a man made triumph. Green spaces were accented by little ponds, rivers, and fountains. There was a tai chi garden with Bonsai trees and an aviary where I got stuck watching this Great Argus with a red eye. I moved along to the Victoria Peak tram which took me well above the skyline in a tram that went seemingly straight up at points much like the ol' Cog Railway back home. I got up there in enough time to see the skyline during the day and then went to keep busy for a bit until the sun went down. I actually played video games for awhile in the huge mall that sits on the peak. Hadn't done that for about 6 months, which very soon would be a reoccurring theme. After the sun went down I took some pictures and stared dumbfounded at the skyline. I went for some Peking duck (so very, really, really good), and crashed.

My last full day on my trip was very calming and cooling. I had dim sum in the afternoon for the last time. For those of you who don't know dim sum is a lunch time event that Hong Kong is famous for. People come around with a bunch of super good food on rolling trays and stop in front of you while you choose which one you want. Whatever looks good to you will then be marked on your card to paid for at the end of the meal. MMMmmm. After dim sum I went to 10,000 Buddha monastery. When I got there I realized that it wasn't just a clever name. There's actually well over 10,000 Buddhas lining the long walkway up, on the buildings, big ones, small ones, smiling ones, holding things, eyes closed, eyes averted, wise, silly, laughing, standing, leaning, shouting, you name it. I spent a couple hours here and decided to head back and turn in early.

I got up early and set out of Hong Kong with the feeling of exhaustion from being away from home for a long time. Hong Kong was a funny place. A lot of people but organized. I was happy to be there, but wanted to be home. I didn't really meet anyone but I talked to so many people. It made me miss the third world actually. The plane ride was loooooooooooooong across the pacific and landing for a 3 hour layover in Vancouver was torture. No worry though, I would see my lady love in mere minutes.

Short Recap of a Long Time

Ok, here goes. I spent a month in a Buddhist Monestary in Nepal called Kopan and studied Mahayna Buddism with Monks from around the world. It was me and a little over a hundred westerners and three hundred monks. I woke up every day around 7am for the first two weeks and then 5am the last two weeks. The whole time there was split in two in a lot of ways. The whole time there was amazing.

Kopan is on top of a hill (Nepalis call it a hill, in America it would be a small mountain), overlooking Kathmandu Valley. It is a huge complex and comes complete with a giant Stupa Garden, a beautiful Stupa Garden. There are many buildings and one of them is the Chenrezig Gompa where we met everyday for teachings, meditation. There was a shop to buy stuff at, a bookstore/library which came in handy as I continued my reading spree by reading 6 more books. A giant prayer whell that I would use when I wanted to have a smoke and couldn't. I would push this huge thing around and around and the bell rang with every pass and seemed to calm me down. Prayer flags were everywhere and when the wind would blow prayers would be sent out to all living beings. God, theres so much more I could say but...

The first week I was there I was introduced to a place called Travelers Diharealand. It's a miserable place and I hope I never go back there, EVER AGAIN! Once I left that three horse town I really started to warm up to the scedule, whats the scedule?
6:30-Morning Meditation (I admit, I missed this a few times)
7:30-Breakfast (every meal vegitarian)
8:00-Karma Yoga (chores)
9:00-AM Teachings (With Venerable Fedor)
11:30-Lunch/Free Time (up untill lunch there was silence every day)
2:00-Discussion Group
3:00-Free Time
3:30-PM Teachings
5:00-Tea (My addiction to Bamboocha was quickly eclipsed with Milk Tea)
6:00-Evening Meditation
7:00-Dinner
8:00-Night Program/Meditation/Misc.(This was my favorite
9:00-Free Time
10:00-Lights Out (ZZZZZZZzzzzzzz)

The guy who did the teachings was Ven. Fedor who was an acidemic monk from Germany. He has been studying the Dharma for 20 years and knew more than I've forgotten. The only problem was that his voice was so monotone and the subject matter so intense that at times boredom would set in a little. He was a math/science guy, I'm an art/creatyive guy. We also had a few other teachers. Venerable Robina, a woman from Australia was particularly amazing. She works in the prison system in San Fransisco with people who want to take refuge with Buddha (the equivolent to being saved in Christianity). Her talk was moving and it was nice to hear the Dharma come to life.

Ani Karen ran the evening program. She's been at Kopan for many years and hearing her voice was a little slice of Nirvana. The food was amazing. I've never been that big a fan of vegitarian food, untill now. Oh my God it was good! The people there were amazing as well. I met so many people from around the world and it became apparent early on to me that if I had met any of these people back home and they told me they went to Nepal to study Buddhism for a month in Nepal, I'd want to sit down and have cofee with them. I met too many to mention, but trust that I love them.

The last two weeks we took the 8 Mahayana precepts which included; no killing (anything), no lying, no stealing, no sitting on high beds, no sexual misconduct (including anything sexual), no music/dancing (the hardest for me because it included tapping of feet, hands and singing to yourself), no perfumes or jewelry (including deoderant), no intoxicants. We also took a vow to not eat at wrong times which meant no breakfast and no dinner. In the middle of the precepts I decided to take a vow of complete silence for 3 and a half days.

That sounds like a lot but you'll have to believe me when I tell you it was amazing. There were so many things I learned while I was there. So many things that will effect my life in such a positive way. In the interest of time I'm going to withhold that info. Honestly, even if I had the time, a lot of what I learned and shared was for me. Thats the amazing thing about Buddhism that really distinguishes itself from other doctrines. It dosn't impose at all. Buddha taught his "middle way" and if there are parts that you dig, then apply it. If there are parts you don't dig then no worries.

I left Kopan with a heavy heart and said goodbye to a lot of new friends. Some I will see again, some I won't but I will always cherish the time I got to spend with these people. All in all it was so incredible. Bangkok is a far cry from the peace and calm of Kopan. It's loud, crazy, and really sleezy. There are a shitload of tourists here which deadens the experience a little. In all the places I've been sans London, the great thing has been a lack of tourists, at least in these types of numbers. I'l certainly make the most of my time here at any rate.

Truth be told, after Kopan, I'm ready to go home. I miss Bethany. I miss my friends. I miss America. The Pats are 9-3 and I want to watch them today. It'll all be over soon enough and I want to be in the moment as much as possible. I'll send another update as I'm leaving Thailand. I'm going down south to Krabi and then to Koh Phi Phi where they filmed "The Beach". For you Bond fans, I'm going to the place where they shot the crazy rock/laser gun thing in "The Man With The Golden Gun". For you Nathan fans, I love you more than words.

Dig it

Wha' Happened?

Oh Man.

Well, at least I waited until the last leg of my trip to really slack on the updates. I made it down to the southern coast of Thailand. My jaw dropped to the ground and when I first got there I was saying "wow" alot under my breath as to not seem like another awestruck tourist. The tourist.

Lets get this out of the way now. I'd like to go on record by saying that there are two very distinct side of the tourists coin in Thailand. On one side I'd say that they have almost single handedly raised a developing country out of the slums. The amount of money that is pumped into this part of the world from the tourist dollar is awesome (and I don't mean that in a cool way, I'm saying it as like the amount is huge). It's provided better wages, roads, and access to modern technology amongst a host of other things for the local people in southern Thailand. Now the other side.

White people are ruining the world. I saw more white people in southern Thailand than Thais. Most of the tourists don't really give a shit about the people who live there. They are on holiday and expect these people to cater to their every need. What used to be beach communities have transformed into polluted cash cow towns. I use the word polluted for two reasons. 1:The towns can't really keep up with the amount of people roll through on holiday i.e.buses, boats, garbage. 2:The local people have been polluted. I was constantly berraded by people wanting to sell me stuff and they moved us around like cattle from one place to the next. There was little to no chance to get to know a Thai on a level where they could share some stories with you. I had encountered this before in India but not nearly on this scale. If I had gone there on holiday than maybe I would have seen it differently, but I wasn't. I'd seen things at this point that made me sick of people being polluted. Saving the world is going to be really hard. Lets move on.

I got down to Krabi, a beachside community, and checked in at my bungalow. I went down to the beach and went for a swim and walked around. There were boobies on the beach and so that made me happy. Sunbathing topless in the States has yet to really catch on and I'd like to say that its a fine idea. Boooooobies. I walked around and took a path to the next beach over where upon the end of my walk I was surrounded by little monkeys called Gibbons. Monkeys and boobies.

The next day I took a longtail boat (the main type of transport and sound pollution when you're near water) to a secluded peninsula called Rei Lai. When I got there I saw a cave that was frozen in time with quartz bleeding out of the limestone (I forgot to mention the limestone. Huge outcroppings of limestone were everywhere down here. I thought that they were volcanic at first but it turns out they are like old coral that shoot up in the air. Some are 20ft. Some are 200 ft. They are a sight to see for sure {for all the rock climbers in my life, you would have a heart attack if you saw all these faces. I wished you could all be with me}). I went to climb up this little cliff to a lagoon in the middle of the limestone but it started raining that really hard tropical rain and decided with my knees and all that it would be too slippery. I ended up back at my bungalow and began to drink beers with the Irish. Are they actually born with a beer in thier hands?

The next day I set out for the Ko Phi Phi islands. The ferry ride to them lasted about 2 hours and on the way I met some Kiwis (New Zealanders). They ended up being the coolest people I met in Thailand. I hadn't really had the pleasure of traveling with these guys much and the ones I met far outdid my expectations. We landed on the island and the water was what I had been looking for. Terquoise, in every way. I met the Kiwis at the beach and we walked out into the water which never got deeper than our knees which suited us just fine because we waded there on our bellies and backs the whole time. At one point the lady Kiwi pulled her red card (Whats a red card? On thier trip so far whenever one of them pulled a red card no one could be without a drink in thier hand for the rest of the day. I was hanging out with the Kiwis which apparently meant that I was a Kiwi for the rest of the day. Oh shit). Someone brought beers out to us in the water and there we stayed, through a rainstorm that came through, for the next 3 hours drinking beer and laughing. We decided to go and get ready to hit the bars after our hands looked like they had aged 50 years.

The next part is honestly a little hazy. We went to the what will probably be the first and only "Mens Night" that I'll ever go to. Free shots for men. Yay men. Those of you who know drunk Nathan know that he is a singing man. Thats what I remember (and consequently a bunch of people Thai and tourist told me the next day that they, "recognized me from last night because you were the one singing"), singing alot. I sang in the sidewalks (no cars are allowed on the island), in the shops, to people, and at one point in a Thai karaoke bar. They didn't have english songs so I just improved the Thai. After awhile a Thai guy came with a guitar and plugged in. He played "Hotel California" and it went like this..."On a dark dessert highway. Cool wind in my hair. The warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air. On thefgf blahdk diddy blak bluk, nirenioniongonooimn WELCOME TO THE HOTEL CALIFORNIA". Not pretty. I cohersed the guy to give me the guitar and started playing some Ray Charles, Otis Redding, and GNF'R. I ended up on stage playing a hour and a half set completely wasted as the bar to show thier appreciation was feeding more alcohol. Unreal.

It wasn't long after that I passed out in my bed. When I awoke the next morning it felt as though someone with a poison coral fist punched me in the back of the head and then turned me around and punched me in the temple with an oak hammer. Hey speaking of poison coral, I went snorkeling with my new Kiwi friend David the next day. We met our guide and made off for Phi Phi Lei the smaller and uninhabited of the two islands. I could fill a whole other entry with what I saw underneth the water. It was truly amazing. Sharks, different colored fish, eels, everything you could ask for. The visibility under there was like nothing I had ever seen as well. In the middle of it we got to go to Maya Bay which is where they filmed the beach in "The Beach". The water there was probably the clearest I'll ever see in my life. I pretended I was a stud and walked in the water with my best Leo swagger and enjoyed myself for a moment amongst the hundred other people doing the same thing.

We finished the snorkeling and I had to get back to Phi Phi Don to catch my boat back to the mainland. I said goodbye to the Kiwis and as I got onto the ferry and went back to Krabi the weather got to be shitty again. No matter, I laid pretty low for the rest of that day and got a good nights sleep. The next day I awoke to the sunlight and went back to Rei Lai to try to climb the little cliff again. I did it this time and the cliff ended up being a tough little climb. There was a robe there to help but there were points in which I figured I was screwed. I can't really bend my left knee and my right can only take so much abuse until it goes out. The climb down into the lagoon was what really hurt. Small 25ft. rock faces going straight down. Ouch.

When I got down the lagoon was at low tide and so no worth it. I climbed back up, miraculosly without major injury and went to a lookout point. When I made my way off the cliff I cursed myself for doing that and found my way to a restaurant where I enjoyed my last good Thai meal complete with some Thai pancakes for dessert. I was leaving for Bangkok that night on a bus and so I got my stuff together and made my way to the station. The ride up was long and the movie they showed on the bus was by the same guy that did "Kids". It was a terrible movie that included foul language, nudity, rape, drug abuse, and murder. Fucking Thailand.

I got into Bangkok at 5:30am and walked around till Koh San road opened up where I did a little Christmas shopping and went to the airport. Thailand was a trip to say the least. Strikes and gutters in this little kingdom in SE Asia (Inever mentioned it but these people LOVE thier king). I'm in Hong Kong now and what I'll say is that it is big. Mumbai might have been the biggest city in terms of numbers but this place feels bigger. I want to come home now. Back to what I know. Back to Seattle (even though I heard the weather has been nuts lately). Back to my friends. Back to the woman I love. It's time. I'll be home soon. Yay.

Signing Off From Katmandu

I've made it to Kathmandu and I'm going to try and recap the last week and a half. This trip has been so amazing.

Samuel and I had an amazing time together and that is all there is to it. I had even written in my journal that I wanted to meet and be friends with an Isreali before my trip was done (seeing as the Isrealis I had met until then were very stand-offish). The next day I met Samuel and the rest was Goan history.

The day after his pure drug induced night scare we hit the relaxing hard and just sort of walked around. We ate good food and got to know some of our neighbors better. I met yet another English couple who were too cool and yet again, I miss Bethany. We watched the sun go down on a pile of rocks away from the beach and that show was unreal. Our waiter Jon was from the north of India and waited on us every time. He got a kick out of me telling him that we have the same job. I get that question a lot and you'll just have to trust that there are not too many servers traveling overseas. Miss you Buca, see you soon.

The next day we got up early and rented scooters to take up the coast. As soon as we pulled away, and I was on a scooter mind you, I realized why people say riding on 2 motorized wheels is freeing. I loved it. We would ride and then stop for water, ride, beach, ride, food, ride, etc. We ended up all the way up in Margao and Samuel bought himself a guitar for the road. He had been missing it so badly and we decided to head back to Palolem so we could watch the sun go down and make music on the sand. Israelis,(along with a lot of other people, LOVE Pink Floyd. LOVE THEM! So we sat there and played "Comfortably Numb", "Wish You Were Here", and "Time" to name a few.

I was supposed to leave the next day but I ne4ver got the chance. I was having so much fun and Samuel was on no time clock. We just hung around all day and walked around some more. I got some X-mas presents and we had our last supper with Jon. The next day we went to Margao again to catch trains to our separate ways. Samuel was going to Hampi, a town which I wanted to go to so bad. I was headed to Mumbai. We said good bye and exchanged e mails and took pictures and ended our initial time together. Suffice to say, the family will probably take a trip to Isreal at some point. Love you Samuel.

I headed up to Bombay/Mumbai and when I arrived on the overnight train it was 6am. Really early to be in a huge city. At that point, I don't think I knew how big it was. I walked the streets and they were pretty desolate. The buildings were surreally different and I needed breakfast. After I got my flight to Kathmandu all patched up and checked in at a seedy guesthouse. I went to "The Departed" that night at a theater in Mumbai. Going to the theater in India is very different. They have assigned seating, metal detectors, and get this, an intermission. Watching the movie, which is set in Boston, made me miss home terribly. I was certainly the only person in there who had a Red Sox hat on and I felt overwhelming pride (I did have a conversation with a couple Indian guys afterwards and assured them that I'd never killed anyone).

The next day I hit the streets and strolled down Marine Dr. which hugs the coastline of the city. Seeing all the people and getting a feel for the make up of Mumbai, I quickly realized that this was the biggest city I'd ever been in. 14 million people and I was just one guy walking around amidst the madness. I saw the Gateway To India, which was this gigantic arch by the water. The Taj hotel which was the definition of luxury. The I walked around the Colaba area and did some more X-mas shopping as well as fighting off the random people trying to sell me worthless shit. Yes, I did go to McDonalds and I felt like a jerk immediately after. I also went to this classic cafe called Leopolds. It's been there forever and there is a book that is set there that Johnny Depp just bought the movie rights to.

Yesterday was a travel day as I went from Mumbai to Dehli to Kathmandu. It was a long trip and there was a guy from Brazil that sat as we were waiting in Dehli and sang to himself as he listened to his i pod in an off key voice that could have curdled milk. It was long and I was happy when we set down in Nepal. I haven't been here long enough to give an account but I can tell you that it is different from anyplace I've been so far. It certainly isn't tropical and honestly, it's nice to not be sweating at every minute of the day.

By the way, how was everyones Halloween? Everyone is going to vote tomorrow right? The word by the campfire here in Asia is that the Dems are going to take the house. The Senate is tight but will go to the GOP. Everyone is talking about how Iraq is the main issue and global eyebrows are raised at Saddam being handed so called justice just days before the election. The world thinks that the trial was bunk because due process waved bye-bye to the preceding a long time ago. People out here don't hate Americans, on the contrary, they dig us. They hate GW and his whole administration. I can't count the amount of times people have referred to him as a terrorist and put him in the same league with Bin Laden. At home this kind of talk is reserved for liberal rhetoric, here it's the norm. I see another evangelical has gotten himself in trouble. The funny thing to me is that 1000's of Christians would have stood beside Rev. Ted Haggard before this happened and said what a shining example he is and look at how his righteousness shimmers in the sunbeams. Let's see where his supporters go now. Thats one thing I've picked up from reading the new testament, Jesus forgave, Jesus loved, Jesus didn't give a shit what you did, as long as you asked for forgiveness. We could all stand to be a little more like Jesus.

I heard it's been raining in Seattle quite a bit. I got to watch Monday Night Football this morning,live, and it looks like the Seahwks defense is running on all cylinders. Too bad the offense is struggling. The Pats got beat by the hated Colts yesterday and I'm as sad about that as a Pats fan can be in Asia. Whatever. We'll see you in the playoffs Peyton and God knows you have more trouble there than you know what to do with. Football started, basketball started, hokey started, the new Bond movie is out. I miss home and I miss you.

I'm going to take a trip around Kathmandu in a little bit and then it'll be off to the Monestary. I'm feeling a little nervous about it but also assured that it will be wonderful. It's going to be a month before I write to everyone again. I'll be in Thailand and possibly a monk (although I doubt it, I enjoy my worldly possessions too much). I'll be thinking of each and every one of you while I'm there and even some of you that aren't on here. Do me a favor and tell everyone that you know that I love them. Even if I don't know them than you should tell them that you love them. Vote Democrat, Happy Thanksgiving, and may the force be with you. This is Nathan Bean signing off from Kathmandu.

Drugs, Beaches, And Sunsets

It's been a long time since I updated and honestly, I don't remember much. I left Allepey on a train headed north and met some wonderful people. A doctor from England that had worked in South Africa for awhile and had some amazing stories. I also shared the trip with a really cute couple from Spain and France. I love hippies. I slept a little on the train and when I got off I was so weary. It took another 2 hours before I arrived at the sleepy beaches of Gokarna.

Om Beach is the name of the main beach where I would make my hub for the next few days. It's called Om Beach because it resembles the symbol for "Om", which is everything. The mood when I showed up was a little cold. There were westerners there but they were all seemingly into what they were doing and nothing/nobody else. I got settled in my room, which was covered with fire ants, and went for dinner. There I sat, alone, wondering if I had come to the wrong place. I also knew I had been in transit for a long time and maybe I should just sleep it off.

The next morning I woke up determined to not let the day suck. I would go on a hike and meet as many people as I could. The day started out with talking to Bethany who was visiting my Mom in New England. She is out there for my Nanas 80th birthday and to say I'm happy about all this wouldn't do it justice. It's such a wonderful thing that she got to see my family seeing as they are such an important part of my life. I've since found out that it all went great and a good time was had by all. Oh by the way, Happy Birthday Nana. 80 years is an amazing landmark and I'm so proud to have you for a Grandmother. BIG HUG!!!

I left for my hike and I almost immediately started missing the old roommates. This would have been something we did for a weekend trip except it's in India and more secluded. It was a little dangerous at parts but the scenery was ridiculous. Lush palms and jagged rocky coast. I talked to a guy from Turkey on the way to Half Moon Beach and he also mentioned that the vibe at the guesthouse where we were at was wield. I was happy it wasn't just me. I continued on and found myself a cove to swim in at Half Moon Beach and then continued on to Paradise.

When I got there I was awestruck with how desolate it was and I found a cute older couple and chatted with them for a bit before heading back. When I was passing by Half Moon again I ran into an English couple named Kirsty and Charlie. I only talked to them for a moment but I would end up hanging out with them more later. Then on the path I met yet another English couple much more of the hippie ilk. We sat down and started talking...then I got high. I was going to finish all my walking...then I got high. So I found a big palm tree, and I know why. Yeaaaaaaaah, because I got high, because I got high, because I got high. Da-da-da-da-da-da. Watching the sunset from the lone palm tree that was on this little outcropping was one of the most memorable moments of my entire trip. I went back to the guesthouse and had a wonderful dinner and met a bunch of guys talking about America. I assured them that I wouldn't bomb them if I sat down and they all agreed. Shortly after I decided to retire and I was loving my life again.

Just to put this out there, from the moment I stopped with the English couple and smoked from a chillum;

Chillum:
-noun 1. a hookah or other water pipe adapted for smoking marijuana, that can be passed in ritual fashion among a group of participants: used esp. by Indians.

I was lifted the rest of my time here. Some may say it's a bad decision and they might be right but it felt like the right thing to do and I'm still here. I decided to go back to Paradise Beach for the evening and spend the night there. When I got there I met up with the English couple, a crazy holy kid from Germany, an actually crazy guy from Argentina, a kid from Bombay who spoke perfect English, a couple quiet Isrealis (they are all pretty much quiet) and the staff for this guesthouse. It wasn't really a guesthouse so much as a Shack with a lot of beach area. I had a wonderfully chill time there and slept under the stars in a hammock. The next day I went back to Om Beach and got another night at the guesthouse Namaste. I spent a lot of time with Kirsty and Charlie and we agreed to meet in the morning so I could go to town which was a long walk and something I had no idea about.

We met in the morning and with my bag on my back (which, I gotta tell you, is paying huge dividends here in India Jay) and my mind somewhere up in the clouds, I left this place for Goa. Everyone has told me Goa sucks now but I wanted to form my own opinion about it. I said goodbye to Charlie and Kirsty and thanked them for being cool people ion a strange place. I stayed the night in town at a terrible little shanty called Gokarna International. If you're planning on being in Gokarna, don't stay here. One cool thing though was that the TV, which didn't really come in, was showing the World Series. The Cardinals won huh? Someone in Seattle give J.P. a big hug for me and tell him that I would send him to St. Louis if I were there. Go Birds.

The next day was a travel day and I headed for Palolem Beach up north in Goa. I arrived and noticed that there were two growths on my forearm. I don't know if something bit me or what but they are discerning. Oh well. I ended up hooking up with this guy named Samuel from Isreal and he is so cool. He reminds me of Craig a little bit but with Zach's laugh and...he's Isreali. All these guys finish their time in the army and then go on trips, more often than not, in Goa. This is the first guy though that I've really talked to and he's so cool. Last night we talked to this guy and he gave me a piece of pure MDNA. I didn't even hesitate and told the guy that I didn't want it. There, finally some willpower when it comes to the drugs! Samuel on the other hand was down and thus I began my long night of designated human. It was fine (although I wouldn't want to be Sams jaw right now) and I had a good nights sleep.

The beach here is great. It's so much more touristy here than where I've been. There are so many tourists here and it's just a bit of a trip! It's expensive, well, expensive for India (I'm staying on the beach with Samuel for 5 dollars US). I just found out that the Patriots ripped a hole into Minnasota. The huge bumps on my forearm are fading a little. I'm going to watch the sun go down on an island off the coast tonight. I'll be in Nepal one week from today. I've got a woman at home who loves me and she has our son in her belly. I love my life.

Namsate,

Nathan

Ashram

We got up in the morning and headed for the boat jetty to cruise to Ammas ashram halfway down the backwaters between Kollam and Allepey. The boat was medium sized, whatever that means, and was filled with about 9 people out of a possible 50. We shoved off a little after 10:30 and entered the intricate system of canals and waterways. Rama had never done this before so it wasn't just me who was in awe of the trip. Once we moved away from the small city of Kollam the scenery got smaller and smaller revealing the riverside villages of Kerala. People living their everyday lives i.e. washing clothes, bathing, cleaning. It was an honor to float by and observe this.

The trip reminded me of when I was younger and I would go and visit my Grandparents home named "Honey-Do" located on Lovell Pond in Fryburg ME. They had a canoe and I would take it just off to the side of their house and there was a sort of swamp there. It wasn't very big but I could go into these makeshift canals and pretend I was in the jungle for a little bit. This time I was actually in the jungle. Lined with lush palm trees and houses stuck in the middle. Man, it was incredible.

After a 3 hour trip we arrived at the ashram. A gigantic pink collection of buildings that were seriously in the middle of nowhere. You can see them down river from about 30km away. We got off and headed up to the office. I was pretty nervous, I don't know why but it just had a little intimidating feeling to it. Walking into the courtyard there was a mix of Indians and westerners mostly dressed in all white. They walked around with a purpose and without Amma there it seemed peaceful.

Now the shitty part. As I went to check in at the office the guy at the desk was telling me that Indians and Westerners were not allowed to share a room. The accommodation seemed to be segregated. Rama said that there must be something that could be done seeing as we had shared a room for the last couple nights and it was clear we were friends. The guy at the desk called a superior (not Amma) and asked if we could, the final answer was no. Rama decided shortly after this that he did not feel comfortable there. We walked out to the small village that lay outside of the ashram and walked for a bit. We said our good byes, hugged and then I watched Rama ride off in the sunset. You will be missed.

I went back into the ashram and kept to myself for the most part. In a place that was billed to have endless love, compassion, and equality, I was feeling pretty confused. The room was as basic as I've seen yet but the view from the 12th floor was absoloutly stunning. Unlike anything I'd ever seen in my life. To be that high up and to see what I was seeing, in a place where nothing much is over 8 feet, wow. I went to bed and hoped for a better day at the ashram tomorrow.

The next day started out with seva, which means selfless service. It was helping with food prep, a area in which I had some experience. I cut dates with some other travelers and we did it for 3 hours. It felt good to do and after I had lunch and went to the big hall to meditate. I got to know this really cool couple while I was there. Sasha & Jessica are from Brooklyn and they have been in India for some months now doing a photo shoot on Westerners finding spiritual significance in India. It made miss Beth even more (who am I kidding,everything, food, showering, and walking make me miss Beth). We had wonderful conversation and when it was all finished they are people that I'm looking forward to keeping in touch with. The majority of people staying at the ashram were, for lack of a better description, glazed over. As a result, we didn't interact very often. Kind of a bummer.

I kept a smile on the whole time though realizing that the same seems to go for every religious entity, rarely do the disciples act like the guru. Christians don't act Christ-like, Muslims don't act like Allah, Hindus don't act like the Hindu Gods etc. It's because most of the people set the bar so high that it's impossible to reach. In reaching for it, I belive sometimes, something is lost. Such was the case for the Amma devotees. The feeling that Amma has left there though was wonderful. I enjoyed being around the ashram of a living guru, a living saint. The music, the chanting, the atmosphere was so different.

On the eve of my second night there was a massive thunderstorm. I could see it coming in the distance to the east. When it hit I went to the 16th floor, end of the line, and watched as the rain marched and swirled from on high. The lightning struck so powerfully and so closely that goose bumps ran down my neck, arms, and back. The thunder shook my insides as it was ripping through the sky. The whole show lasted about an hour and then slowly moved on. It was the best thunderstorm I have ever seen.

The last day I woke up and helped again with the serving of food. I smiled and acted awfully chipper and the people seemed surprised. Why is it that they practice love and compassion with only themselves? I went to the small shop and got a new dohty (the Indian man dress that has captivated my thighs...Mm mm, thats hot), a postcard and a bracelet, along with some Xmas presents. I left the ashram feeling mixed emotion. Whatever it is, I am much more relaxed and ready for the next leg of my journey through two states to Gokarna, the holy beach city. It's a 15 hour train ride and I am so looking forward to the beach. Word.

Waiting On The Train

The train ride there was pretty uneventful. We arrived in Kollam at 2:00am and to save trouble and time went to the nearest hotel and checked in. We both were pretty tired so we fell asleep pretty fast to the sounds of a thunderstorm overhead. When we woke up the next morning we had breakfast and then asked if the backwater boat would be leaving anytime soon. The man at the front desk said that the boat leaves at 10:30am. It was 10:27am. Shit. Ammas ashram will have to wait one more day. Rama and I decided that it was best not to waste the day so we decided to explore Kollam a little bit.

He had been there before and mentioned something about a lighthouse. Those of you who know me, know how I feel about lighthouses. I jumped at the chance and we took a rickshaw to see it. It was big, beautiful red and white stripped piece of Indian shoreline beauty. Normally we could have gone up it, but it was closed so we just admired it from the outside and moved on. We walked through these little fishing villages and for some reason, walking with an Indian holy man gives you some sort of street cred. At least I felt more at ease about walking up to peoples homes and starting conversations with people. Rama said it was because they were unpolluted. That made so much sense to me. We talked to so many people and the beauty of it was that since Rama is from the north and only speaks Hindi and English and the people in Kerala only speak their own local language we were all forced to communicate in other ways. It was a blessing to be able to connect with these people. After this we went and got me a Dohtty, which is for all intensive purposes a skirt for men (but so comfortable). We had dinner at another local vegetarian place and then went back to the hotel.

In the middle of the day I called Bethany. Thankfully I got through and she told me that after having an ultrasound, she found out we are having a boy. The idea gets stronger and stronger every day. We're going to be a family. I was so excited that I told everyone in the shopping mart where I was, (and got some pretty strange looks for my effort). I'm so happy about my life right now. My life is over as I knew it in so many ways and in the same amount of ways, my life is just starting. I'm so happy. This place is amazing, I'm off to Ammas ashram in the morning.

Temple Town

I took a long train ride and ended up in Madurai. When I checked into the hostel, there was an elephant outside from the temple across the street having some rice and water. Are you kidding me? Just hanging out, having some lunch. I checked into my room and felt sort of groggy from the train ride and so I decided to take it easy. I walked through the town, which is more like a city, but not by Indian standards, just my own, which have no real bering here. I ate Tandori chicken and I was immediately in love. So, so good. There was also a view of the Sri Meenakshi temple but it was dark out and I could not see. I went home and went to bed to the sounds of Diwali i.e. very loud, random explosions.

The next morning I awoke and went to check out the temple. I ran into what I thought I would, touts. This guy dooped me into seeing a great view of the temple. It was a great view and I should say that the size of this temple is gargantuan. It's so incredibly big that my eyes had a hard time looking in just one direction. After I was done with the view, the guy actually tried to sell me a 3,000 dollar rug. What do you think Beth? He said it's an investment? Yeah, right. I spent about 45 minutes in there telling these cats I was all set and I met a guy from Canada named Iggy. He was playing the same game playing grab ass with these guys, we shook them and made for the temple.

Ok, good time so far. Things to see:

1.Sri Meenakshi Temple
2.Ghandi Museum
3.Big Palace
4.National Museum
5.Various Temples

We entered the temple grounds and before we got in Iggy recognized this guy who was sitting down. His name was Rama. I introduced myself and had no idea this guy would become my travel partner for the next few days. How could I have known? Rama is a Sadu. A wanderer, a holy man. We sat down with him and we started to buy little things like sweets, bracelets, etc. We would then give them away to people and just talk to them. He especially loves kids and so we would play with them and give them stuff. They closed the temple and so we went for late lunch. Yummy local Indian stuff that Rama knew would scare me. It was really good, I just hope I don't get a virus.

After we walked around and ended up talking to this young woman. We decided to go for ice cream in the nicest hotel in Madurai. The young woman, who had an awful limp, ended up being the Jackie Joyner Kersie of Indian Para-Olympics. She has all these medals and had just been accepted for the games next month, again. She was so cool. We walked around for a little longer and it started to get dark. I said goodbye to Iggy and told Rama I would try and meet him the next day. I went to eat Tandori Chicken again, which is quickly earning Bamboocha type status and went to sleep accomplishing none of my goals for the day that I had set for myself. Then again, I was happy I hadn't.

The next day I went back to the temple determined to see it. There was no stopping me to see great views and blah, blah. I went past where Rama was the day before but he was not there. I went into the temple and it was unreal. People worshiping God in a different way than I have ever seen. I felt like the only times I had seen stuff like this was in Indiana Jones. I couldn't help but think if I had pushed on the right hoof of this golden elephant that a secret room would open up and there would be a ritual where the evil guy chants something like "Num Num Shivi" and takes out some poor souls heart. Unless I can get past the guards and save the priceless piece that belongs in a museum. And get the girl. And not forget my hat.

I saw the Palace too, and that was the only other thing I had time for. It was huge and the only things remaining from the original are the dance and main hall. 60% of it is gone, which makes one in awe at what was taken down. This place must have been huge! I went back to my hotel and the guy at the front desk told me my friend was around looking for me. I went up to my room to get all my stuff because my train was leaving soon and when I came down, like clockwork there was Rama, with his kind eyes and infectious smile. We walked to the train station and wanted to come with me to Quilon (Kollam). I think I asked him if he was kidding and then said "hell yeah". We boarded the train and headed South for Kerala. To Be Continued...

Hole-E Sheyit, I'm In India

Ok.

India is very different than anywhere I've ever been. I thought it might be similar to Africa but I was dead wrong. It's richer but at the same time, there is massive poverty. You feel the pressure of 1 billion people at all times everywhere around you. The driving here makes driving in Africa look like a Sunday whimsy. The people begging assault you (no really, this lady had a stick in her hand and pelted me in the shin. Not as effective as you might think). Cows roam the street because they are sacred. The Internet cafe I'm in right now is blaring "Thriller". There are so many older people here than in Africa. Because we are so ashamed of our elderly in America and ship them to nursing homes and what not, I would say that you see way more elderly people here in India. Speaking of...

When I checked into the hotel, with hot water by the way, I had been up for 28 hours and was desperate for a nap. I took a big doze and woke up in the evening. I realized it would be a good idea to get cash out of the ATM (by the way, they have Ben Kingsly all over their currency here) before I left the next day. I asked the porter and he said that there was a citibank outside just to the left. I started walking and 20 minutes and 10 terrible directions later, I officially was lost. As I was asking this one guy a man that looked about 65 got off a bus. He said he could help me and I took a good look at him and used my judgement. He introduced himself as "Percy Lazurus, Risen From The Dead". His English was pretty good and he would break into gospel songs every now and again. We both agreed that Jesus was pretty cool and for the first time since I started reading it, knowing part of the bible ended up being useful. Percy Lazurus Risen For The Dead was actually 76 years old and just about as cute an angel I could have asked for.

We walked all around Chennai for about an hour and finally found the ATM. I got my money and afterwards he took me for some sweets, which are a pretty big deal here. I had this stuff called Mysore milk bars...oh my god...it's so...GOOD. I bought some stuff for him and his wife Matilda, (hey, thats a nice name, Bethany, think about it, Matilda Bean, Matilda, Matty, Mats, Tilda, Silly Matilly?) for helping and it made me happy to do it, because I knew he wasn't especially rich. I got some new sandals and we ducked into a little restaurant for a cool drink. After that I said goodbye to Percy Lazerus Risen From The Dead, and thanked him for being my first friend in India.

This place is crazy and it's wonderful. I'd heard it described as looking at the most beautiful thing along side the ugliest thing. I'm beginning to understand that, but that understanding will only grow and grow. I still don't have a ticket to Nepal? That has me a little worried but a wise man here told me that 90% of the things we worry about never happen. I like that. I'll write more soon and I'll put some pictures up too, I promise. Be good.

Nathan

Kwa Heri Africa

I can't believe my time here is over. I spent the last week in kind of a haze. It flew by because there was, all of a sudden, so much to do. I had to try and book train tickets and places to stay in India on unreliable Internet connections. I was in full goodbye mode all week which for me, who isn't great with good byes (thanks Ma), is emotionally taxing. Quinn and I busted our ass to get an agreement signed with the men who run the hotel and premises therein that Mama Rose resides on. We actually drafted a contract ourselves. Contracts are not easy and there is sort of an art to it i e: where to place certain words, demands, intros, etc. I had to get a bunch of pictures that I hadn't taken yet of people and places. I had to do laundry one more time before I left. I'll miss doing laundry by hand when this is all over, it's meditative. Martje, Quinn, and I put the finishing touches on the classroom. We put our hand prints all over the wall underneath "UNITY IS POWER", in the colors of the Tanzanian flag. It came out pretty well I think.

My last day started with the same ol' breakfast and Quinn and I went to Mama Roses for the parent, teacher, kids day event. Mama Roses boys made an airplane that said USA on one side and AIR CANADA on the other. The kids sang a couple songs including one that every kid got to do a solo. "My naaaaame is Dunkan, I am haaaapy, to be with you". Watching all the kids go I up I started to get a little emotional and anticipatory. I'm going to miss these kids in a very different way than I've missed anything or anyone before. They have done so much for me and not just opening my eyes and all that other type of stuff. They got to me. Really got to me. It's going to take a long time to feel how much I really love them and then when I do finally feel it, how will I react to the fact that all of these kids are starving when they come to school. Over half of them are HIV positive. Their future is so bleak and yet they are so content. They have no TV, no X-Box, no Hot Wheels, no toys really and yet, these were the happiest kids I've seen in a long time. When they were singing that song I also started to think about my child and how he/she/it will be singing in a class someday. I am going to be a father. Ok, moving on.

A little later in the day I brought Sabrina up to the new classroom and we sat down by the wall of hand prints. I deliberately put my hand print next to Sabrinas and I showed her that. I put my hand on mine and her hand on hers and she looked at me. I said we would be together no matter where I was and I had learned the word for 'heart' in Swahili so I said that I was in her "moyo" and she was in my "moyo". She kept looking at me with this sad confusion and I began to form tears in my eyes. She hugged me and as we were leaving she smiled at me which totally disarmed me from my somber mood. I'm going to miss her so much.

After the even was over I said good bye to all the kids and watched them pull away from the school in a dalla dalla for the last time. Mama Rose and her family of friends and I sat around talked and when it came time to leave (I still had not packed for heavens sakes), before the goodbye started coming I reminded them that I'd see them all later that night at my little gathering by the beach. I went home and packed all of my life into one bag, which is still a shocker, (and I don't mean that kind of shocker, I mean I was shocked, sickos).

I met up with everyone at the beach that night. We all sat around at the Italians bar, talked and shared stories. At one point I remember Martje saying that the crowd of people were mostly local. That made me feel really good actually because it meant that I had really put an effort in to know Africans. These people were so good to me and it felt right to spend my last dinner with them. Mama Roses family were all there which consist of:

Mama Rose
1.James
2.Lawrence
3.Robert
4.Stephen
5.Edward
5.Jennifer (Roberts Wife)
6.Masi (Robert and Jennifers beautiful girl) (MASI ATTACK!)

That's a big group and what an amazing family. They are some of the kindest people I've ever met in my life and I was blessed to be a part of their lives. Mama Rose took a short walk with me and I thanked her and we talked about my travels and what she was hoping to do with the school in the future. I told her I was going to try and help send volunteers to her in the future. I will be in contact with that family for as long as I live. I said good bye to Mama Rose and thanked her for being my Mom in Africa. She started to cry, which, of course means I started to cry. I said good bye to all the boys and Jennifer and Masi and pretty soon after that my night was finished.

Today I woke up and spent some time with Quinn. Quinn is partly what kept my sanity in tact on this trip. She was a constant feeling of home and a person here that I could trust and count on. We had so many long, wonderful talks about this and that. Thank God she was here. When the volunteers factioned off into Orphans vs. Mama Rose, (everything had to be a competition with the couple here, I'll be happy to be moving on from them. They were just the kind of people that have to win at everything and make you feel like a fool. Not jerks so much as just young and unwise. Pretty much like me at 25. Plus, the sour tone in the house had more to do with the Ball Foundation doing a terrible job of taking care of us and people complaining all the time. It's one of the reasons I'm excited to meet this friend of Bethanys. She has this debilitating disease and is in constant pain but never complains. Ever since Bethany told me about her, I think about that before I complain. I'm really abusing the parenthesis in these blogs. Sorry)) I felt so fortunate that she and I were on the same team. On the same level. On the same wavelength. She filled the role of best friend very nicely and I'm thankful for her.

I'm leaving now. I wish I could sum up what this time has meant to me but right now, I don't even know. What do I feel? I feel wonderful. I feel thankful. I feel sadness. I feel excited. I feel alive. I feel colorful. I feel like part of a family. I feel like having one more Bamboocha. I feel like staying. I feel like going home. I feel like going to India. I feel filthy. I feel incomplete. I feel filled with joy. I feel compassionate. I feel love. I feel Africa.

Salaama

Safari

Oh Wow,

I left for Arusha on a cramped bus at 8:30am on Friday. The bus ride was so long and with my knees starting to hurt and the sun going down, I was beginning to wonder if it was worth the hassle. I showed up in Arusha and the touts were in full force. Like Zanzibar but worse and knowing that all of them are full of shit is unsettling. I learned "Toka" in Swahili which means piss off. It worked. I got hooked up with a tour operator through my friend at U Dar, Jessica, and we set everything up. I slept in a sketchy place and ate some beef and chips. I locked everything up and went to sleep with more holes in the mosquito net than George W. had in his reasoning for going to war.

The next morning I awoke and met my Safari partners. Mr. Giraffe, from Arusha, was the uncle of the tour operator and a fine gentlemen. Stephen, from France, who was so incredibly French that it was hilarious. Everything about a stereotypical French guy with his speech "Ahhhhhh, what is word, oh-la-la, mmmmmmmmm yes" and his appearance was what you would imagine. The only thing that didn't fit was that he was so incredibly cool. He is a Buddhist and lives in Madagascar. The driver, Mike, knew great English and was a thoughtful and awesome driver. He has a girlfriend in Colorado so we kept joking that we must be family. The first place we went was Lake Manyara.

Beautiful backdrop on a beautiful day in the lush African forest and savannah. That's Lake Manyara. We went to the visitors center first to read some info and blah, blah, blah. The welcoming committee while we were there was a troop of about 40 baboons that were just traveling through. We left the visitors center and started our safari. It wasn't long before we saw our first animal. An elephant the size of a small apartment was standing right next to the road eating a tree. Eating a frigging tree. Are you kidding me? We went along and saw another troop of baboons who were walking along the road. We then turned a corner and I got to see my giraffe, eating the high leafs on a tree by a small river. He saw us come up and stood for a moment and then decided it would be best to bounce. Watching that creature move is amazing and the way they stare at you gave me a sense of their wisdom. We continued on and saw monkeys, impalas, and all sorts of stuff and then we were in the savannah. Wide open plains filled with zebra, wildebeast, 100's of different kinds of birds including flamingos. There was a hippo pool and in the far, far distance we could see a couple of lions. Wow.

We went and had lunch under a acacia tree, my favorite tree in the world I think and what Mike told me they called, "the shade of Africa". After lunch we ended up observing these three elephants who Mike said were brothers. One of the little guys was acting skittish about getting in the pool to cool off. He kept sort of inching towards it but wouldn't go in. Finally, the BIG brother pushed him into the pool by running his head into his but. If I had a big brother, I would have felt even more sentimental than I already did. We left soon after and it was off to Mosqutio village to spend the night (that's not a cute name it actually is called Mosquito village).

We woke up early the next morning and headed off to N'gorongoro Crater west of where we were staying. We entered into the conservation area and the fog was everywhere. It was one of those, "felt like I was in a dream moments", but even more surreal because it looked like the middle of the jungle. We came around a corner and all of a suddenly there was a clearing and we were looking down on a plain that went as far as my eyes could see. Mike told us that it was the Serengheti. They are part of the same ecosystem and even though we were officially a hundred km from the park, there it was.

We started our descent into the crater and I have to tell you, I've never seen anything like this. A volcano exploded in this area a million years ago and now this flat surface remains with a couple lakes, a forest, and grass when everywhere else is dry. It's surrounded by an escarpment 500 ft. straight up on all sides. Wow. We got to the bottom and met some Massai people who were tending their cattle and wanted money from us, I said "hapana pesa bwana, pole sana", and we drove on. I can't tell you how teaming with wildlife this place is. Everything we saw yesterday, sans giraffe, plus warthogs, rhino, gazelle, jackal, ostrich, more birds, buffalo, hyena, and more.

When you ride on safari you stand out the top of the roof and take pictures in awe. My head was on a swivel trying to take everything in. The wildebeest would number in the hundreds with the zebra and gazelle. It was dusty as hell but that's all part of the gig and Mike had something cool to say about every animal. The coolest thing I saw on safari was a pride of lions that had just killed two zebras. Four lions were sitting by a pool and two were patrolling the kills, protecting the food from scavengers. The jackals had the biggest balls as far as I'm concerned, walking right up to the kill and taking bites before Ms. lioness was like, "uh-uh, no you dit-int", and ran over to scare him off.

We had lunch by a hippo pool and there were these birds, like hawks, that would bomb people who were eating out in the open. Serves em' right, this is their turf. Which leads well into my next story. After we started again I had to go to the bathroom and I asked Mike if we could stop and to my surprise, he said yes. I stepped out onto the floor of the crater with nothing around but 1000's of animals and as I looked out I had the strangest feeling. I am quite simply, just an animal. That's all we all are, and being surrounded by all these animals was humbling and wonderful. As we moved on I had to keep reminding myself that this wasn't a zoo, this is how they live, this is WHERE they live.

At the end of the day I got inexcusably cheesy and I got my disc man and played, "The Circle Of Life", from The Lion King, while we were going past a herd of wildabeast, and yes, I got goose bumps. Hey, at least my kid is going to dig when I do shit like that. We left too soon for my liking anyway (I could have stayed there for 4 more days) and headed back to Arusha.

The trip home was as long as the trip up. As we left the roof of Africa which was cloud covered when I came up was out in full force as we went past Moshi. I got to look at Mt. Kilamajaro and it isn't quite as high as I expected but it is enormously wide and regardless of any size, it's beautiful. When I got to Dar I made my way home via a dalla-dalla and realized quickly that I was leaving Africa soon. This time has, at the risk of sounding like everyone else who comes to places like this, flown by. I feel so fortunate to have had this time, wait, you know what, not yet. I still have another week.

peace & balance,

Nathan

Classroom and H.O.V.A.

Hey Yall'

This will be just a quick update. Tomorrow I leave for Arusha to organise a safari. Arusha is about a 10 hours on a bus so I'll be sure and listen to a bunch of music on the way. Thank God for the disc man. I was supposed to go on safari with a few friends and the driver here but Kari, the same dolt who runs the organization, screwed everything up. He's sort of a master at that. He wouldn't let Thomas, the driver, take us up because of timing constraints. coughcoughBULLSHITcoughcough. It actually has worked out though because I'm going to be in India alone soon and I feel I've had very little practice at that. Not that I'm ever really alone. I travel with God. Happy Ramadan by the way.

I have pretty much finished the classroom at Mama Roses. It looks pretty good. I still want to hang some decorations but it's all cleaned up with desks and everything. The answer to your question is yes, I did finish the chalkboard and it was the hardest thing I've ever put together. It's what they call a "labor of love". I used to think that was some cheesy comment until I actually did a labor of love and now I understand. It feels so good to know that this will be here after I'm gone. Quinn came in a painted the words "Unity Is Power". Everyday Mama Rose starts off with singing songs with the kids and one of them is a song about going to market. At the end of the song she and all the kids are singing "Unity digadumdigadum Is Powah digadumdigadum Unity...". It's wonderful time of the day and I think she is right. On the 14th, The kids, their parents, Mama Rose and her boys, Quinn and I are all having a get to know you and thank you session. At that time we will all, underneath the "Unity Is Power" put our hands in paint and leave our hand prints on the wall. YEAH!!!

So, last night I went to see the 8th wonder of the world. Jigga man himself. H to the iz O, V to the iz A, H.O.V.A. Jay Z (for those of you, like, I don't know, my Grandparents, {who, I recently found out are reading this via printed pages by my wonderful Aunt Betty, Nana and Gramps I love you so much}, who don't know who Jay Z is, he is one of the most popular hip hop stars alive.) The show was at Diamond Jubilie, which is basically like an expo center back home. Oh my God, it was amazing. He just went ahead and rocked the mic in Africa. Of all people in all places, I saw Jay-Z in Africa. Seeing a show like that here was different than in America. We just danced and had a good time and everyone, EVERYONE was feelin' it. Little bit a Brooklyn in Dar.

After the show was over Myself and 5 others from the University of Dar including fellow Traelpodder Jessica (what up girl) took a taxi home. We piled in and the trip there was sketchy at best. When we reached the campus, 4 of the kids got out and it was the lone Tanzanian in from with his Tanzanian driving brethren and me in the back. The guy not driving lived a few km of campus and I started to notice that he was talking to the driver a lot. I didn't think much of it until the guy tuned around and asked me if I could drive. I sort of giggled like "are you kidding"? I could see by the look on his face he wasn't. It turns out the driver didn't know how to drive. I suck it up and say, "Yeah, I know how to drive". The more accurate answer would have been, "Yeah, I know how to drive a Chevy in America on the right side of the road".

The guy gets out of the car and gives me directions for where I live, a mere 15 miles away. The driver hops in shotgun and I quickly realize what Tanzanian cars are like. Even the nicest cars have the shifter on the left. Wierd. I get on the road and immediately head to the right side of the road, bad move. There's no 2nd or 4th gear. The brakes are all but shot. The stearing would be better described as aiming, like I was in a boat. And of course, there was a headlight out. We're off. I hit speedbumps and caught air I think, and I won't even go into what the potholes are like here. For some reason, in Tanzania, people don't dim their high beams so whenever a car came I lost sight of the road (serious lack of street lamps as well). 45 minutes and a few early gray hairs later I pulled into my driveway. Wow. I left the driver and as I walked away I said a little prayer for him.

Other than that, it's been business as usual. My time is winding down here and soon it will be off to India. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. I guess everyone says that when they are in such a strange and wonderful place. I won't do the goodbye Africa email just yet though. I'm leaving for safari in a few hours. I've been saying the whole time that all I wanted to see was a giraffe. Looks like it's on. As the rastas say here...

Peace and Love,

Nathan

"Don't Think Twice"

Hello.

It's been a rare couple of weeks since I last updated for real. I'm doing OK. I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm amazing, but I'm not in the gutter either. The last update I gave was from frigging Zanzibar. A world of things happen in this place when you're not looking. I'll just jump around a bit and we'll see if we can't get yall' updated.

Some of you knew, some didn't, I was smoking again. I oficially quit again...kind of. I'm trying to just cut way down. There is another volunteer here named Gaylan from Canada who smokes. We're doing the 4 in 4 days, 3 in 3 days, 2...you get the idea. I'm hoping it works this time and no matter what, I can't smoke in the monestary in Nepal. I'll light up a smoke and they'll be like "uh-uh, no you di-it int"!

The three other Americans left the house. Ken is now in SE Asia (miss you brother), Sarah is probably in UCSB by now (how is Adriana), and Jamie is in Bagamoyo (did Jeff give you maleria?). How is a cowboy supposed to piss off the world and bomb people alone? Oh well, guess I'll just be peaceful and all that. The dynamic in the house has switched from loud to calm. Ruth is from England, Gaylan and Alicia are from Canada (and engaged). And there is still of course,Quinn, with whom this time in Africa has been made wonderful. We're all a bunch of readers now, yes even me. I've been reading books in 2-3 days. WOAH!!! Those of you who know me well know that I don't really read that much and this is amazing. The others of you who thought I read a bunch of books...SUCKERS!!!

I've started worshiping Bamboocha. I chant and bow. It's unhealthy.

Quinn and I went to the Bagamoyo Arts Festival which is put on by the Bagamoyo Arts College. The Lonely Planet says that the annual festival is the "pulse of the arts community in East Africa". The acts came from 12 different countries in Africa from South Africa and Sudan to Kenya and Tanzania, of course. It was amazing. There was traditional dance music with booty dancers (it's all about the booty here in Africa). We saw drumming, drumming, and more drumming. Why not, they invented it. There were a lot of kids acts. They flipped, contorted, balanced, and they DAAAAAAAAAANCED. One of the wierdest parts of the weekend was that Africans don't really applaude. An act would finish and a few people would kind of clap but mostly just sit there. I would yell and clap and make a fuss, but you know me. We got to spend some time with Jamie (who I get along famously with now) and her new roomate Jeff. Jeff got wasted every night he was there and I couldn't imagine why he was there? Its one thing to get wasted at home but in Africa? Whatever, maybe I'm the one missing out. We ended up hitching a ride home with a woman from Michigan who has lived in Tanzania for 10 years now. She is a teacher in Mwenge and had some wicked good stories for us. A great trip to the place that I supposed to be volunteering in the first place.

I whittled chess pieces with Gaylan out of candles. After we were done we played and I won. I knee hurts all the time, but has not gotten worse in the whole time I've been here. The water runs out constantly which makes for a stinky Nathan. There are so many problems with the organization that I'm here with I wouldn't know where to start if I had time to tell you. We're going to write what Bethany would call a "strongly worded letter" (Oh God I miss Bethany) to GVN. I rode on the dalla-dalla the other and it was as full as any vehicle I've ever seen in my life. I grabbed the bar on the inside and rode hanging outside of the van. Very African of me. My flight to Kathmandu from Bombay has been canceled. Everyone told me I would change when I came here but I have yet to see it, even though it's happening, and it will happen more later. I'm still Nathan.

Mama Rose is amazing as usual. She is a constant source of inspiration to me. Her, her boys, the kids. Mama teaches a class of about 50 while about 25 split off to get taught by Teacher Jennifer. Mamas class is comprised of 3-5 year olds. The 3 year olds don't know thier ABC's and count to about 3 and stall out. The 5 year olds can run circles around these kids. I decided that since I'm not the best teacher (what can I say, as much as I love them, I'm not a Day), maybe there could be something I could offer. I decided that with all the unused space Mama Rose has, she needed another space for the 5 year olds. I'm renovating one of the rooms in her school. These room basically havn't been touched in about 4 years and terrible things are going on inside. I'm halfway thorugh the process and it's the best decision I've made since I got here. This is a way my help can last way past October 15th. This is a way I can feel worthy of being around this group without feeling like I've taken more than I've given.

-Spray for bugs
-Get the big pieces of debris out
-Dust everything
-Clean walls
-Clean floors
-Paint walls
-Wrap wires and cover sockets
-Make chalkboard (this is where I am now, and you couldn't possibly imagine the project that this has been)

It's good work and I'm feeling good about it. There have been downers that I'm not going to go into here but like The Dude says "strikes and gutters". I guess the gutter balls and gong shows seem worse when you're quitting smoking. I've decided to give Mama Rose money every day I don't smoke to replace the packs. Not a bad idea but I'm wigging out and I need a smoke. This is a trip for the ages. It's all happening. I wish you could all see this with me. In a way you are all here with me. All of you make me who I am. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I guess I'll just keep on-keepin' on.

Salaama,

Nathan

ps-If the spelling sucks it's because I've run out of time at the internet cafe and honestly I don't care. I love you.

"Somebody Spoke and I Went Into a Dream"

7:00am -7:30am - I wake up to the sounds of volunteers trudging through my room to use the bathroom. Having the water closet in your room has its ups and downs, this is one of the downs.

7:31am - POWER CUT (everyday)

7:45am - Eat breakfast which usually consists of; Hard Boiled Eggs (sometimes), Bread (toasted when Quinn remembers or if the power is on), Penut Butter (When we but it), Jam (I buy the strawberry but they supply some mixed fruit concoction that is unsavory at best), Water, Passion Fruit Juice, Coffee, and Tea.

8:00am-8:30am - Witty banter with the other volunteers who are obviously locuacious in the morning something that those of you who know me well, know I am not.

8:45am - Walk down the street to Mama Roses and say "Mambo", "Salaama", and "Shikamoo" to everone I see (Africans seem to wake me up).

9:00am - Arrive at Mama Roses. Every moring when I walk through the door all of the kids in broken unison say "Goooooooo Mooooorniiiiiing Teeeeeeachahhhhhhhh". When 60 beautiful children greet you in the morning like that it's easy to check every negative thing atthe door.

9:15am - 11:30am - Class time. I usually struggle to help for the first hour but then when the kids are doing thier work I have a chance to work with them one on one. I'm not a trained teacher but there is a difference between taching a full class and helping someone to pronounce "ship" (Rukia totally got it yeasterday. I was so proud). I find myself relying on what I learned growing up. Of particular help is that wierd looking guy on Sesame Street that would sound things out and pull them together. "Shhhhhhhhhh...iiiiiiiii......pp, Shhhhh...iii....p, Shhhh...i...p, Sh...i...p, ship, ship, SHIP"!

11:30am - 12:30pm is the recess/porridge time. Porridge tastes like milk and tapioca pudding except bland. Mama Rose always insists that I have some. I insist that I'll eat after every child has some. There is always some left. I run around in the 90+ degree heat with kids who act like it's a cool spring day. After I look like I've taken a dip in the sweat pool I help organize the kids and tie shoes and watch all of these kids, 60 mind you, pile into a dalla-dalla that can fit maybe 14 adults comfortly. I sit around afterwards and talk to Mama Rose, Jennifer, and Mamas 4 sons who help out. I walk back to my house.

12:45pm - 1:45pm - I sit around and wait for lunch to get in. When it does it's usually rice or ugali (a local dish like polenta). There's also beans or lentils and that pretty much sums up the lunch fare. MMMMMMMMMM.

1:45pm - 2:45 or 3:00pm - Nap time. The heat takes over me and I've never been up at 7am consistantly, ever. Maybe in school, but even then, I feel like I worked around it.

3:00pm - Read, play chess, or head to the beach for a dip. This is also the time where I might go to the internet or supermarket if I have to. This is also local travl time to just explore something new. Basically, whatever I want.

6:00pm - 7:30pm - Dinner is served. The best thing about this time is all the volunteers are there and we talk about our day and what we did. One big happy family. Usually a little more appealing than lunch with the apperence of meat sometimes. Beans are popular along with potatos in a gravy. The best thing we get are chipates. They are kind of like torilla wraps but better. They are served warm and when they are with flavored cabbage, it's a little slice of heaven right here in Dar. I also am sure to wash everything down with a Bamboocha (orange Fanta). I never thought a cola could steal my heart like Diet Coke, but low and behold, The Bamboocha.

7:31pm - POWER REGAIN

7:30pm - 9:30pm - More free time. I usually journal for a little while and then maybe read or play some wired game with the Canadian Couple who seem to be ready and competitive to play any and every thing. I have to put on the bug stuff because htis is when those muderous little mosquitos come out. If we have water sometimes I take a bucket shower. FUN!

9:30pm - 10:00pm - Day is done. I climb into bed and tuck in the mosquito netting. I read for a little bit and when I get sleepy I turn in. I've been praying a lot lately. Being on this trip has brought me even closer to God. I pray for Bethany and our baby. I pray for all of you who read this and the ones who don't. I pray for every one I have met on my trip and for those I have not yet met. I pray for Africa. I always pray that God's grace and love be shown to everyone and that I'll have a relitivaly safe journey. Speaking of Journey...

"DON'T STOP BELIEVEIN. HOLD ON TO THAT FEEEEELAIAN'"

Rafiki, Rafiki! Ohhhhhh Zanzibar.

Mambo,

Quinn, Sarah, and I left in the morning on Friday. It was still dark out when we arrived by taxi at the ferry docks. Should you ever take the ferry to Zanzibar early in the morning, try not to show up while it's still dark out. SCETCHY!!! We did however make it on the boat unscathed. The trip from Dar to Zanzibar went by pretty quickly for me, I just put some Led on and passed out. When I awoke the water was a different shade of greenish blue than I had ever seen. The island looked like it was cut out of a book that I should have, but never read. We stepped off the boat into another world.

The first person we met off the boat was a guy who called himself Mr. Banana. For those of you who are privey, this WAS Adieudu. His voice was deep and he was a huge man. "Don't peel Mr. Banana, Ha, Ha, Ha". We ditched that guy, cleared immagration, and found our driver. On our way out of Stone Towne, we stoped so I could get some new sandels. The only pair that fit were these hidious yellow things on my feet. I asked Quinn and she lied and told me they were hot so I got them. We drove for an hour to the east coast of the island and arrived at Pongwe Resort.

We wanted to splurge for one night and this was the place that I picked. Awesome choice. We got introduced by Heidi from Zimbabwe to the ins and outs of everything at the hotel. I think thats the first time I've been given an intake at a hotel. We went to our room and the coolest thing was proabably that we had hot water for showers. After we soaked in the room we went to the water to soak up tropical goodness. The beach was so secluded seeing as there were about only 20 other people there. This place only has like 10 bungalos and we were sticking out like a sore thumb seeing as we were not on our honeymoon. Quinn and I both lamented the absence of our loves. I miss Bethany, I miss Bethany, I miss Bethany. After we swam and sat in the sun, I met a cool couple from Germany. They were, yup, on their honeymoon. We planned with them to go snorkeling in the morning. We played Scrabble in the evening and I got my ass kicked by Quinn who apparently is a world class Scrabble player. Just so everyone knows, AH is a word. They challenged me on that and I lost at a critical point in the game. Whatever, I'm over it. That night we had dinner on the beach, which is something they don't do very often. We sat with Frank and Dani (the cute German couple), and had some amazing food. After dinner, and still on the beach, we were treated to a Massai dance. 5 Massai guys chanting and jumping, so incredibly cool. We went to sleep on a soft bed, another luxery these days, and dreamed of monkeys and Stone Towne.

Quinn and I woke up at the break of dawn and went outside to see the sun which had just risen. I only mention this because I probably took the coolest picture that I've ever taken. We took a boat to go snorkeling and saw all sorts of stuff. Tropical fishes, coral reefs, and underwater creatures. I had to dive extra low to see them because I could'nt wear my glasses. The day was already good and it wasn't even 9am. We had breakfast and killed time on the beach untill it was time to go to Jozani Forest.

We arrived at Jozani, fed Quinn (she's cute as hell but can be unruley if she dosn't have food in her), and met our guide. We were walking for about 5 minutes and there they were. Red Colbus monkeys. There were only a few at first but then as I got used to my surroundings they came out of the woodwork. There were about 20-25 in the troop and they were everywhere. We got to get right up close to them and oh my god, we did. I took so many pictures and just watched them. This is the closest thing to a safari I'm going to get to do and I just milked it. They were cute but also fascinating in the way they moved and ate. After the monkeys we went for a walk to see the Mangrove trees. There was a boardwalk that led us through a swamp with all sorts of different kinds of fish. The trees were interlocked at the bottom and the boardwalk was wild looking. Hard to describe cool to do!

After Jozani we went to Stone Towne. This is the heart of Zanzibar and about 90% Muslim. The whole place has an island vibe, but before this the only island vibe I knew was Hawaii, Key West, Monhegan. This was vastly different but similar. We walked to a place called Mercury's for dinner. It's named after Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of Queen, who was born a few blocks away. Interesting thing, a restaurant honering a gay man in a place where if you are openly gay you are prosecuted. Decent food and drink but we were tired and we were taking on the city in the morning.

We were awoken that morning with the Islamic call to prayer at 5am. It's so cool to hear that over the loud speaker asking thousands of people for their worship. I've gotten used to being woken up by roosters so this was a pleasent change. We started our walk through Stone Towne and all I can say is that this was so different than anything ever. The narrow streets covered in cobblestone in the labryinth of this city were so exotic to me. The smells emanting from the little shops and the sounds of the people were wild! The only downside were how aggresive the touts were. "Rafiki, where are you from, whats your name, buy this CD". Rafiki=friend.

"Rafiki",Rafiki","Rafiki". Ohhhhh Zanzibar. I did buy a lot of Christmas presents and as aggresive as they were, the place was so damn cool, I figured, who cares! We walked around all day and ended up in a little cafe called the Archipeligo (did I spell that right Sarah cause God knows I can't say it). These little bugs pulled their best Bush administration on us and bombarded us from the air. It was a hassle but all part of Africa.

The next morning we got up and went spice shopping. I got all sorts of stuff including Curry, which is now a personal favorite. Chili stuff for my Pop (you're gonna love this tuff big guy). All these spices would've costed so much back home. It was next to nothing here. We walked around and tied up some loose ends and we were on our way to the airport. I got to sit co-pilot on the way back in a small plane and I instantly felt like an 8 year old. We returned back to Dar and I'm now gearing up for the second half of my stay in Africa.

Quinn and Sarah were about as close to perfect traveling partners as you can get. They were willing to do anything and fun to be with. Zanzibar was everything I thought it might be and more. It's a place I want to go back to and bring my family. I even got a Muslim hat and shirt so that when I go back I can wish peace to everyone. In fact why don't I do that right now...

Asalaam Milakum

Nathan

I'm Finally Here

So I'm finally here. My ass caught up with me after being in London the last week. A few things first. Mama Rose is amazing. The only thing cooler than her actually is the other side of the pillow. Her and I were talking the other day and I told her that it felt like I was selfish because I was getting so much more from her and the kids than I could ever give. It's the most honest thing I can say. I went into town with Ken (the new volunteer who brought a guitar YEAH!!!) and Quinn (probably the most awesome Canadien since Ray Bourque). I bought 80 work books, 100 pencils, 10 sharpeners, and a bunch of erasers. I wrote in each one, with the help of Quinn and Sarah, the alphabet and 123... It felt good to bring them in and see the kids when I gave them out. I've been reading the bible and one of the things that Jesus taught us is that giving charity should be done in secret, well I Gong Showed that! Sorry JC.

I'm about as dirty as I've ever been and I don't mean in a porn sort of way I mean there is a filth on me, especially on my feet, that isn't going to come off for a long time. My clothes are never really clean, they just cease to smell which is good enough for me. The whole thing is fine. I don't mind being this dirty. It reminds me of camping and being a kid. Mom, was I always dirty? Bef, Amamam I dirtee Boy, cause, I tink it's...um..nice (oh wow, annoying voice in a journal, moving on).

I've broken one of my sandals so now I have a pink one and my American Eagle leather one. There is a smell in the air that I've never really smelled before. There are no landfills here and dump trucks are just sort of out of the question. What they do instead is collect enough garbage and then torch it. It makes for quite a smell and it's everywhere. It smells like ganja to be honest, and when that stuff is as readily available as it is, I have a hard time distinguishing. The dust, the heat, the bugs. Oh yes, I'm finally here.

Theres something else going on. I've struggled about what it is I want to write because I'm kind of on the defense about it. The dishonesty is everywhere. It's like the burning of garbage, you can't escape it. I feel like I could float on through the next month and a half and not confront it, but would I still be the man I want to be? I've been asking myself why I am here, in this place right now with the people that I'm with. The answer is simple for me, God wants me here. Maybe I can't see it clearly right now, but I know that bigger things are happening than I know what to do with. We're figuring it out and I'll be less cryptic about this in the future. I'm on it. The mix of dishonesty and warmth is amazing. What a gift to be in such a place. I have made so many friends that I will cherish. It's amazing, the people you meet in a place like this. So many things, so many things.

I'm off to Zanzibar in the morning with Quinn and Sarah for a long weekend of what my English friends would call, fuck all. I'm so looking forward to this time to chill out and regain my energy. I've recently been realizing more and more how everyone in my life has helped to shape the person that I am. All of you have made it possible and I feel you here with me at all times. I'm praying for all of you and hope that you are doing so well. I'm finally here and there is no where else I'd rather be.

Love,

Nathan

Mama Rose

Mambo,

I'minAfricaI'minAfricaI'minAfricaI'minAfricaI'minAfrica. I'm doing very well here in the Motherland these days. I've been loving my life lately. Where to begin, ok, I'm not in the orphanage these days, thats pretty big news. The trip there was over an hour and required a bike taxi, 2 dalla-dallas, and a 15 minute walk, and thats only one way. My knee was failing miserably. After a wonderful talk with the best fiancee in the history of fiancees and some common sense I decided to work closer to home. I'm now at Mama Roses (which is actually pronounced "Rocsies").

If you read the earlier entries you will know that going into her school was the first experience I had with African children and it turned out to have a lasting effect. It's a short walk from where I am living and I couldn't possibly tell you how amazing it is. The ages of the kids I'm working with ranges from 3-8 years old and as it turns out a lot of them are orphaned. They are beautiful and bright and funny, and loud, and ARGH, I wish you could all meet them. I'm helping to teach them everything from English to Mathmatics to Art etc. I've done what no good teacher should do and I've developed a favorite. Her name is Sabrina and she reminds me of what I was like when I was 5 years old. Bright, funny, and a world class smart ass. Every time she sees me she gives me the biggest hug. Did you hear that? Thats my heart melting.

Things at the house are good. We've said goodbye to 4 women in the house. Glennis, Karen, Lesley, and Margret. All beautiful women and all will be sorely missed. The time with them went by so quickly, however, when you're in Africa together with someone, you bond in such a different way. Left now are Quinn, Sarah, and Jamie, the latter of which there have been issues. I feel bad for Jamie because it almost feels like she didn't expect to be in sub-saharan East Africa. She is a little uneasy about stuff like no running water, no electricity, etc., etc., etc. I can't blame her, it's the roughest I've ever had it too, but I like it. I feel like I'm getting a more authentic experience with everything that goes wrong (just as long as I come home with all my extremities). Jamies a good kid, a little green, but a good kid and I feel like this trip will go a long way for her down the stretch. Quinn and Sarah on the other hand are loving their lives as well. I've had a chance to talk with them and get to know them in a way that I thought I might. They are the illest. We as in Nathan, Quinn, Sarah, AND Jamie are all the illest compadres in Dar.

Word.

Lets see, how about some adventure, I took a trip to the Kunduchi Ruins with Sarah after reading about them in Lonely Planet. Amazing. 300 year old Islamic tombs. I felt a little like Indiana Jones while I was there. I also took a trip to the Movenpick luxury hotel and resort. Most of the girls stayed the night there last weekend. It was terrible. I felt like a fraud being there. I don't stay in places that nice at home let alone getting up Monday to be with a kid whose mom had died last week from AIDS. I guess I just felt out of place and I can honestly say that was the first and last time I do luxury on this trip.

I rode in the back of a truck with a bunch of Muslims from Zanzibar. The guy in the back told me that Allah says to grow your beard because it will keep you healthy. The beard is staying, did you hear that world, THE BEARD IS STAYING! (obscure Muppet reference there) I went to a Tanzanian night club the other night. That was pretty funny. I was shocked at how similar it was to any other club. There are chickenheads and joeys everywhere apparently. The music was ok. I'd give it a C- at best.

All in all things really couldn't be better. I'm planning a trip to Zanzibar in a couple weeks and that is going to kick some serious exotic ass. I'm also seeing about the possibility of going on safari in Ruaha National Park. My friend Angela is starting university near there and has a cousin that she thinks I can stay with. We'll see about that. I'm working with the kids every day and I will tell you more about that as it continues to open my eyes. I miss you all so much and I'm thinking and praying for each and every one of you. Peace out cub scouts.

Nathan

Settling In

Mambo,

Africa. I'm still not quite here yet. Maybe a few more days and it might sink in. I'm getting along with all of my volunteer compadres pretty well. They are all so different than what I imagined but in a way that's even cooler. I ended up going to the orphanage that day and it was amazing. 80 kids in a space that could comfortably fit a family of 4...maybe. It was dank and musty and while I was visiting I could feel my throat get scratchy and my nose start to run. I've got a flu (or as I like to call it back home, a cold). Of all the things to get I mean I figured Malaria, Diareha, maybe even Typhoid, but a cold? That was about 238th on the list. Thank god I brought the small n, small y, big fucking Q. Thats right nyQuill has been saving me. Another thing that has been saving me is THIS COUNTRY.

I'm at ease a little more every day. That conversations that I have and things that I see are unbelievable. The trip to the orphanage proved to be too much on my knees which for those who don't know have torn ligaments in them. I'm now working closer to the house that I'm staying and I'll be at the orphanage on the weekends. Working in a developing country has it's ups and downs and unexpected too. the key is to seriously go with the flow. I understand now how important it is to stay open and I will understand it more as my time rolls on.

We haven't had running water since I got here. No shower, no problem. Those of you who know me know that it's a rare thing when I've showered on consecutive days and laundry isn't much of an issue either. Maybe for my compadres but not me. We eat some far out food here, some stuff I've never even heard of, but thank god I grew out of that whole picky eating thing. The food is great. I started work today at a nursery school close to home. The children are so unbelievable. They touch my skin and my beard may be as interesting as what I'm teaching. They are so intrigued by it. I let them do that and hang on me and touch me and I guess someone else would feel overwhelmed but the funny thing is, in some weird way, I feel like it's a blessing straight from God. I feel like I'm blessed to be here doing my part.

Last night my compadre Lesley from the U.K. told me of her day and how it had not gone so hot. She talked about wanting to do so much and that for all she's done (and she's done so much) that it felt like she hadn't made a dent. She logged on to her e-mail and got a message from her pastor and then logged on to her prayer site and in 10 minutes was feeling better already. When we were talking I was trying to think of an analogy. The one that I thought of was that if Africa is a mountain and to get better, that mountain must be covered with snow, we must concentrate on being our own snowflakes. Covering a mountain or even a tree with one snowflake is impossible. It takes millions of snowflakes to do this, but that doesn't mean that anyone of the snowflakes is insignificant. Sometimes we want to cover more ground than is possible and we lose sight of the fact that we are just one. I told her to concentrate on being your own change and peace and that would make all the difference. I'm doing the same. All snowflakes come from above and rest on the mountainside and from here, I can tell you, the view is amazing.

Salaama,

Nathan

The Motherland

(ps=pre script - this is my third time writing after two previous rntries have failed on account of power outages, but all of them will start with...)

...Oh My God,

I made it. Africa. On Monday I had an authentic English meal, fish and chips with mashed peas. Yum. I didn't do much because I wanted to show up to Heathrow early and thank God I did. It resembled an English refugee camp with all the people, confusion, and craziness. My flight to Dubai wasn't comfirmed untill about a half an hour before we were sceduled to leave. By the grace of God, it did. I had the most amazing conversation with an Iraqi from the UK. We talked about life, The Koran, and football. Dubai was hot and sandy and I wasn't there for very long. More over, I hadn't slept and it was already Wednesday. I boarded the flight and was dumbfounded when the entire plane filled up except for the seat next to mine. I had the perfect opportunityto lay out a little and catch some shut eye, but yet again, no sleep.

I arrived in Dar and went directly to immagration. After about 2 and a half hours, and a bunch of sweat, they stamped my passport giving me freedom to step into Tanzania. I pumped my fist and was out the door. I looked all around for the people there to meet me but did not see them. This guy came up to me and asked me if I needed a phone, I said yes and he took me to this place so I could call Angela. When I called her she told me she was at the arrivals point and I said I was the big muzungu (white person) in the red jacket. We found each other and I was so relieved. Angela is from Tanzania as is Luis. Hannah was also there with us and she is from Finland. The 4 of us drove out of the airport and into Dar. You should know that these are just straight up good people. I made them all laugh so hard (partly I believe because I was so punchy). I also suprised them with how much I knew about Tanzania and Swahili. All that preperation is payng off a little. The drive through the city was exactly how I expected it from all the pictures, tv shows, and movies I had seen. At the same time I was so consumed that it was so obviously like NOTHING I had ever seen. The people on bikes, shanty houses, the colors, the garbage, fires on side of the road, wow.

I arrived at the volunteer house and met all my roomates. There is a lady from the UK. Two from Canada. Four from the US. Five from Tanzania. I am the only guy. Not all that psyched but it's poa (poa=swahili for "cool"). After exchanging pleasentries, I started to try and set up my mosquito net. This is point in the story where not sleeping started to really work against me. I unraveled my net and the power shut off. I got a candle and on the top bunk of a rickety bed, while sweating my balls off, I wrestled with the net and my exaustion and my weariness. Right about then Bethany, all I could think about was you. Missing you comes in funny places, but I knew if you were there with me at that moment, I would have been ok. I feel like I can take on the world with you at my side, but without you sometimes, I wonder how I've made it this far. I almost had a breakdown when the woman from the UK, Louise, found me after 45 minutes and said to "not worry about it love, theres one in our room already set up, you can just stay with us in there, look at you you're exsausted, come get something to eat". One word. Angel. I finally crashed (sorry Pop) went to bed.

I got up this morning at 7am and saw everyone off and waited for Angela to give me orientation. I helped with the dishes and learned some more swahili while I was at it. It was cool because once all the volunteers left it was just me and the Africans. Angela finally came and we walked down to the hotel which about a half mile from where I'm staying. The Indian Ocean is beautiful. We went to the internet cafe and the power went out, for that matter, the water has been out the whole time too. I couldn't care less (most of you know that I skip a shower or two anyways!) Then the most amazing part of the day, we went by a nursery thats on the grounds here at the hotel. It is run by Mama Rosi and older Tanzanian woman. When I came through the door these 4-5 year old kids came rushing up to me. Some hugged me, some touched me, they all were like vieing for posistion to be around me. They were amazed by my glasses so I strted to put them on all of the kids and they loved it. They were so curious and in an instant, I knew why I had come. It was such an amazing feeling. I picked two of them up into my arms and kissed them on thier heads. I told Mama Rosi, I would be by to see everyone again and it was time for her to get control back of her class. I said goodbye and we moved on with orientation. I learned some more swahili and Angela told me some more stuff about where i will be at etc. I had some rice and lentil from lumch and then I went to the beach to get wet. I took a nap on one of the longe chairs and when I awoke I hung out with the 2 ladies from the Bronx. I know what you're saying, thousands of miles away and still with the friging Yankee fans, but alas, they are Mets fans. Phew. We had great conversation and know I'm here with you fine folks.

All in all it dosn't even feel real yet. Angela will escort me to the orphanage I'll be working at tomorrow. I have to take two dalla-dallas which are sort of like a bus but scarier to get there. For now though, I'm going to have dinner with Mama Rosi, Hannah, and Angela at thier place. I have to get going. This is so amazing. I miss you al so much and you're in my prayers.

Saalam,

Nathan