leave it at this

Hello and Hello,

I am 19 today. A fairly laid back day, thank you all who sent me some love.

I bought myself a new skirt and made myself a necklace for my birthday. Bernard surprised me with a bit of a surprise party, quite nice of him. Nothing too different today, we went up to the care center. The kids all helped to make me a card, and the people at the fruit market gave me some delicious grapes and mangos. This evenning Wim and the family took me out for cold drinks, then we just ate dinner here.

Tonight I realized a new something that I love about being here. I absolutely know that at home in Calgary I enjoy sitting and having tea with people, and spending time crafting, or being outside, but in the last bit of time before leaving, I had no time to really do any of that. It is tough to adjust at first, makes you stress, with your mind insisting that must be some place you need to be. What a break though, to go from an 18 hour day of go go go, to a 12 hour day where you wonder if you need to move at all that day. To go from a day where you find your tea cold at the end of the night, to a day when you can sit for 2 or three fresh cups. And my most joyfull: Going from a day that you have to walk past laundry that has sat for weeks, to a day that you can stand outside, pin up t-shirts on the line, and listen to the trees.

Thats a good birthday present... a fresh smell, and a big breath out.

I suggest you try it, even if all you can do is a day, go take that breath.

Some news, I am going up to Qwa Qwa to stay on the mountain for a couple of weeks. We leave on Sunday, and I will not have access to anything in the internet family for a couple of weeks. I am excited to spend two weeks in that village, I do believe I will have some experiences to share when I return.


This our craft of the day, showing the kids rain.


Some pant-less, some with mush on their face, who else's class could they be?


do take care of yourselves, and eachother