Saturday, October 25, 2008
Tomorrow 29
Say hi to Mali and one of her granddaughters, Kadja. Mali and her daughters Betouli, Bouti, and Bebe have 'adopted' me and Heather. I eat lunch with them most days in Aioun. They are really wonderful people. I'd move in with them but they don't have a bathroom! ;) Kadja, btw, is Bebe's daughter and Bouti, who is 16, just gave birth to her first child, a healthy boy. The labor was only about four hours long, amazingly. I'm missing the baptism today. They wait a week to name the child and have a party. I think, actually, many cultures have a waiting period like that, right? It's related to infant mortality rates, I assume.
On to happier subjects. I took the GRE today. I think I did well on the verbal and written, and not so hot on the math. There goes my dream of an engineering degree. But now I get back to reading actual books and studying Arabic. I want to continue working in development in North Africa (and Haiti), so I need standard Arabic on my cv.
And I turn 29 tomorrow. Whew. I wish I could freeze this time. The future is right there, in front of me and I feel stronger and more ready for it than I ever have. Can we bottle 29? Every year holds the same promise, but it takes us awhile to figure that out. Actually, thank you Mommy (and Daddy). It's really your birthday. :)
This was written under the influence of MIKA. I think America needs more MIKA. "Love Today!"
