And... Exhale.

Damn, this feels good. And not as in "hell yeah, vacation!" good. No, unlike my fellow passengers on HA29, there is no rush to get the car, no rush to get to the condo, no rush to get to the beach. "No, Alamo guy, I do not need a map, or directions, or for you to point me toward Kihei town." No, I know this place... its good things and its bad things.

Yes, this feels good... as in "this is exactly where I am supposed to be right now" good.

Hungry for more.

So, those of you who know me know that I am not big on "kids' stuff." Of course, if you know me, you may also be thinking "Isn't she always talking about those 2 boys who call her Auntie Sara but are not at all related to her?" or "Wait a minute, didn't she just recently decide to have a baby?" (whoa!  hold up! clarification: not anytime soon... but, yes I have recently said out loud that, someday, yes, I would like to be a mother).  But, I'm talking more about social things like kids at weddings (I'm a monster, I know!)... or the concept of bars who allow kids during the day but then kick them out at 9pm (because we all know that adult things only happen after 9pm in bars. Uh...).  And, dear god, that whole all-ages music venue thing (whyyyyyy?!?!)? Or, animated movies  - of any kind (no, not even Shrek... or Up... or Beavis & Butthead). Most of all, I have never been into things like Harry Potter (yes, I know: It's not just for kids!) or - OMG - the Twilight Saga (Ladies, I hate to break it to you, but the guys in the movie are not. that. hot.  The main vampire dude is scrawny and pale and caved in.  He looks like... well, a vampire.  Why are you falling in love with him?).  No, I'm not into that shit.

Usually.  Until perhaps now.  At which time, I may have a bit of a problem:

Sunday. I found myself in a Barnes & Noble, seeking a temporary reprieve from the rather intense 2-day retail therapy session I was in (my thought being that I would give the debit card a rest while I scanned overpriced books to later look for at Half Price Books). Suddenly, I found myself standing in the "Teen Fiction" section. Oh God, this is worse than the Children's section - must. get. outta. here.  As I turned to go, a rather impressive display caught my eye.  Ah, yes, The Hunger Games.  I've heard about that.  No thank you. Several people (including my BFF) have mentioned this series to me and naturally, based on the aforementioned disgust for such things, I have easily avoided the yet-another-kids-turned-adult sensation. It clearly falls out of my interest. But for whatever reason, Sunday I picked it up, scanned the back cover, and decided to read the first 2 pages.

It was downhill from there.  I bought the first book (yep, for full price!), decided to end the weekend's shopping spree there and headed home. Exhausted from my highly therapeutic 2 days, I decide to curl up and read a chapter.  Or two.  Or five.  Ok, at 11:30pm, I may or may not have had to force myself to turn out the light at page 124.  Hmmmmmm....

Monday evening.  Work was overwhelming (as it tends to be lately), so my night of no plans never sounded so good.  Hmmm... maybe I'll read another chapter.  Or two.  Or five.  Hell, I'll admit it: 5 hours later, I finished the damn thing.

Tonight.  After bidding adieu to my lovely friend Lizzy, I get in my car and inexplicably, my car turns north instead of south to go home.  I'm suddenly on the phone with Half Price Books finding out how late they're open.  10pm.  Perfect.  When I arrive, I ask if they have a Young Adult section (I can't believe I'm asking this).  "Yes, but we're out of the Hunger Games series."  What!?!?!  Noooooo!.  I stand there looking most likely perplexed by this dilemma (strangely, not once did I wonder how she knew I was looking for this particular book).  That's okay, I should just go home and go to bed anyway.  Somehow, driving home, I miss my exit that takes me to my house.  Instead I'm driving downtown, searching for a parking spot on 7th and Pine.  Aha!  I find one right in front of good old B&N.  I know exactly where to go, and find myself standing in front of that big impressive display again. Hmmmm... wait a minute.  Where's the paper back version of book #2?  Perhaps just in a different place.  "Excuse me, where can I find the paperback version?"  "Unfortunately, books number 2 nad 3 are only in hardback."  Are you fucking kidding me?  They're $17.99!  Each!  For KIDS BOOKS!

I tried really hard to put the book down, it's ridiculous price weighing over me.  But, as I'm sure you've guessed: I bought the book (and, ok, I may or may not have considered buying the third just in case - I didn't!).  I plan on starting it tonight.  Like, right now. 

You should check it out... its not just for kids. 

New blog to check out!

My fellow Water & Sanitation PATHee, Liz Blanton, has started blogging!  She's quite the traveler, doing super cool things for our project all over the world.  She's currently in Tanzania.....

Check it out!  http://lizstracks.blogspot.com/

Looking forward to reading more, Liz!

Quote of the Week

 "But this is America, a free country where religion should be treated like sex—believe and do whatever freaky shit you like in private, as long as a) it's consensual and b) you leave children and animals out of it."
                                                                     -Brendan Kiley, The Stranger

And smiled generously

Walked purposely... laughed vivaciously... empathized appropriately... stood proudly... admitted humbly... spoke calmly... inhaled deeply... engaged genuinely...  gave in rarely... accepted graciously... overcame finally... listened carefully... loved platonically... cleaned vigorously... expressed clearly... rested confidently.

Color Me Loud

So much for keeping the blog updated on this trip. I will spare you any excuses – none of which are sexy.

India. Oh, India. Or, Delhi, rather (as on this trip I did not leave the city). You are so full of everything loud. Constant honking, tv sets blaring, live “music” set at the highest decibels, demonstrations with men on megaphones, people speaking at one another in a volume that in every other country could be considered yelling…. Even the telephone and door bell in my hotel room are insanely loud. When you have to weigh the worth of your hunger against the need not to jump out of your skin at the arrival of some Chicken Tikka, there is something slightly off.

The most strikingly loud, and my most favorite, thing about India, though, is the colors. Bright blues, yellows, oranges, and reds splash across every frame of view. From the clothes, to the advertising, to the Bollywood film ads on every channel, to the house paint that splashes the sides of homes at every income level – the most beautifully (perhaps because so unexpectedly) on the 8x8 stone walls of homes in slums. As we sit in traffic on the way to our conference, I want so badly to snap a photo. It’s a perfect shot: up on a hill in the slum just a few hundred yards from our four-star hotel, a woman dressed in mustard yellow pants, a purple and red tunic, and a charcoal gray cardigan is squatting in front of her turquoise-painted home. She is washing several steel bowls from a bucket of water, presumably gathered from the open drain just down the street. Off to the side, 4 children ranging from maybe 2 to 8 years old play with 3 stray puppies. Yes, a perfect shot. But alas, I sit on my hands and leave my camera in my bag. While beautiful and no doubt useful in upcoming publications, it would be an unfair shot, one stolen with absolutely no justifiable source of permission. And so, instead, as we drive away, I close my eyes and go over each detail of the scene in my head, forcing myself file away the image that will never be printed, but still be thought about, no doubt reinforcing the importance of the work I feel so lucky - and proud - to be doing.

Things I learned in 2011

(a continuation of 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010)

Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, Kanoa Jeffery Klaja was born.

Its best just to go with carry-on only.

Generosity and compassion uplifts us in even the worst of tragedies.

Watch out!  Infinity pools can be painfully deceiving.

Apparently, the Typhoid vaccine is - at most - only 80% effective.

If you have the chance to say goodbye, take it; it will be excruciating, but you won't regret it.

Esperanza Resort: quite possibly heaven on Earth.

Yes, sometimes we are in the wrong place at the wrong time; but most of the time, we are exactly where we are supposed to be.

Jello shots are never a good idea.

Unfortunately, when the most beautiful man you've ever seen approaches you on the beach in Mombasa, its probably not just a friendly coincidence.

A smile and a laugh can get us through anything.

Oh Kiefer....

Never again will I ever take for granted clean water or proper sanitation.

Well, it's official: I think someday I do want a baby.

Elephants can live to be more than 80 years old.

Durian fruit is quite possibly the most repulsive smell known to man.

There's no escaping jetlag, just accept it and plan for it.

Everything happens for a reason... even if it doesn't seem like it right away.