the past few days have been up and down mood wise, but overall a good break from the routine after four weeks here. i feel a bit in an 'i've been here for a month' slump, at least i think that's what this feeling of tiredness mixed with missing people is stemming from. my legs have at least twenty mosquito bites on them, even along the arches of my feet. that's from sitting on the back porch on friday, reading, after a morning spent walking behind the rotary intn'l sign and making a 'firecracker' hat (matt mistaked me for a rastamon) from miscellaneous objects like styrofoam, red ribbon, and little pieces of blue plastic with holes punched in them (i think i'm going to hold on to this one folks so ask to see it--it far beats the lear walking catastrophe crown, as far as the category of 'headwear made from recycled materials' goes). later that night, the three of us went to see 'whale rider,' a very powerful movie about contemporary maori life and myth in new zealand. funny, the chief/grandfather character really looked like granpa keith, which made the movie all the more affecting to me, but we were all crying i think by the end of it. actually, i almost started crying just from the singing, at this part where the grandmother and granddaughter sing call and response with each other.
then, we went back and shot off a box of fireworks on the driveway--our own people-sized display of multi-colored fountains and lightning bugs, complete with the thrill of flying sparks. followed by icecream sundaes and a reading of the declaration of independence (shame on king george for sending his soldiers to keep the peace in these chaos-ridden colonies). i'm pretty sure that's the first fourth of july where i've had the declaration read to me around the dinner table. i bet erica grew up with such curiosities occurring all the time. saturday was a slumper, but sunday got better when i went to the festival of the eno (as in the river) , where i was treated to the music of the kruger brothers. the younger brother's an awesome banjo player, the older, guitar, and a guy from new york joinsem on bass, and they play mostly original americana bluegrassy music. but my favorite part was their reggae version of 'country roads.' then to african american dance ensemble performance where i got to dance, and in the end, hold hands with strangers and repeat chuck davis's mantra, "peace, love, respect for everybody. p, l, r for the earth. p, l, r for our elders. p, l, r for the(my, your) self. remember, we are not human beings having a spiritual experience. we are spiritual beings having a human experience. a-go (attention). a-may (i'm listening). a-go. a-may." and then to the faculty dance concert. and i'm getting a bit tired of my little narrative and i should be heading bedward. somebody blow me some happy bubbles (and i write that and start to blowem for myself just thinking of all the people with little plastic wands blowing and waving them about...)
posted by Liza 7.7.03