Before I start talking about stuff I just want to thank everyone who has been reading these. It makes me feel less pathetic when I write them; it's good to know someone is reading them. I'm not sure how one responds to comments on this thing, but know that I thank you a lot! I'll get personal when I figure it out.
So anyway, the first week is over. Everyone here has been more than helpful in making sure that we are havnig a good time. I find that I now know my way around the city rather well, although I spend most of my time, when not at the school, resting around the provincial. It's very relaxing. Usually we return from school, lie down for a half hour, and then we meet in someone's room and talk. I have to say, Melissa and Blair are two fantastic travelmates. They are both just plain out of their minds. We make each other laugh as only real friends can.
At the school I get worn out. The kids drive me crazy and I love it. If I liked them everyday then they wouldn't be my students, but they would just be a novelty. I know them enough to hate their sweet little guts.
The most satisfying part of the day is the two hours of extra help I give after school when I get students to memorize part of a Blake poem and then write their own. On Friday one of my best students appeared at extra help and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why. Then when I asked them what they like to do he told me that he likes to write. An ideal student, getting help for the love of writing.
Today I had to help the drama club with their preformance of The Mechant of Venice. Since few people showed up, however, I was asked to talk about Shakespeare. I gave an hour long lecture about him. If they liked it or not, I do not know.
I had to make my own lunch today. Bro Rajan asked if it woudl be okay if the cook go home to see his mother. "Well, if everyone here left work to go and see their mothers, then we wouldn't be here would we!?" Is what I said. Then I made him scrub my toilet. Actually, I said that I could manage (and by I can manage I really mean I can leech off of Blair and Melissa). But that's how nice everyone here is, asking my permission to see their mothers.

Bro. Rajan said to me "so I noticed that there are some things on your floor." I think he meant to say was, "What happened to the floor? I can't see it anymore?" "Can we give you somethign to help you keep organized?" (As if the dresser I dont use isn't enough.) "Oh, no," I say. "I'm just messy."
"Oh, okay then."

I return to my room and I find a toilet scrubber in front of my door, brand new!

I can't imagine what I miss when I'm not here. Such fear ran through me when I heard of the war going on in Sri Lanka, but when I am here, I realize that there is very little to be afraid of.

I spent a half hour today looking out at the sea. The bay was filled with small boats coming in from the day, and others going out for the night. The men who were leaving were beginning a long hard journey over the tiny sand bar and into the Indian Ocean. Ahead of them laid a large falling sun sending rays of light that resembled large thin glowing fingers reaching across the sky to grab the other side of our lonley troubled planet and rock it asleep. Eventually it would be night time and everyone here would be asleep while they would be working hard. Few people will know what happened while they were gone. While rowing out to that sun they delay the darkness only a little; enevitably the dark night will fall upon them. They row on, not worried about what they won't be able to see because they know there is very little to see at all.

"So we beat on, boats agains the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
F. Scott Fitzgerald