Monday… You were the day of critters – of roosters
and pesky insects and flying cockroaches.
Never a dull moment.
Mimolette… I love you, I love you, I love you! You taste like good, sharp cheddar. In fact, I think you taste more cheddar-y
than the cheddar I’ve had here! I
repeat: I love you. You just might be my
new best friend. Well, you and Rue. (Can’t hurt any feelings here, you know.)
Audio
recorder on my phone… Wow. You are FULL of French files!!! Hundreds and hundreds of them. I wonder how many hours’ worth you
contain? I don’t know, but it’s going to
take me a while to work my way through all of them for review. It’ll keep me out of trouble. Maybe.
Brain… I’m amazed at how, when I’m sound asleep, you
can process sounds around me and weave them into my dreams. (Last night the horses next door were very persistent
neigh-sayers.)
Guy
wearing a t-shirt that said “It is what it is”… Yup.
My sentiments exactly.
Can of
pumpkin… I’d been saving you for a
special occasion, and last week’s Christmas party with the girls was just the
thing. I debated a considerable amount
over what I should actually make, and then I remembered Mom’s delicious Pumpkin
Spice Cake with Browned Butter Frosting.
Oh, yum. (Not as good as yours,
Mom. I guess you’ll just have to come
out here and make it for us.)
Hairspray… You have many uses besides just keeping hair
in place. One of them being to stun
cockroaches so I can kill them. (It’s
not really a good idea to whack a shoe against a glass shelf in the bathroom,
but I wanted to make sure the stupid thing didn’t crawl away, so…hairspray to
the rescue!)
Olive
cheese balls… You’re a family tradition
for Christmas, and I’ll carry that on from West Africa. It’s not a Christmas party without them!
Mom… You know how you’d save the orange and apple
peels, toss them in a pan with some water and cinnamon, and let it all simmer
on the back of the stove? I did that
last week, and the smell brought back lots of homey memories. And while we’re on the subject of memories,
thank you for giving me so many good ones.
I don’t want to take my blessings for granted.
Gorée
Island… You were nothing like I imagined. Not only would I go back for another class
field trip in a heartbeat, I’d move there if I could! (Pictures to come soon.)
Cockroaches… Thanks to you, I’ve developed lightning-fast
reflexes. Doesn’t work out so well for
you, does it?
Santa
at the supermarket… I don’t know why, but your half-hearted attempt to “scare” me
made me laugh. Which I really needed
that day.
Chocolate… Someone [you know who you are] likes to say
that the best way to deal with temptation is to eat it. I followed that advice. It’s a good thing there wasn’t more of you to eat…
Well-toned,
strikingly-colored chestnut horse… Out of all the horses I see in the city every
day, you are my favorite. Mom says I
should stop and pet you. I’m not sure if
that’s acceptable or not, but it sure is tempting. Oh, and also, you have crumbs in your
whiskers. Just thought I should let you
know that.
Broccoli... I came (to the produce aisle). I saw (that you looked good – a rare
treat). I conquered (and by conquered I
mean purchased).
Young
lady around the corner selling coffee in the evenings… You always have an extra-friendly smile and
greeting for me. The last few times I’ve
been past, I haven’t seen you, and I’ve missed your cheery presence.
Friend
who I went shopping with one day after class… Those stores were something, weren’t they?! I had no idea such a place existed here. As a rule I’m most definitely not a shopper,
but I had a good time with you. It was
exhausting, by the time all was said and done, but it was fun.
Fellow
missionaries who’ve been here at least a year… Okay, I’ll admit. When I first came (right in the middle of dreadfully
hot-and-humid August), I thought you were crazy. You say it gets cold?! In Africa?
It’s now December, and yes, you were right. It hasn’t been consistently cool the past month or so, but there have been times
where I’ve curled up under a blanket…or put on a hoodie…or closed all my
windows.
Christmas
Eve… You don’t feel
exceptionally festive thus far, but you are a day off class, and therefore a
day to sleep in a bit, which I can hardly complain about!
Ranch
seasoning… Your anti-caking
ingredient is, by all appearances, no match for West African humidity.
Goat… You
climbed on a pile of rocks to watch me over the wall as I walked past. You didn’t take your eyes off me once until I
was safely out of view. Did it have
anything to do with the fact that I’ve been saying I’m going to “kid”napp one
of your babies? I can’t say that your
fears are entirely unfounded…
Brothers
Grimm… I’ll bet you never
imagined that when you penned your spooky tales of crumb trails and lost
children and evil witches in German, they would one day help me learn
French. Did you? Yeah, I thought not. (We’re using “shared stories” – stories both
the helper and the learner know, such as fairy tales or Bible stories – in this
part of the program. Obviously they’re
told in French. Not English. Or German.
That wouldn’t be very helpful for learning French.)
Singing
teakettle… You’re one of my favorite
sounds of the morning. Hot water for a
shower!
YOU… Thanks for stopping by. I’ll be back tomorrow (barring any unforeseen
circumstances) with a little something for Christmas.
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