Dear _____,

Little gecko friend…  If laughter provides a bond, well, we had quite a bonding experience, didn’t we?  I thought your sticky little feet were capable of holding you on any surface, but when you tried to dash up my tiled kitchen walls, you started sliding down again, in spite of your obvious efforts to the contrary.  Alright, so maybe the bond was a bit one-sided.  I’m not sure you thought it was that funny.  But, oh, if you could have seen yourself!!

Tea kettle…  Maybe you didn’t think you’d be getting so much use during the hot season, but yes, I still like my tea.  And coffee (instant).  And Ovaltine.

Guys at the little shops across from each other…  Ugh.  You reminded me how bad I am with math.  My purchase cost 1500.  Guy #1, you didn’t have change for my 5000 bill (a common dilemma), so you sent me to Guy #2, who took it and gave me 4000 in change.  I turned away and just stood there for a minute, trying to mentally calculate the transaction.  “Okay, what am I supposed to do with this?”  I walked back to Guy #1, who took one of my 1000 bills and gave me a 500 back.  Goodness, my head was spinning.  I don’t know which of you ended up owing the other, but as I long as I didn’t owe anything…

Pink wrap-around skirt…  You’ve become my Saturday-around-the-house skirt.  You’re cool, comfortable, and very African.  Such a fun welcome gift!

Vulture…  I was taking clothes down from the line and had this unnerving sense that I was being watched.  So I turned around, but instead of one of the neighbors, I saw you perched on the ledge, staring down at me as if… Well, I’m not exactly sure what you were thinking.  I’d be a little bit much for your next meal.  Still, I didn’t like the way you were staring.

Corn stalks across the road…  You’re growing in that rubble heap like you belong there.  It seems a little incongruous, I’ll admit, but I’m desperate for any green I can get.  So grow away!

Construction workers…  I’ve seen (and heard) you working Monday-Friday…then Saturday and Sunday, too.  Do you ever get a break?

Blister between two toes…  You’re in a very inconvenient (and rather puzzling) place, you know that?

Green-and-brown quilt…  I can’t wait to take you out of that action packer and put you on the bed.  Cool season is just around the corner!

Brain…  Look, I know you’re feeling rather tired and over-worked, but really.  That’s no excuse.  I count on you.  You MUST do what you’re supposed to, one example being to keep the rest of my body coordinated, so I don’t trip repeatedly on my way to class.  It’s kind of embarrassing, you know.

Bougainvilleas in cream and fuchsia… You’re an unexpected splash of loveliness.  Sometimes I go out on my patio just to look at your colorful vines cascading down from the neighbor’s patio.

Horses “next door” (just outside my building, that is)…  What in the world were you two fighting about?!  It sounded positively frightful, and this head-butting stuff…I thought only sheep, goats, and deer, etc. did that.  You got so out of hand that there were even guys throwing rocks at you to try to break up the fight.  Maybe you should consider taking peace-making classes or something.

Shoe box of crafty stuff…  You were definitely worth bringing.  It’s been fun to make, give, and use cards and more.  Having a good creative outlet is essential, I say.  (For me it is, anyway. :))

Boys playing outside…  It appears that American little boys are not alone in their affinity for sticks.  Careful now!

Heat…  You’ve forced me to make rest a habit.  (And I was definitely in need of that habit.)  I haven’t yet mastered the art of power-napping, but I can lie down and close my eyes with the best of them!

FM radio app on my phone…  I didn’t really take notice of you until the other day, and I was curious to see if you’d actually work here.  Amidst all the French and Wolof channels, there was a decidedly Latin station.  For one glorious minute I was back home in California…until the announcer came on, speaking French.  Reality check.

Lights…  I’m glad to have you, but the way you flicker half a dozen times before coming on is both puzzling and slightly irksome.  Just sayin’.

Many-legged creature in my bathroom…  I didn’t count, so I don’t know whether you had a hundred legs or a thousand.  Probably neither.  Anyway, what I wanted to say was this: you probably thought that since I’m always talking about the gecko, I welcome anything and everything that crawls.  (Did you miss the memo about the cockroach?)  Sorry, I’m selective about the critters I allow to live in my apartment.  I may not be able to keep the undesirables out, but I am capable of rather ruthless squashing.

Product labels with a gazillion languages…  The sheer variety can be quite impressive!  Obviously I look for English first.  Then Spanish.  Failing that, I will settle for Portuguese.  (It’s similar enough to Spanish that I can usually get the gist of things.)  If you have none of those three, I’m lost.  Reading French is still pretty hit-and-miss.