Clouds

Recess.

Creola runs to me, anguish on her face.

"I don't want to be out here."

"Why?" I ask.

"I'll be hittin' her if I stay here. They be saying stuff behind my back, it just ain't right..it ain't right."

"What are they saying?"

"They be sayin' that I ratted them out 'cuz they be flippin' gang signs on the bus." she replies. Her body is agitated. Her hands start shaking. Anxiety seeps from her as she paces back and forth.

I interrupt, "hey Creola, look up at the sky. Doesn't that cloud look like a dragon?"

Her eyes glaze over as she looks at the sky. Her body stops moving, swaying. "Yeah yeah, I see it" she says, smiling and giggling.

"What does that one over there remind you of?" I ask.

"A big juicy shrimp, I like shrimp" she says, still giggling.

"Let's watch the clouds roll in, shall we?"

"Yeah, yeah..." her voice trails off, eyes vacant and lost.

I watch her watch the clouds. If only I could put her on one and let her drift away from this life.

On my 21st birthday...

my nephew, Connor, was born. This May 7th he and I celebrated our 12th and 33rd birthdays, respectively.
Love that kid. He's smart, thoughtful, can eat sour cream by the spoonful, devours books, is an all out science fiction nerd, plays baseball, loves his dog, and can do the 'robot' beautifully. We've celebrated every birthday together since he was born. Sure will miss that.

Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did.

So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.

-Mark Twain

Life Changes...

February 7th, 2009. Seven interviews in 2 days at the Search Fair in Boston and I had 3 solid offers- Russia, Dubai, and Thailand. There was never a question. Russia: freezing cold, bitterly cold, dark cold...and fur hats scare me. Dubai: skiing in a mall scares me on many levels. Thailand: natural beauty, history, culture, amazing cuisine, Buddhism, ancient temples, elephants, beaches, sun, and a teaching position in K-5 Spanish...easy...

I'm moving to Bangkok!

Fast forward 3 months... I'm surrounded by boxes of my life, a Lonely Planet guide to Thailand, documents to send to the Thai embassy, and a mind swimming with excitement and uncertainty. Discovering new places and cultures is my life dream. Saying goodbye to the people, the dog, and the city that I love is a difficult by product.