First, remember last year when I bragged about not getting tossed into the Nile. Well, this year the Nile kicked my butt. We had 8 people on our boat, and ended up with 17 people in the drink. I got tossed two times, including a massive spill where onlookers said our raft looked like a popcorn maker, with all of us being tossed in the air separately. The first spill, I think Trish P. who was four rows behind me on the raft, sailed above me to exit the boat over my head. Everyone is fine, but I am still a little banged up. One of the raft guides was an Aussie, and when he heard me tell someone about my trip said from the comfort of the outhouse, "The river has a soul and remembers, and she is a woman."
Much better today, I worked hard to get a good seat on Emirates, I also purposely got a big Cubs fan next to me, what was I thinking.
We stopped at Garden City to exchange money, I had nothing left to buy, so I wandered up to Casino Simba. I think I was the only one there, the table games were all locked up, so I sat down to play at a 16-player electronic roulette table with real ball and wheel. There was no place to put money in so an attendant came over and took my 50000/= shilling bill. I figured, worse case, that is a hard bill to break so if I lost 20000/= or 3000/= at least I had change. I lost a lot of my credits early when I wanted to bet 5 credits on black and mistakenly put 50 credits, but soon I hit 3 straight numbers and walked out of the Casino Simba with 250000/=..... you will have to look that up to see how much I won.....
Tomorrow morning, we go to Chimp Island, and then begin the journey home......
Can't wait to see you all,
John
Congrats to a Biloxi girl who just e-mailed me to tell me she rocked a 4 on the AP Stats Exam......Way to go Z-b0ne
Walk to Atanga SS
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Last Day in Gulu
It has once again, been a good trip, just a little bit different than last year. CSC member Ben Bocher sent me an e-mail that said, "There is no one you could not love, if you knew their story." So as I told the Gulu SS teachers the other night, I am gathering more stories.
This morning woke up to a Rooster at 7 am, on the day we could all sleep in. I staggered to the bathroom, and of course, Obibi the goat had pooped in 3 different locations. This morning is the last day, I will ever have to sweep up goat poop. I cannot wait until I have heard news back from Gulu, that Obibi the goat, is now sitting comfortably next to ample servings of rice and potatoes on a dinner platter. I can also sympathesize with all parents who allowed their kids to buy a pet, and then never took the responsibility for cleaning up after the pet.
Odong Collins Otika, the S2 student from Awere, showed up at the gate this morning with a clean Awere SS shirt, and a nice tie. He was off to take his English midterm or final early this morning. I hope that he can have a successful end of this term, and end the year in style. I wonder if I do come back next year will he be in the same city I am. The transient nature of small friendships makes those so few minutes great. But it also forces us to be better friends and better people, because we have to work at making these short times work.
Collins was worried that he might not see me as I left Gulu. I tried to explain to him that I believe life is a movie and not a snapshot. It does not matter if we missed the last opportunity for a picture, it is the movie we have created over the years. If I took time to lament missing the last snapshot of seeing my friend at Mardi Gras this year, I would not be watching the movie of our great times together, and the incredible friendship that he gave me over the past 9 years.
I will probably write something reflective next week, but again I may not post again until I hit New York (of course there is a chance that I will post 3 more times)....
John
This morning woke up to a Rooster at 7 am, on the day we could all sleep in. I staggered to the bathroom, and of course, Obibi the goat had pooped in 3 different locations. This morning is the last day, I will ever have to sweep up goat poop. I cannot wait until I have heard news back from Gulu, that Obibi the goat, is now sitting comfortably next to ample servings of rice and potatoes on a dinner platter. I can also sympathesize with all parents who allowed their kids to buy a pet, and then never took the responsibility for cleaning up after the pet.
Odong Collins Otika, the S2 student from Awere, showed up at the gate this morning with a clean Awere SS shirt, and a nice tie. He was off to take his English midterm or final early this morning. I hope that he can have a successful end of this term, and end the year in style. I wonder if I do come back next year will he be in the same city I am. The transient nature of small friendships makes those so few minutes great. But it also forces us to be better friends and better people, because we have to work at making these short times work.
Collins was worried that he might not see me as I left Gulu. I tried to explain to him that I believe life is a movie and not a snapshot. It does not matter if we missed the last opportunity for a picture, it is the movie we have created over the years. If I took time to lament missing the last snapshot of seeing my friend at Mardi Gras this year, I would not be watching the movie of our great times together, and the incredible friendship that he gave me over the past 9 years.
I will probably write something reflective next week, but again I may not post again until I hit New York (of course there is a chance that I will post 3 more times)....
John
Friday, July 25, 2008
Final Day at Gulu SS
Last night, we were given a royal and formal sendoff at Gulu SS. They cleared out the teachers' lounge and had it set up for a dinner. We processed into dinner with the five teachers as the Guests of Honor. The MC, Okoli John, was not quite sure the entire night, how we could have 5 guests of honor, but the dinner went on marvelously. Of course, being in Uganda we had a formal program complete with many speeches. They also refer to the program quite a bit, and tell you what is going to be next on the program. I told the Ugandan teachers that we are living in a smaller and smaller world, and the world will be a lot different in 2025. But after exchanges like this we can see that we have many more common interests than conflicts.
Some of the students came and did a spirited 15 minute native dance, with one young student shimmying on her knees for about 25 feet. It was amazing. The dinner consisted of fried chicken, casava chips, and slaw/salad. It was a definite attempt to have "american style" food. They had a cake that looked like a wedding cake, and of course like last year, they had lace everywhere. This place is running out of power, so I am racing to get in a few thoughts. Gulu has been without power for 2 days, and all of us Americans are trying to figure out how to charge our laptops and ipods before we leave. The dinner was so great, so I will have to talk later. The interesting thing is they were going to have a choral group sing a "sad, good-bye" song, but since one of the American teachers cried during her introduction. They thought it might be too sad for us, and cancelled the song from the program.
John
Some of the students came and did a spirited 15 minute native dance, with one young student shimmying on her knees for about 25 feet. It was amazing. The dinner consisted of fried chicken, casava chips, and slaw/salad. It was a definite attempt to have "american style" food. They had a cake that looked like a wedding cake, and of course like last year, they had lace everywhere. This place is running out of power, so I am racing to get in a few thoughts. Gulu has been without power for 2 days, and all of us Americans are trying to figure out how to charge our laptops and ipods before we leave. The dinner was so great, so I will have to talk later. The interesting thing is they were going to have a choral group sing a "sad, good-bye" song, but since one of the American teachers cried during her introduction. They thought it might be too sad for us, and cancelled the song from the program.
John
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Love + Love = Eternal Love
I have a briefcase full of letters from the students of Gulu SS and one letter from Odong Collins Otika of Awere SS for Mary H. I have skimmed the letters to make sure that there is nothing that I would have to talk to them about, but I was struck by the African equivalent of BFF. On several letters from the girls, they use the words Love + Love = Eternal Love ( I may not have this right, I will edit when I get a chance to relook at the letters).
So although the pen pal experiment failed last year, because I could not figure out a good way to get the letters back and forth. I am trusting this year, the pony express of myself. I thought my luggage would be a lot lighter on the way back, because I am leaving behind 2 basketballs, a soccer ball, a cheap printer that betrayed me, and several t-shirts, etc. But I did not count on carrying the hopes and dreams of about a hundred Ugandan students back to the states with me.
The questions they are asking in my final days go from the usual --- are you married?, do you have children?, what is it like in your village?, do you know Fifty cent? to the deep --- How can I be better in physics?, How can I get to the University?, How can I come to America? They have just enough American culture that so many of them want more. The things we take for granted, are overwhelming to them. How do their letters convey so much to our students? Some are simple. Some are poignant. Some are snuck to me by young boys when their friends are not looking, because they contain poetry and pictures of flowers for the students of Nerinx.
I think for me the right approach is not LARGE and BIG. How can you not eat your food, when others are hungry? How can you not take school seriously when others sit four to a desk, and have never been able to afford a pencil?
The Acholi people do not talk LARGE and BIG. They talk softly and slowly when using English. In those soft words and the stillness, I can hear that I do not want to live in an world where anyone ever uses US vs. THEM in capital letters. Whether the THEM is illegal immigrants, the poor, the uneducated, the lazy. I have not been to any other places outside of the US where poverty, hunger, and education are lacking. But I have been to Gulu, and I expect that other people without have the same kindness and grace of the Acholi people. Even if they just had a third of these qualities of my friends the Acholi's --- I would be interested in meeting them.
I want to be a teacher where I understand and can teach my students the word -- WE. I want to be a teacher who can teach his students what I heard at a Springsteen concert years ago. "Nobody wins, unless everyone wins." What are you doing now, to end hunger and poverty by the year 2025? The first step is understanding that we are not sharing a finite pie. By lifting up all people , there is much more to share. And that is where we start, by finding ways to lift up all people with help at first, then support for small business, then help for infrastructure. It all moves slowly from a 1000 different shops, and 10000 people working to educate themselves better.
Last night, I printed 3 photos off of my digital camera at my new friend Francis' shop. Although, I don't think it his shop, it is probably his cousin's or aunt's. Because everything in the shop is mattresses, pillows, and blankets. Except for the one wall, where there is small specialty groceries like a liter bottle of coke. And then there is Francis with his HP photo printer plugged into a corner, printing photos for 1000/= (62 cents) each. He has a sign out front that he painted himself which makes it sound like a huge multi-purpose digital studio inside. He is a fair businessman and takes great pride in his work.
I really thought this was going to be a short entry, but then I remembered stories of good people and there are so many different ones to tell.
I will be travelling starting on Saturday, so the blog entries might be few. But I will be back in New York at 745 am on 7/31.
What do I do next summer?????
John
So although the pen pal experiment failed last year, because I could not figure out a good way to get the letters back and forth. I am trusting this year, the pony express of myself. I thought my luggage would be a lot lighter on the way back, because I am leaving behind 2 basketballs, a soccer ball, a cheap printer that betrayed me, and several t-shirts, etc. But I did not count on carrying the hopes and dreams of about a hundred Ugandan students back to the states with me.
The questions they are asking in my final days go from the usual --- are you married?, do you have children?, what is it like in your village?, do you know Fifty cent? to the deep --- How can I be better in physics?, How can I get to the University?, How can I come to America? They have just enough American culture that so many of them want more. The things we take for granted, are overwhelming to them. How do their letters convey so much to our students? Some are simple. Some are poignant. Some are snuck to me by young boys when their friends are not looking, because they contain poetry and pictures of flowers for the students of Nerinx.
I think for me the right approach is not LARGE and BIG. How can you not eat your food, when others are hungry? How can you not take school seriously when others sit four to a desk, and have never been able to afford a pencil?
The Acholi people do not talk LARGE and BIG. They talk softly and slowly when using English. In those soft words and the stillness, I can hear that I do not want to live in an world where anyone ever uses US vs. THEM in capital letters. Whether the THEM is illegal immigrants, the poor, the uneducated, the lazy. I have not been to any other places outside of the US where poverty, hunger, and education are lacking. But I have been to Gulu, and I expect that other people without have the same kindness and grace of the Acholi people. Even if they just had a third of these qualities of my friends the Acholi's --- I would be interested in meeting them.
I want to be a teacher where I understand and can teach my students the word -- WE. I want to be a teacher who can teach his students what I heard at a Springsteen concert years ago. "Nobody wins, unless everyone wins." What are you doing now, to end hunger and poverty by the year 2025? The first step is understanding that we are not sharing a finite pie. By lifting up all people , there is much more to share. And that is where we start, by finding ways to lift up all people with help at first, then support for small business, then help for infrastructure. It all moves slowly from a 1000 different shops, and 10000 people working to educate themselves better.
Last night, I printed 3 photos off of my digital camera at my new friend Francis' shop. Although, I don't think it his shop, it is probably his cousin's or aunt's. Because everything in the shop is mattresses, pillows, and blankets. Except for the one wall, where there is small specialty groceries like a liter bottle of coke. And then there is Francis with his HP photo printer plugged into a corner, printing photos for 1000/= (62 cents) each. He has a sign out front that he painted himself which makes it sound like a huge multi-purpose digital studio inside. He is a fair businessman and takes great pride in his work.
I really thought this was going to be a short entry, but then I remembered stories of good people and there are so many different ones to tell.
I will be travelling starting on Saturday, so the blog entries might be few. But I will be back in New York at 745 am on 7/31.
What do I do next summer?????
John
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
My friend Alfred
Coming back to Gulu, I was probably looking forward to seeing two people the most. There are a lot of special people, but I was most looking for Orach Amos, the P7 student I had become friends with, and of course, my teaching partner from Awere SS, Nyeko Alfred.
Last night, I asked Amy what it would cost to send a letter to US. She told me 2000 /= and I said I thought I would write a letter to Alfred, and leave it with the head teacher of Awere SS, Matthew. I sent word through as many channels as I could, but both of these meetings were not going to happen this year. I really wanted to leave a way for Alfred to contact me. I am pretty sure Orach Amos, is going to school in Kampala, and although I miss seeing him, I think this is probably a very positive step for a bright, outgoing young man.
One of the people in the house yelled that there was someone at the front gate for me from Awere SS. I thought it might be Odong Collins Otika, the S2 student I have been seeing a lot or another student. But they had included the word Alfred.....could it be....no....don't get your hopes up. I leaned through the small 3 foot gate, and peered outside. There standing against the wall was my friend Nyeko Alfred. I was so happy to see him, we hugged and laughed immediately. I could not believe this was happening. Alfred and I had came inside, and
Amy soon greeted us. I think Amy really respected Alfred's teaching and demeanor last year. She was very happy to see him also, but I think she was really happy for me too. She knew how hard I had worked to make this happen......
Switch gears, Alfred had been hearing from more than one person I was in Africa, specifically Gulu, but the stories always lost something in translation. He has a new job and it is very hard for him to get time off. So on Wednesday morning, he got on his bike and rode to Gulu, and specifically to my front gate. He got there at 820 am, and I think I had left at 810 am. Again, there was an incomplete exchange of information, with someone telling Alfred I may have left for Ginja. Here is the extraordinary part, Alfred's bicycle trip had taken him 4 hours. Yeah, I know I figured it out after he had left, that he must have left at around 4 am and traveled over muddy, bumpy roads for 4 hours on a bike to see me. Luckily, Abraham Lincoln, (his real name there is also an Acholi name but I forget it---btw, Abraham is one of the few survivors of the Ebola virus in the world), told Alfred I was teaching and would be back in the evening.
Alfred and I took a couple of pictures and quickly caught up. Although, we had pledged to stay in touch, we had not heard from each other in several months. Alfred took a new job in the Pader district last year compiling statistics. He did not want to leave Awere SS, but felt compelled to for more job security. So Alfred has not been available by phone or email since. We walked through the streets of Gulu, and laughed and talked, we talked about good things, and the struggle that living in Northern Uganda continues to be. We ran into an old student of both of ours in the street. And the student could not believe he was seeing both of us together.
We had a great dinner at Diana Gardens, traditional African food. I had invited Alfred to eat at the IC house, but Amy had brought out a taste of the American style food, and Alfred said we should find a place to eat in town. "Too sweet, " he said and laughed the Alfred laugh, where he smiles as his face crinkles up just a bit, and if you were his friend you would know how special seeing your friend laugh during tough times is. Dinner was great, and since I am leaving soon, I decided to give Alfred my phone. We then walked through the streets of Gulu in the dark trying to find someone who could print from a digital camera, so Alfred could take back the picture you see on the blog tonight.
After awhile, we realized it was pointless, and were far, far from home. The power was sketchy so there was almost no light, and in the excitement I had not brought my flashlight. Our walk home, would appropriately take us past Awere SS, where we had first become colleagues and friends. It had rained earlier in the day and was about to rain again, so Alfred and I did our best to remember in the dark where the big puddles were. 15 minutes from home, I hit a big one, but was able to extract my shoe, before it got to my sock. So there I was in the dark in Gulu with a cherished friend trying to find the right path home. All of a sudden 2 things happened, lightening flashed in the distance, and for just a brief second you could see the next 30 feet of dirt. The lightening was very helpful, and then as we passed the town Aloyo I Long, there was another light for our path. About 50 African lightening bugs could be seen in the weeds, so as long as we stayed in between the two sets of flickering light we were okay.
This year, through many tears and many laughs, I have come to now what true friendship is. I know when I see it in the present, I know when I have shared it in the past, and those two help me to see good friends and hopefully be a better man and a better friend to you. If you had taken a picture in the dark last night, you would have seen an African man of dignity and grace walking with his friend a tall American, but I know in my heart there beside the both of us was another friend of mine. Thank you my friend, for the lightening and the lightening bugs, I will not ever forget you. Thanks for lighting the way for me and my friend Alfred, he really is a good man, isn't he?
John
Last night, I asked Amy what it would cost to send a letter to US. She told me 2000 /= and I said I thought I would write a letter to Alfred, and leave it with the head teacher of Awere SS, Matthew. I sent word through as many channels as I could, but both of these meetings were not going to happen this year. I really wanted to leave a way for Alfred to contact me. I am pretty sure Orach Amos, is going to school in Kampala, and although I miss seeing him, I think this is probably a very positive step for a bright, outgoing young man.
One of the people in the house yelled that there was someone at the front gate for me from Awere SS. I thought it might be Odong Collins Otika, the S2 student I have been seeing a lot or another student. But they had included the word Alfred.....could it be....no....don't get your hopes up. I leaned through the small 3 foot gate, and peered outside. There standing against the wall was my friend Nyeko Alfred. I was so happy to see him, we hugged and laughed immediately. I could not believe this was happening. Alfred and I had came inside, and
Amy soon greeted us. I think Amy really respected Alfred's teaching and demeanor last year. She was very happy to see him also, but I think she was really happy for me too. She knew how hard I had worked to make this happen......
Switch gears, Alfred had been hearing from more than one person I was in Africa, specifically Gulu, but the stories always lost something in translation. He has a new job and it is very hard for him to get time off. So on Wednesday morning, he got on his bike and rode to Gulu, and specifically to my front gate. He got there at 820 am, and I think I had left at 810 am. Again, there was an incomplete exchange of information, with someone telling Alfred I may have left for Ginja. Here is the extraordinary part, Alfred's bicycle trip had taken him 4 hours. Yeah, I know I figured it out after he had left, that he must have left at around 4 am and traveled over muddy, bumpy roads for 4 hours on a bike to see me. Luckily, Abraham Lincoln, (his real name there is also an Acholi name but I forget it---btw, Abraham is one of the few survivors of the Ebola virus in the world), told Alfred I was teaching and would be back in the evening.
Alfred and I took a couple of pictures and quickly caught up. Although, we had pledged to stay in touch, we had not heard from each other in several months. Alfred took a new job in the Pader district last year compiling statistics. He did not want to leave Awere SS, but felt compelled to for more job security. So Alfred has not been available by phone or email since. We walked through the streets of Gulu, and laughed and talked, we talked about good things, and the struggle that living in Northern Uganda continues to be. We ran into an old student of both of ours in the street. And the student could not believe he was seeing both of us together.
We had a great dinner at Diana Gardens, traditional African food. I had invited Alfred to eat at the IC house, but Amy had brought out a taste of the American style food, and Alfred said we should find a place to eat in town. "Too sweet, " he said and laughed the Alfred laugh, where he smiles as his face crinkles up just a bit, and if you were his friend you would know how special seeing your friend laugh during tough times is. Dinner was great, and since I am leaving soon, I decided to give Alfred my phone. We then walked through the streets of Gulu in the dark trying to find someone who could print from a digital camera, so Alfred could take back the picture you see on the blog tonight.
After awhile, we realized it was pointless, and were far, far from home. The power was sketchy so there was almost no light, and in the excitement I had not brought my flashlight. Our walk home, would appropriately take us past Awere SS, where we had first become colleagues and friends. It had rained earlier in the day and was about to rain again, so Alfred and I did our best to remember in the dark where the big puddles were. 15 minutes from home, I hit a big one, but was able to extract my shoe, before it got to my sock. So there I was in the dark in Gulu with a cherished friend trying to find the right path home. All of a sudden 2 things happened, lightening flashed in the distance, and for just a brief second you could see the next 30 feet of dirt. The lightening was very helpful, and then as we passed the town Aloyo I Long, there was another light for our path. About 50 African lightening bugs could be seen in the weeds, so as long as we stayed in between the two sets of flickering light we were okay.
This year, through many tears and many laughs, I have come to now what true friendship is. I know when I see it in the present, I know when I have shared it in the past, and those two help me to see good friends and hopefully be a better man and a better friend to you. If you had taken a picture in the dark last night, you would have seen an African man of dignity and grace walking with his friend a tall American, but I know in my heart there beside the both of us was another friend of mine. Thank you my friend, for the lightening and the lightening bugs, I will not ever forget you. Thanks for lighting the way for me and my friend Alfred, he really is a good man, isn't he?
John
Monday, July 21, 2008
Last Week
I have just completed my final Monday teaching at Gulu SS. I really wish I could stay 2 more weeks, but it is also time I get home and start working in preparation for my Nerinx school year. I am going to bring my camera to school to take pictures of our students on Wednesday and Friday of this week. The students seem very excited about this possibility, they really want American students to know who they are.
I had a great time talking with Henry in between classes this morning. I was trying to explain to him, what my city looked like. I am going to bring him to an internet cafe soon to look at Google earth. A very busy week, so this is all I am going to post today, but I will keep posting and might get some more down time with travel happening next week.
John
btw, the Cardinals are playing well, keep it up fans, I expect to win this series with the Brewers.
I had a great time talking with Henry in between classes this morning. I was trying to explain to him, what my city looked like. I am going to bring him to an internet cafe soon to look at Google earth. A very busy week, so this is all I am going to post today, but I will keep posting and might get some more down time with travel happening next week.
John
btw, the Cardinals are playing well, keep it up fans, I expect to win this series with the Brewers.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Rhinos !!!!
After a good week at school, we left with 23 of us in two mutatus to visit the Ziwa Rhino Organization in Uganda. I do not know if this website works, but here goes www.rhinofund.org. It was a 2 hour trip that turned into almost 4 hours, but the accomodations were very nice for Uganda. I had a single bed, and there was 2 nice guest houses. The food was very good--shepherd's pie, beef stew, and scrambled eggs. There was a rumor that someone got a hot shower, but it was not me. It was a great chance to relax, and hang with our entire group of teachers. I really like the weekends, because more people are in our house. Friday night, Matt M. and Josh, hung out and had a couple of Bell beers. It was great just to talk to some good people. At the Rhino guest house, Saturday night we played a game of hearts, and get ready for this Nerinx students, Mr. Magee played Mafia with the other teachers. I do not know if I told you about the other games, but I have now played Mafia 4 times in my life!!!! Casey is very intense during Mafia, much like Lauren L. or Norah F. are.
Okay, back to the rhinos. We went out on Saturday in our two mutatus down dirt paths after a heavy rain. There were several puddles that I thought we might get stuck in, but the plucky mutatus rolled through. All of a sudden, we stopped, and followed the guides into the bush for about a half of a mile. 25 of us, single file in a line, when I saw Matt M. raise his hand excitedly. There we were in a field with 5 white rhinoceros grazing in a field. It was amazing, I was also kind of curious, if these rhinos ever charged. But two guides were there with guns, but mostly they just turned the rhinos by saying, "Back Bella, or go back Bella now." It was weird, funny, scary, and amazing at the same time." I have both movies and pictures from this wonderful time, and just posted a picture of Nandi, the rhino on the blog. There are now 8 rhinoceros in Uganda. 6 at this compound, and two in a zoo in Kampala. We saw all of them, 5, except for the dominant male. I kind of thought, he might come up from behind us, tap me on the shoulder, and say, "Are you messing with my women." But that did not happen. It was a very good trip before our last week in school.
Tomorrow, I pick up two shirts I had made. I am curious how that is going to work out. I did it all by myself, and I expect when I get back someone will tell me, that is cloth for a dress....but I will walk down the streets of St. Louis proud of my shirts.
I am going to help Josh get some spirits, so I have to go now.
John
Okay, back to the rhinos. We went out on Saturday in our two mutatus down dirt paths after a heavy rain. There were several puddles that I thought we might get stuck in, but the plucky mutatus rolled through. All of a sudden, we stopped, and followed the guides into the bush for about a half of a mile. 25 of us, single file in a line, when I saw Matt M. raise his hand excitedly. There we were in a field with 5 white rhinoceros grazing in a field. It was amazing, I was also kind of curious, if these rhinos ever charged. But two guides were there with guns, but mostly they just turned the rhinos by saying, "Back Bella, or go back Bella now." It was weird, funny, scary, and amazing at the same time." I have both movies and pictures from this wonderful time, and just posted a picture of Nandi, the rhino on the blog. There are now 8 rhinoceros in Uganda. 6 at this compound, and two in a zoo in Kampala. We saw all of them, 5, except for the dominant male. I kind of thought, he might come up from behind us, tap me on the shoulder, and say, "Are you messing with my women." But that did not happen. It was a very good trip before our last week in school.
Tomorrow, I pick up two shirts I had made. I am curious how that is going to work out. I did it all by myself, and I expect when I get back someone will tell me, that is cloth for a dress....but I will walk down the streets of St. Louis proud of my shirts.
I am going to help Josh get some spirits, so I have to go now.
John
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