Saturday, May 12, 2001
Tomorrow is Mother's Day. I don't get to see my mom or grandma because i'm in the opposite corner of the country. Miami is about as far away you can get in a car from Seattle. I did go to dinner with ciro's mom and dad today though. It was a little odd to be the tag-along, but his parents seem to like me okay even if i don't speak spanish. It was hard though seeing his parents and how their house is falling apart and knowing that as time goes by the little things are becoming more and more difficult for them. I am so happy that my parents are still active and healthy. It seems to be very difficult to reach the age when a parent needs their child's help. I'm hoping that that point is still a long way off for me. Friday, May 11, 2001 I slept in. I relaxed. I read. I had a lovely dinner of baked grouper with yucca and plantains and rice that ciro's mom made for us. Everything seemed to be just right. So why do i have a headache? It doesn't seem fair. I don't think i'm cut out for maimi weather. Or maybe it's just the tension of the city. So many people have come here to escape from civil war and conflict. So many people want only to go "home" and feel caught in the trap of this evil city. Cultures clash in a city where everyone is trying to band together in exile in hope that one day things will change and they will be exiles no longer. So much for the American dream, these people are in purgatory. The traffic patterns show all. Everyone drives here as if they are out for themselves. Four lanes of moving traffic and there's someone making a left turn as if they are the only car on the road. Wanna merge? Better find someone on a cellphone who's attention will lapse long enough for you to get in, because no one is going to cut you a break. People say that New York cab drivers are crazy, but to drive a cab in this town you must have a deathwish. Mostly it just makes me mad. If the good ol' USA had stayed out of the politics of Haiti, Nicaragua, Cuba, the Congo, the Dominican Republic, etc, etc the majority of citizens here would probably be living happily in their own countries as free people. But a big bite of capitalism will turn the most gentle soul green. urg...
Thursday, May 10, 2001 Ugh, i'm late getting this written again. After a fun full day with mostly 4th graders at a Young Author's Conference in North Orlando area we drove down to Miami again. Ciro's planning to visit family tomorrow, and i'm planning to get some rest. I still have paperwork to fill out from today though. I suppose i should do that before i forget. There's nothing much interesting about filling out paperwork though. Wednesday, May 09, 2001 Sometimes when a person is having a bad day it's just better to leave them alone. Especially on the kind of day when it seems like everything has to be done twice because it isn't right the first time. Argh! Actually the shows and workshop went perfectly. It was just all the nagging little details like traffic and hotel rooms and finding food and such that just seemed tedious. My solution? Run away into my room as fast as possible to create a no-stress space for myself to relax. Really, i want to do nothing more than zone out and think of nothing until i fall asleep. Boring? Maybe, but i think i've been running on empty for quite some time. I suppose it's something like that second wind that a runner gets, where they focus only on the joy of running and everything else drops away. For me, it's the shows. Do the shows, smile, entertain, and dazzle and then prepare myself for the next one by eating and sleeping. There's about 3 more weeks to go before i get what could reasonably be called a break from the travel. I'm sure it will fly by before i realize it.~w Tuesday, May 08, 2001 We're at the beach! One night only, and of course it's blustery and threatening to storm. I did make it down to the sand at the request of my sister who's studying for her last final of her first year of grad school. I found a couple of sandy shells for her as proof. We had a blast at Tequesta Trace Middle school today with a bunch of rowdy and fun 7th graders. After a full day like this i'm longing for a shower and bed very soon. I can't seem to get enough sleep to catch up with myself these days. I'll have a couple of days this weekend to relax though for a change. Monday, May 07, 2001 Somehow i woke up in the land of palm trees and pink houses. The kids at the neighborhood elementary school are from all over the place. Most speak a couple of languages, some where born here, some were not. They come in all colors shapes and sizes and you could never guess their heritage just by looking at them. The hotel clerks were checking people in and out in english, french, and spanish. It's important to know where your family is from though. One 5th grader claimed to be Cuban, but related to the Wright brothers (you know the first guys to fly) because somebody in his family married one of them. Was he lying? It's hard to tell in a land where every story could be an oasis or a mirage. But, in the end poetry was the word of the day because it crossed boundaries to connect everyone in the oneness of being human. That's what it's all about anyway isn't it? ~w Sunday, May 06, 2001 Saturday we did 4 shows at a festival and then traded napping and driving through the night to get to Miami. We made it and have shows in the morning. Laundry got done though and i ate something. I'm planning on sleeping well in a real bed tonight.
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