A Visitor...

Wednesday was a holiday. I'm not sure what kind of holiday. They have lots of them here so sometimes it is hard to keep them all straight. Since it was a holiday I took a day off of language. It was a good day. I did a whole lot of nothing and I need those days once in a while.

I was watching a movie when someone knocked at the door. Who in the world is that I wondered? I went and changed out of my pajama pants so it didn't look like I had been sitting around all day.

A friend had come to visit me. He is in seventh grade. He doesn't speak much English; and as you know I don't speak much of his language.

I'm still not sure why he came. I know his family. I had lunch in his mothers house last week. This kid knows some of my coworkers better than he does me, but on this day he came to see me. I was shocked when I opened the door...I really didn't expect him. We stood and stared at each other for a few seconds. "What are you doing," I asked? "Nothing." "How are you?" "Good." (This exchange was in his language.) Still not sure what he was wanting I said, "Do you want to come in." "Yes!"

He walked in an immediately kicked off his shoes in the entryway. We went and sat on the couch together. We talked for a while in his language about what he was doing and school and his family. He misses my supervisors a lot and cant wait for them to return.

After talking for a while he asked if I had a movie. We finished Remember the Titans together. I don't think he liked it much. After it was over he asked for some water. I got him a glass and some water. He had a second glass. Then he offered to wash my dishes. They love to serve their friends here. I wouldn't let him though.

I told him I had to go I had another program. He said okay and moved towards the door. He looked at me after putting on his shoes. He said, "Taxi, give me money." How weird an interchange would this have been in the states? It was weird to me too, but becoming more normal. Besides it cost me about 12 cents to help him get home.

You never know what a day will hold here.