the salinas valley is in northern california...

I feel like a pretty big jerk for how I treated John Steinbeck when I only read the first two chapters of Grapes of Wrath junior year of high school. East of Eden is amazing. I'm so thankful John gave me another chance.

We returned from our second CBT yesterday. I don't feel like a complete alien there anymore, which I think is positive. My host sister Jamila put henna on my hands and feet my second night there. It's fun to look at, but the process leaves a bit to be desired. I ate dinner before the family that night and Jamila rested my hands and feet on pillows on my bed, applied the mudlike paste to my feet and then my hands, tucked my fully clothed self into bed, turned the lights out, and left the room. This was around 9.30. I sat in the pitch black with my hands and feet raised --wide awake-- for at least a couple of hours. It was the most interesting night of waking, sleeping, and positioning of my entire life. My heart jumped with joy at the sound of the 4.30am prayer call because it let me know that the sun was on its way. At the first sign of light at around 6, I shuffled to the bit l-ma (bathroom) and scrubbed like heck for 20 minutes.

We head back out to CBT on Thursday for another week. I think Soufiane has a broken arm which no one seems to be too concerned about. This complicates my frisbee plans. I have a practice language proficiency interview tomorrow morning. I hope to leave my interviewer awestruck. I also do not expect this to happen. At least not in a way that is of any benefit to me. Tash is not easy, but I am enjoying learning it.

All is well. The sun is hot. It will only get hotter.

twist and shout...

I washed my clothes yesterday. By hand. In a bucket. And then I dried them on a clothesline.

It's okay if you want to be impressed. While I was doing it, I was thinking how utterly inconvenient it was to have to wash my clothes by hand in a bucket and how I couldn't wait to be done. I had to laugh because it was only at that point that it occured to be that I'm going to be washing my clothes by hand and in a bucket for the next 26 months of my life.

We're heading back out to CBT tomorrow for 7 nights. I want to play frisbee with Soufiane. I also want to make bread with my host mother. I watched her make it last time I was there. The oven is clay and dome shaped with an opening at the top. You build a fire at the bottom of the oven with branches (that I watched my little-bit-of-a-thing host mother break on her knees like it was no big deal) and when the coals (or whatev) are ready, you smack a big circle of homemade bread dough against the inside wall of the oven. It's a pretty intense process and fairly impressive to watch. So, that's the goal for this next week. Oh, and maybe to be able to say at least a sentence to one of the members of my host family.

Also, Edam cheese and avocado sandwiches with dijon mustard should win some sort of an award.