A Few of My Favourite Things...

I. Mango
So, it being mango season, I came in to the office to find a tiny mango sitting by my keyboard. It turns out to be a 'pressie' from Sr. Ana. I've been kind of squeezing this tiny fruit and smelling the oil in the skin. It's a bit intoxicating. I think it should be bottled and sold. But, then again, that may be the lack of sleep speaking. I don't know. You tell me.

II. Bossman
Fr. Alberto finally made it in to the office this morning. Poor Bossman managed to contract a flu on his way home! Hmm... Swine flu? He did say he was hangin' with the pigs! I'm not quite sure what that means. Being that he was in Italy in a retreat with a hundred other priests. You make of it what you will. I'll just credit it to him being Alberto! Either way, it was just nice to see him back again. I missed that little man! My brother in Christ. My confidant. To answer a special friend who put it to me one day, yes, I do love him. Just, you know, don't read too much in to that!

III. Pizza
Today's lunch menu: Pizza and Pepsi!
Company: Liza, Rhianna, and John (Calling for Liza).
Topics put up for discussion: The closure of Ordot Dump and the possible replacements(both to be discussed at a later time). SP.ED. careers. Volunteering with the Special Olympics. Kept women. Haolies.

John would really like me to reconsider my decision not to go in to Special Education. I, personally, don't think I have a personality that's strong enough to deal with the situations that arise in a Sp.Ed. classroom. I need to research a bit more on it and see if it's something that I may be able to do. For a while, though, I've had my heart set on Elementary Education. There's so much advice being given to me at the moment. From majoring in English to taking journalism classes to rethinking my Chamoru specialisation. *scream*

Kept Woman = A woman that just needs to tåpang her be'be. A bit crude. But, that's what Liza calls them. For those non-Chamoru speakers, tåpang means to wash and be'be is a little bit rude! In other words, a kept woman is a woman who doesn't need to worry about anything at all. Kind of like Karen from Will & Grace.

Haolie = Caucasian. Though, it's not just any Caucasian. You see, when a local calls someone a haolie, it's not exactly a term of endearment. We usually use it as a derogatory term. Someone who is not only white. But, who has the mentality that he/she is better than the locals. Someone who is not tolerant of the local customs and lifestyle. Someone so stuck on being unhappy to be on a tiny 'nothing' island in the middle of nowhere. John is not a haolie! *laugh* Of course, there are cases in which we joke and call a perfectly fine Caucasian a haolie. So, if you are a foreigner and you hear yourself being called a haolie, be mindful of the context in which it is used. We may be so comfortable with you that we think you can take a joke or we may be calling you inconsiderate.

IV. Coffee, Compliments, and Friends!
After a tiny bout of irritation, frustration, and depression, I've found that it is possible to cheer up. This is mostly credited to Jacque paying me a surprise visit whilst delivering an unexpected yet much appreciated iced coffee and paying me a compliment on top of being able to talk to Zack about anything under the sun. I absolutely love my friends and appreciate the patience it has required to tolerate me these days. *laugh* Most of you don't know Zack. He's my brother from another mother! He lives in Virginia but is from Ghana and puts up with all my ranting and venting(i.e., whining!). Honestly, there are days that go by where I don't know what to do and all I need to get is a 'Jess attack' and it all looks better. There's only a hand full of people that have that effect on me. The ladies(you know who you are), Zack, James, Andy(both), the sisters(again, you know who you are). Of course, all of you are in my life because of a higher power. So, I thank God for you and I thank you for being in my life.