I had a revitalizing time yesterday with an old friend who was in Brazil while I was in China. We exchanged cool presents and looked at each other's photos and ate veggie burgers. We talked about how it is fun to live in foreign countries because you can have a maid and a cook for like ten dollars a week and you can say things like, "This year I think I will go to the beach in Vietnam for Christmas," and you don't have to be rich to actually pull it off. You know it can happen for real. Not to mention hour long massages that cost two dollars and fifty cents. "And I think to myself, 'What a wonderful world!'"

It was a breath of fresh air to have a friend stateside who I can relate to. Who would have guessed five years ago when we were working together in the same coffee shop that it would have turned out this way.

This morning I was wide awake at 4 A.M. It seems like being back in my old room throws my brain back to my high school era, because the memories are flooding back nonstop. I spent the wee morning hours thinking about old friends and old flames. And old friends who I wished were old flames.

I finally got up at 5:30 A.M. because I just couldn't lie there any longer, and I heard my dad downstairs and figured it was a good reason to get up. It is pouring rain, or else I would have spent the morning exercising outside. I'm gearing up for "Olympics Day" at my alma mater. I plan to run in the 5K. My first race since the year 2000. I think I can do well, because I had to walk a heck of a lot in China. The theory is that my muscles should be honed by now. Plus the race isn�t until August 2nd, so I should have plenty of time. Right? Right?

ckb

P.S. I went to the bookstore last night and spent $30 on Tolstoy's War and Peace. Do you know what I could but with $30 in China? A Northface coat and a purse and a meal. Or 30 DVD's. In Thailand, $30 would buy me 4 pairs of Diesel brand shoes. In Laos, I could buy lunch for 90 people. ckb

Tuesday, Jul. 01, 2003 at 12:00 AM