i landed

I left Kristelle's hair band on the flight to Zurich. Sorry k!

I saw the top of a cluster of mountains flying into Switzerland. I was in awe, but I mostly thought of my friends. AC would have pulled out her sketch book, CP would have drooled on the window and giggled like a little kid, SJ would have smiled that breath-taking smile and cried at it's massive beauty, JB would have gone off into a poetic tangent of alliterations and freestylings... I just let my heart race and smiled to myself at *that* feeling... i think it was humility.

Don't be jealous, but I just discovered where the Care Bears live. The clouds on the way into Nairobi were thicker and juicier than anything i had ever seen. I'm positive that they could have supported my weight and that, if you looked real close, there were little tiny homes and parks tucked away behind the gigantic cotton balls. Mind you, I didn't actually see the Care Bears (I think they hide when planes come around, I can only imagine how loud and disruptive we can be) but I was sure that those clouds were made for special little hero's.

Then we forgot all of the Swiss chocolate on the plane...

Tomorrow night I'm camping out in the Masai Mara park for a couple of nights.

Night

SJB's 3/5

Principled: Travis and I were in detention in grade 7 because, when Mlle. Bialowas went to the bathroom, I convinced him to get up on the desk with me and sing “hey Mickey you’re so fine...” for no real reason. Our entire French class got up and did it too. It was especially fun because all of the class rooms at Don Valley JHS were in such close proximity that I could see Mr. Brown’s English students laughing and clapping along with us. I could see the sweat on Mr. Brown’s brow; he was livid, furiously battling his inner demons with the Nanji rep. He kicked me out of his English class on my first day of school for no reason... he looked at me and said “another Nanji eh... get out”. Sweet! So I was in my principal’s office doing time. She wanted me to write out what I did and beg for atonement. I handed her my paper – written in purple crayola crayon – and she said “your spelling is terrible, here’s a good trick to remember: a principle’s a principle, but a principal is your pal.”

Thanks princiPAL Chaimbers

Loyalty: That night was the first time someone defended my honour. While violent and jolting, the love and dedication that came with it made me feel safe. Thinking about the people we defend and support puts a smile on my face. Loyalty isn't a trade off. It's something intrinsically woven into your construction. It's an innate belief that can't be jeopardized. It's knowing when to say yes or no. It's knowing when to say sorry without feeling defeated.

Humility: Knowing how little you are in comparison.

Ju Betty

I copy/paste long emails into a Word document, and then reformat it for my viewing pleasure. I restructure the document to make it visually pleasing to my eye. A very personal modification, I’d say.

I like letters, especially in form of an email. There is that element of instant gratification, immediacy, that I’ve always appreciated in life. I can respond, with time and space compressed, and with my thoughts as raw and pure as ever. Tainted and unedited, or clever and filtered.

I like letters. Thank you Ju Betty.