We landed in Memphis late on Thursday night and I hurried through the concourse.  I was travel weary and travel dirty and still shocked by the transvestite Santa that had been sitting next to me, but there was the slightest skip in my step. I saw Mom from a distance looking young and fresh and […]

Posted in Uncategorized 8 Comments »

My plane leaves in just over two hours from now.  I’m sitting in my classroom staring at my bags and smiling at the way Colombian children say goodbye.  There are hugs and kisses and wide grins that let me know they might miss me just a little. “Give saludes to your family from us, Mees!” […]

Posted in teaching, travel 4 Comments »

This time last year I was saying goodbye to the only other blonde in Manizales.  We were both bound for Bogotá and then on toward home.  Home being good ole Mississippi for me and where The Muddy River starts up in Minnesota somewhere for her.  We both acted tough on the first leg of the trip, […]

Posted in friendcitos 2 Comments »

Getting to school is no easy task. A bus picks the teachers up early every morning and takes us down the mountain, through the valley, up the other side and to the little red schoolhouse.  I generally fire up the ole ipod and zone out for the trip.  Well, zone out while simultaneously trying desperately […]

Posted in colombia, my emotional state 5 Comments »

There is a little girl who lives among the hills. She runs and plays beneath the sun and in the poppy fields.   Her feet are bare and brown. Her hair is the finest gold. She talks to the sky and laughs at the rain and looks for hands to hold.   She dances with […]

Posted in writing 3 Comments »

I would read books all day long every day if there was someone to keep bringing new titles.  Now, if that someone happened to be remarkably good looking and had an inexhaustable supply of diet coke, I might just read my life away. I did a pretty good job of keeping track of all the books […]

Posted in books 6 Comments »

There was a time when I thought a broken heart was the greatest tragedy of all. Now I know it’s not like that really.  It seems a broken heart is just another one of life’s aches.  An ache that is there within, but that goes unnoticed some days.  It’s a sort of hurt that hides […]

Posted in my emotional state, rambling 6 Comments »

I love music, especially the live kind.  So, when two fifth graders that are in a rock band asked me to come see them play, I couldn’t say no. The truth is, those kids brought the house down and when they played “Smells Like Teen Spirit” I nearly lost it.  They were hysterical and fanflippin’tastic, […]

Posted in colombia, music 5 Comments »

“There the rose of joy bloomed immortal by dale and stream; clouds never darkened the sunny sky;  sweet bells never jangled out of tune; and kindred spirits abounded.  The knowledge of that land’s geography… east o’ the sun and west o’ the moon… is priceless lore, not to be bought in any market place.  It […]

Posted in books, quotes 4 Comments »

There’s a bakery up the street from where I live that’s called La Suiza.  It has shiny metal chairs and good lighting and all of the pastries have fancy swirls of color in their centers.  It’s always crowded with people talking about writing and politics and art and I heard a rumor that the owner […]

Posted in colombia 9 Comments »