First Day of Meetings

OK, so I think I am really settled here; I just saw my "favorite" (see previous blog) beggar man urinate in public...right in front of the bakery I love so much. Nice arch, I thought to myself, the grandkids would love it. My roommate completely missed it, oblivious as I was jabbing her.Yes, I did go to faculty meetings, but what happens after the meetings becomes what I remember from today.

I spent a good part of the day trying to figure out information about art supplies for my classes. It turns out that the ship hasn't even left from the US bound for North Africa. So, I eventually found the room with computer paper and grabbed myself a package of paper to use for drawing with children. I am going to put in an order for some art supplies locally; hopefully some will be delivered before school begins. 

When we returned home, our fantastic landlord had repaired so much! My night screen was repaired, down and ready for me to go to bed. The fridge door looked better, and the TV seemed to have CNN. I say "seemed to" because once the landlord left, we couldn't get it back again on the TV.

Jill, my roommate, and I had a lovely walk on the beach after the incident at the bakery. It was nice to get away from everything and enjoy God's beauty once again. We found some pretty sea green shells to dry on our balcony and remember our walk. At the beach, one can walk and walk and walk while time fades and slips away. The Atlantic is restorative and calming.

As I sit and write, the pungent smell of hashish fills the air, wafting up into our apartment windows. I think the bakery is closed, and it must be time for pipes, right before the Ramadan fast is broken? Wow, it is strong. I wonder about secondhand smoke . Am I feeling woozy? Oh, well. En sha allah.

While on our walk, we saw a beautiful horse being exercised on the beach. The rider seemed to be making the horse stop and start on cue. I got a little video of the horse, and I will try to post something - a picture or video. We also got photos of the local flea-ridden wild and stray dogs slumbering away on the beach; they're just part of the whole scene.

It's not even 7 PM and I am ready for bed. I did sketch during a meeting, but I left that drawing at school. This was done during the library meeting - a little ceramic dish was in front of me. This is a tiny bowl with a tall cone shaped lid. Very quick drawing..

I wasn't very successful in decorating my classroom, although I was able to wipe down my keyboard for my computer. Maybe I'll have more success setting up my classroom tomorrow now that I have my paper. I am bringing cleaning supplies; the dust settles on everything daily. The phrase "wait until the dust settles" isn't usable here; it is always settled on everything.