So Far on the Fourth of July

I am tremendously happy.


I'm at work on a Saturday. I have to turn in a report by the end of the day, but I am unworried. The nicest moments that happened so far today all took place within a 30 minute period.

I had forgotten that a board meeting was going on today. They had all filed in downstairs and into the conference room in the basement without me noticing. It was not until lunchtime that the executive director walked into our office and told us all to join.

The cook was in but did not cook today. WE HAD TAKE OUT CHINESE instead. I thought it was hilarious. The whole gang, the entire office + the board members filed into the second floor office space where I work and in universal corporate fashion awkwardly filed past the hot trays of chicken, pork and low mein. I joked that I would give anything for duck, a spring roll, and hoisin sauce. I didn't think it was that funny - actually I wasn't joking - but those immediately around me started laughing. I don't know if they knew what I was asking for or not. It doesn't matter.

The crem de la crem, my wonderment par excelence, was with the tray full of french fries off in the corner. I asked Mandi, "are those french fries?" He smiles and affirms, "Yes." He sees me pick one of the shriveled things up with a fork and how I am examining the orange sauce on them. "They're indo-fries," he says. I laugh. "We never eat them." I had three helpings.

I was in awe of how office culture is the same the world over. I suppose that even the idea of office culture, and concepts about how it should run, are a western cultural export in themselves, but today's function just made me smile and laugh. I'm off in the corner of a brick alcove, just on the other side of the food. I eat. I talk. I watch the others around me. IT WILL ALWAYS BE THE CASE that there will be at least one person standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, eating alone standing up, as others mill past him. It usually turns out that you like this person a lot, but they are a little awkward, so you let it pass. Conversation floats between of little consequence with people knowing that they shouldn't be talking explicitly about work, but that they should not be talking about their personal lives either. Nom, nom, nom - bad joke - nom. And so the meeting goes.

This scene, and how I got to eat meat for the first time in a week, put me in particularly high spirits. I returned to my side of the social space, and back to my desk. I had an email from my uncle Rick. He explains that I will get to see how all governments the world over are too inept or corrupt to fix even the most obvious problems. He jabs that if I make it through these three months, if, then I get to return to another third world state - southern California. He's been offering me clandestine extraction via unnamed paramilitary helicopter since I got this job. I think it's excellent. A little crazy, but excellent. Thanks uncle Rick, it means a lot.

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The next half of this post was written on a massive sugar high. It was written in about two minutes. Read it as fast as you can, or at least keep that in mind, as things will start to not make sense.
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I danced out of the building and past a board member signing "I've Just Seen a Face" with a Texas accent. I like how smiles are infectious. Others around me, maybe because they don't understand me or maybe something more fundamental to the nature of smiles, but 10 to 15 other people started smiling. "Smile (pass it on)". I borrowed that from a friend.

I thought about turning up at the American embassy today to see if the 4th was being celebrated. Pallavi tells me that there is no chance that the embassy is doing anything however. It was the only shot to my balloon. I had been inflating this balloon over the course of the afternoon. It was the imaginary embodiment of my happiness and jocularity. She shot it. I'm so happy right now that I don't think it popped. I have a vision of a red balloon, like the one from the silent Parisian flick I grew up on, floating above a young blond boy. Robin hood, as a fox and in a stork costume, just shot an arrow made of two twigs tied together... And now its got a hole in it like Swiss cheese. It's silly, but the image makes me laugh all the more. Like there would be American independence day celebrations in Delhi.

Oh my GOd. They just gave me ice cream. Its a small cup of locally crafted vanilla heaven. What a good day.

When bubbles don't burst, when balloons don't pop... you just keep floating.

Also I am getting very comfortable here. It's like I never left Chicago. I read academic materials and news reports all day. Then I sleep. I don't hear my own voice as often because I have far fewer conversations, but I am content. The place is messy, trash laden, poor, but I am comfortable.

I'll explore some more tomorrow, on my first day off. Hope fully I'll know this place as well as I know Paris after three months. If you and I ever come back, I'll give you a tour.

I'm going to finish my ice cream now.

Peace and Peaches (I have no idea what that means, but I love peaches and the acoustic alchemy song "Georgia Peach", and it seems nice),

Peaches and vanilla cream, happiness on a Saturday, okay I'm actually going to go,


I once jumped over a dumpster in Athens last time someone gave me ice cream with this much sugar. DAmn.


Sam