Last night I was trying to go to sleep, and became aware of the most nagging, unwelcome sensation.
I had to pee.
After attempting to ignore the problem for a few minutes, I decided it was better to just go take care of it. So, I began the tricky task of climbing out of my top bunk.
It was dark. The bed is squeaky. There are 3 other girls trying to sleep in the room. And a bunch of my stuff sleeps on the bed with me because floor space is a precious commodity.
I slowly and clumsily made my way to the ground. (Squeak, squeaaak, clunk, thud, squeaaak, “ugh!”) Everyone is now awake because of my pesky bladder.
I make my way down the very dark hallway.
A bird had managed to get inside earlier in the evening, and a group of 6 or 7 screaming girls had eventually managed to shew it back outside. Therefore, the whole way to the bathroom I was preparing myself to get divebombed and pecked to death.
But, much to my surprise, it was not a bird that met me in the bathroom.
It was a cockroach.
About one and a have inches long and a quarter of and inch wide, with huge nasty antennas.
I looked at the critter, and said to it, “Alright Mr. Cockroach, I won’t bother you if you don’t bother me.”
It crawled around as I took care of business, and kept a good eye on him.
I told him goodnight before I left, and went back to bed.
(squeak, squeak, thud, crash, squeak)
.the end.
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As I briefly mentioned in the tale above…
There once was a very curious bird who decided to fly in the window of a homeless shelter where 8 missionary girls were living for the month.
The bird clearly did not know what it was getting itself into.
One of the girls was in the kitchen, and when she started to come back down the hallway saw the bird and yelled for help.
She thought it was a bat.
The other 7 girls rushed out of their rooms to “help”.
Soon, the hallways were filled with the sounds of screams, running, and flapping of wings. Utter pandemonium. The poor bird was stunned stupid, and just kept fling back and forth in the hallway.
Eventually, the bravest of the missionary girls (Rachael), chased/hopped down the hallway waving a laminated sign over her head to coax the bird toward the nearest window.
The bird managed to find the exit without first having a heart attack.
Or, giving any of the girls a heart attack for that matter.
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While taking a bus to the surprisingly nice gym across town, one of the squad members and I discovered that something was a bit off.
We were in a bus, yet there was a distinct sense of being outdoors.
And that is when it hit us, this bus is decorated.
In a rainforest theme.
Complete with trees and leafy green wall paper, and fake vines wrapped around all of the poles. Then, we looked up to find that the decor continued with a sky themed sceiling, in which eagles were majestically soaring above our heads.
Have you ever been in a rainforest AND a bus all at the same time??
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*For the sake of their personal pride, I will not reveal the characters’ actual names in this story.
They will be known as “Mindsey and Tuth”. 🙂
Somewhere in the heart of Malaysia, there is a wonderful area in the mountains where produce is grown and sold for cheap. It is a beautiful drive. As soon as you find the area, you can feel the temperature drop at least 10 degrees. The scenery is pretty too, with all of the rows of different fruits and veggies.
Our team was in the midst of a 3-or-so hour drive, packing 11 people and a bunch of backpacks in a farely small mini-van. We could tell that we had stumbled into a rather picturesque part of the country, but our most immediate surroundings kept our attention somewhate preoccupied.
We were tired, cramped, and rather grouchy.
But, everything changed with just one sign.
As we came up a knoll, we saw it standing tall and delicious.
It was a sign with a picture of chocolate covered strawberries on it.
As the van slightly slowed down, we saw two large buildings behind the parking lot that belonged to the sign. They seemed to be a gift shop, and a restaurant.
What could this place be?
The van continued to slow a bit. Our hopes were rising.
Soon we were quietly willing the van to take us to this magical strawberry land.
“Please turn here. Oh please turn in here!”
The van turned in.
Eight world racers errupted with cheers and clapping.
The van was barely parked, and everyone was just beginning to get out. Someone in the back began to justify some minor indulgence given the unique circumstances.
Tuth then gave her absolute permission in saying, “We are on a chocolate, strawberry mountain. Of course you’re going to get something!”
Of course, this was a funny statement, and if you know Tuth then you know that the way she said it was even funnier than what she actually said.
So, in short, we all laughed.
But, Mindsey’s laughter, bless her soul, soon turned in to overwhelmed and exhausted weeping. Just all out weeping in a the second row of a Malaysian mini-van. She continued during the walk into the store, where she soon managed to get it together.
Signs of the times, my friends. 🙂
