things i´ve learned thus far

bathroom etiquette
-grab toilet paper before you go into the stall
-throwing it in the toilet instead of the waste bin will clog it
-flushing is optional

food
-telling my mom i´m full or not that hungry must not translate
-vegetarian meals don´t always mean meatless
-i can make a decent sandwich for less than a dollar and my pocket knife
-climbing mango trees and grabbing free fruit is acceptable
-everything is better with some extra sugar, oil, or salt.. or all three

-hot water and air conditioning are commodities
-military showers aren´t as bad as they sound
-roosters don´t have an internal clock
-sweating at all hours of the day is a given

-saying ¨hola¨ means i´m going to stick around to have a conversation
-to avoid the above, say ¨adios¨ as a greeting
-no matter how sweaty, smelly, or dirty i look, the catcalls keep comin´

-the stars are brilliant and many
-kids on the street love learning english
-the ancient trees have a special wisdom about them
-everyone has a story to share