Entries this day: AM_meditation Rabaul_with_Tomoe Zzzz_speech_contest_prep

AM meditation

9:52am ChST Thursday 23 March 2006 (day 13147)

7:30am to 8:00am meditation with Eri on top of Yacht Club, facing the sun, slowing becoming soaked with sweat. I fell asleep a few times during the experience, mostly toward the end. Felt an inescapable urge to just wiggle, which I somehow overcame, except one of the times I fell asleep, I was woken up when my index finger spasmed.

Breakfast in Yacht Club and then chatting on the top deck, told her about Tomoe and how my feelings were affected by Tomoe's invitation to go walk around today. Have an intention to remain mindful and centered.

Rabaul with Tomoe

6:50pm ChST Thursday 23 March 2006 (day 13147)

People in PNG impressed me with their friendliness. Everyone said Hello and many people asked our names or where we were from, or about the ship or how long we'll be here...

Tomoe and I took Bus (van) 1 to Kokopo, so we could hang out on the beach. The beach was narrow and dirty, but it had a lot of coral, though there was rubbish in the water. We hung out for a bit, and then were invited over to some shade below some trees where we hung out with people who chewed beetelnuts, making their teeth disgustingly red... I was pretty turned off by it, and didn't even try a nibble, especially since I had heard it tastes bad. Tomoe tried some; she found it bitter and dry.

We met Owen and some women and lots of kids, who all sat around us like we were interesting, though we didn't do much of anything. Tomoe engaged the kids a lot; I just said HI to them and chatted some with Owen.

He said he wanted to "just step foot" on a foreign land. I told him about Margaret, whose job entails being flown to foreign lands and riding ships back to PNG. I offered to try to introduce him to her if he came back to Rabaul with us, but he chose not to. Also the bus (van) was really full.

Chatted and chilled with Tomoe and asked about likes and dislikes, hopes and dreams.

Zzzz speech contest prep

12:01am ChST Friday 24 March 2006 (day 13148)

Said HI briefly to Eri at 20:35, 5 minutes later than I said I would meet her, scheduled a 7:30 meditation with her and then went downstairs to work on writing names for the speech competition tomorrow. Tomoe came for a brief bit, then went to Namihei. I thought she was going to come back down and say HI, but she didn't. I just happened to see her as I was going *up* to tell her I had finished and was going to bed. She was like, "aight" and nothing else; not even a ritual おやすみ.

This is two nights in a row I have not been at the newspaper. Just flat too busy.