There were tornado warnings so we left the office early. I think it might finally rain soon. It's been a stormy summer.

I miss Africa, my life there. Even with everything that made life difficult: the unstable political situation, the sporadic violence, being surrounded by poverty. Friends are going to a crazy awesome music festival in a couple of weeks, and I know how it will be. The website reads:

And, fresh from being nominated as one of the 10 best foreign festivals in the world, OppiKoppi is ready to do what it does best:
unbridled hedonism,
unpretentious friends,
four and a half truck loads of tunes,
g/big sky country,
fire,
chance

Which is actually pretty much how I would describe my social life in that country all the time. I miss stupid stuff; being able to get bags of fresh avocados on a bus from the North, or the deliciously pretentious prepackaged Woolies meals. I miss the slang, the clubs, the little old ladies. The magazines, the supermarkets, the clothing... all totally different. The way people talked about politics, the media, pop culture. How intense and beautiful nature is, how people there relate to it as an integral fact of life. I miss the music, the klippies and coke, and the wine.

I miss a culture that made me a better person in six months. A culture of generosity, humor, and toughness. People who say it like it is, who call it like they see it. Where who you are is okay and you may as well jump in for the ride. Being there taught me that people function without constant preoccupation with the future, they enjoy life in spite of the future. It deeply and permanently altered what I am willing to accept as the truth.

Try working that into a "so, about the future of our relationship" conversation.