-^-for posterity-^-

here's what's going on in long xuyen, viet nam.

it's the rainy season but there doesn't seem to be any rain. the sky mocks us from above and the clouds have either scattered or been kidnapped by an angry sun. she screams from on high.

it is the beginning of a new semester. new students are arriving in droves. they gawk at the buildings and mull about. classes are all handed out to teachers. we prepare and talk about who is teaching what and why teaching that class will be terrible because such and such is in it and how he never listens and always disrupts. our bosses are more stressed than normal. they call and quickly give instructions and then hang up. none of the mid-summer formality.

everyone's preparing for the fall children's festival. hundreds of moon-cake stands have sprung up on corners throughout the city. moon-cakes are a traditional food eaten during festival. they are full of mysterious things and i'm not a big fan of them. one should never combine eggs, old pork, fruit and vegetables with bread. jota seems to enjoy them.

people still wake up in the morning, make money, feed their families and go to sleep at night. they all want to be happy and smile. they all want to be loved and popular. they all want to have soft lives where they don't have to worry about things. sometimes they go crazy and end up working too much or too little. sometimes they hurt each other. other times they say special things and laugh like children. it's a lot like harleysville, pennsylvania.