-^-for posterity-^-

we went to bed in a small pagoda. it was beautiful and peaceful and we woke up before the morning prayers. the front of the pagoda is two golden pillars that stand under a tall wooden sign painted gold and red. the inside of the pagoda is squat. the roof hangs low and the smell of incense lingers and hangs and falls and mixes with the breath of monks and people as they walk in and breath.

we slept on the floor. the whole basketball team was lying in neat rows in a room that resembled a barn. the roof was tin and high. we rolled out bamboo mats and spent the better part of an hour setting up mosquito nets. my net was pink and was to be shared with two of my friends.

we slept next to each other and woke up many times in the night. i used a dirty pair of jeans as a pillow. i could only really sleep in two different positions. i rested on my left side and on my back but couldn't go to sleep. after a long bout with the floor, i finally drifted off into a semi-slumber. i woke up many times because the mosquitoes had found a way into our pink protective net and because someone would move and we were smashed together like small fish in an iced crate. few times in my life have i woken up to find another man cuddling me. this was all very common and no one complained.

we woke up at 5 in the morning, before the sun. we walked out to the basketball court and practiced under the lights. i could barely move but we practiced for an hour and a half, ending when the prayer bells could be heard from the waking pagoda. we walked to breakfast through the pagoda, wafting smoke and breathing in prayers. meals with this group is fascinating. we all sit down, yell out our orders, receive our food from a frantic vendor, eat and order more. before eating, everyone has a purely famished look on their face. after only fifteen minutes or so, everyone is leaning against something and staring off into space.

this afternoon we have our first match. we have singled out one team, the group from nha trang, that will present the most problems. we all walk around in shorts and are actual athletes. i've never been an athlete in my entire life. i've always been on the outside of the whole circle. i've never had muscular thighs and bulging bicepts. for one time in my life people think i am athletic and it is hilarious.