To Be or Not To Be

So here I'm sitting in study hall and I happen to look at the white board where my dear brother Ben has so thoughtfully (and typically) drawn 2 portraits : Captain Davy Jones and Frodo Baggins. Above said drawings is a shouting title : WHO WILL WIN?? IMMORTAL CAPTAIN RENEGADE OR HOBBIT WITH AN ATTITUDE. Well, since it is a question, up I leap and quickly write " Neither, Kristina the Immortal Elf-Warrior Queen will Smite Both and leave them Smitten by her Amazing and Terrible Beauty".

Everyone (or I at least hope everyone) has designed a character for themselves. Some are Superman, some Boy Genius. I happen to be the reigning Elf in my family and at school (yes Jacob, Caleb, and Benny, I really am an elf) even if only in my mind. For some people this alter chartacter can have damaging effects, like Dr. Jeykell and Mr. Hyde....terrible and life damaging consquences from one man's inner day dream. For others it an be a thrill, a blooming flower of imagination and power. The key to unlock secret dreams and to give a sort of bravery to dare to dream. The reality is though, that they're just dreams yet they are a part of us. They shape us if you will, they unlock the imagination and give it wings to soar. How many of us had imaginary friends (I still have them, but we won't dig deeper into that)? All of us. Remember playing Superman, running around with cape (or Jedi if you were my brothers and I), feeling like you could conquer the world, that nothing could stop you and wishing you could fly (or do daring flips into the air...which my brothers and I did try..both jumping off the stairs in hopes of flying as well as leaping of the water tank in search of Jedi powers)? We still can dare to dream. We don't have to go back to wearing red capes and brandishing wooden light sabers, but we can still dwell in the place of possibilites. We can still hope, dream, and trust God to use us to the best of our capabilities.

Cantomentos Market

Noisy, very noisy. Imagine you're stepping out of a car and suddenly find yourself transported into a magical moment from Aladdin. Mom, Aunt Michelle, and I began our shopping day by first trying to figure out where in the world the market was. After leaving the taxi driver who clearly had no clue, we wandered about asking directions, finally arriving at THE market. To enter the market we had to push and pull through a throng of people until we reached the narrow, dusty one person walkway that wove through the vendor tarps. That's when we were engulfed in a whirl of...well...everything. There was a section of the market for men (ranging from clothing to shoes), and section for women and children. As we wandered aboutl, the vendors (mostly just the male ones) would call out to us...loudly...or start hissing (that's how they call someone over) and grab our arms, all trying to get us to look at their wears. We found shirts for $2 and dresses for $3, and everywhere we went we bartered for the price. I (in desperate need for shoes) stopped a little shop filled with shoes, all of us proceeded to try on shoes only to find out that the shoes we wanted were $28....haha, yeah right, there is no way a pair of flip flops should cost that much money, so we promptly left. I've never in my days seen so many clothes, or shoes. But what made me especially happy was the fact that while in the States one has to pay $10 minimum for a decent bra, you can get better brands here for $3 and there were dozens of shops dedicated to that kind of clothing. As we began to find our way out to the main road, we were bombarded with vendors. Here are some of the best ones :
"Little one, little sister, come come" - that would be me
"What is your name?" - never tell them otherwise they bug you forever...
"Come, I will take you to America with me" - um, yeah, that was a marriage proposal

So after we finally made it out and make into the sunshine, we bought water for 10p (10 cents) in little bags and caught a taxi home. I was by this time starving and was looking for yam chips but no one had them so I had to settle for a bag of plantan crisps in the taxi. All three of us returned home, tired...nay, exhausted...but quite pleased with the bundle of treasure each of us had collected.