Living in a Hippie Commun

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:
Unemployment is amazing. I think this is the first time I have been unoccupied since I started kindergarten.

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So my first day of unemployment was fantastic. I'm sure they'll get progressively less fantastic, but please have a heart and let me revel right now.

This weekend was fab. Went out dancing with our students to say goodbye to them on Friday, went to the beach ALL DAY Saturday (see below) and then to see Before Sunset (liked it, almost loved it), and took photos and watched soccer on Sunday.

Our road trip has been scaled back to a day trip to Montserrat tomorrow. I'll be sure to let you know the scoopage.

On a related note, I am quickly becoming a classic beach bum. I call people "dude" and "man" ALL OF THE TIME. I spend every spare moment at the beach "chilling," playing frisbee, swimming and eating. I am getting really into and good at frisbee; just as surfers wait for those great waves, I wait like a cokehead on edge for those great chucks that you have to chase down and dive for. I even have a denim skirt that I call my "frisbee skirt" becuase it is easy to throw on for beach going but allows for leg movement (running and diving). My new challenge is overcoming my poor night vision so that I get better at night frisbee...which is ridiculously fun because you start playing in rhythm with the music pumping from the beach-front discotheques.

With this lifestyle has come a certain communal etiquette that I am growing fond of. Between Timo, Oliver and I, there is this lovely "watch each other's back" kinda thing. One of us will always pick up a bag of groceries when we go to the beach and share with everyone who comes along; Oli always brings sporting goods aplenty; one of us always picks up donuts when it's time to watch soccer at the White Horse; and we always include others in our beach games and show them how to play no matter how bad they are at first....we are also not discriminatory when it comes to playing practical jokes. There was a classic "hole dug under the beach towel" pulled this weekend...although it didn't pan out because our friend whose towel it was never came back; she had just forgotten her towel. But digging that hole was damn fun.

With this etiquette also comes a language. You can't just "okay" someone when they ask for some of your fruit; you have to say "no problem, man," or, "hey mate, help yourself." I don't know why, but it just feels wrong otherwise.

So, that's my latest developement. Angela Ruiter, former honor student, is now mediterranean beach trash, and she loves it.

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CHECK OUT PHOTOS AT http://community.webshots.com/user/ajruiter
Once our DSL was hooked up it still took me like 90 years to find a good webalbum provider...but alas, all is well now.
The black and whites will be up tomorrow :)