Fresh Prince

I saw something yesterday. it was so wierd and amazing and out of place that I had to stop and look twice.

make your mind a canvas cause i've got my key button paints and im gonna paint you a picture.

In The suburbs of LA, I see a house. this house is just like every other pastel coloured house around. Surrounding the house are ornate gold 3/4 fencing with fancy tops. over top of the house and sitting int he backyard is a HUGE blow up bouncy castle. with spires and flags and bright colours exploding into the sky.

At the end of the lane way is a Boy. He is an east indian boy dressed in traditional clothing in a shining gold colour. gorgeous beading and thread work - this outfit is intensional and he is looking sharp.

He is striding towards the gates of this house by an invisible string tied to his chest with a glowing smile of childlike innocence. He holds in his hands a Gorgeous bouquet of flowers.

I couldnt help but wonder who he was going to see? who were those flowers for? A love or unrequited one? was a little girl sitting in the castle waiting for him or was she dreading his arrival? a cousin? aunty? . . .

It almost drove me mad

I decided in my own head that it was the greatest love of all time. I think of that little golden prince. THE fresh prince. flowers, gold and a castle.

Dang, don't try and tell me romance is dead

I am who I be.

man its funny how something so small like an invisible line on the earth can change everything. That line tells me where im from. Who I am and as such dictates how much I have to pay for school. . . invisible lines ...

The other week I found myself in upper state California barreling down some white water rapids in a boat with virtual strangers thinking about how nice it might be to have the guy in front of me fall out of said giant blown up boat. Before the thought could even be finished in my mind -

BOOOOM!!!

we crash up and on to a rock and he is suddenly airborne.

SPLASH!!!

And my first thought was "oh my Gawd is he okay!? where is he!?"

He was fine and we got him back into the boat without a problem. Foiled.

my mean thoughts were trumped by my emergency nice thoughts.

oh blog muhgog being mean is too much work.

How did I get there? good question. these strangers are probably going to be my future family some day. Not this guy.

Its not that I hate him because I dont. Hate is a strong word and I dont really like to use it a whole lot. Hes just. . . ignorant. so so ignorant and that is what prompted my "out-of-boat-flinging" thoughts.

when in conversation ( a few hours prior) he blurts " Your Canadian what you have to say doesn't count. Talk to me when your American"

"Um I never plan on becoming an American"

"Then you don't matter."

I wish my eyes could shoot death rays.

Or maybe wart rays so whatever I shoot will have terrible warts!!! (*See even now I dont really wish death. . . just unhappy things)

This was just one of many rude things he said to me that weekend. When asked by others surrounding me why I didnt lash back at him I calmly told them that "thats not me".

I didnt ignore him

I didnt shun him

and I didnt get angry at him.

People like that just want you to be rude and aggravated back to them. thats what they are trying to do- get a rise outta you.

I aint fallin for that garbage.

It wasn't until later that night around the campfire that he chirped up with "what do you know? your just a Canadian."

Once everyone fell awkwardly silent and glanced at each other and then tentatively at me, I calmly said

"You know what. . . I think you should know that its Ignorant Ass holes like you that give Americans a bad name."

more silence

followed by grins.

Everyone smiled in agreement and added things like "there you go buddy" or "ha ha yeah shes right man" and he finally sat quietly in embarrassment before finally asking me some questions about my country.

I am who I be and I love my country. no matter where I go.

When we left, he shook my hand and I looked him in the eyes and firmly said

"See ya later eh?"

The Jobless Waiters Club

I feel like an old women in a swimming pool. Aqua fit is over its time for the wave swim. Now metaphorically this pool is say

oooOOOooooOOooohhhHHhhhhHHHhhh. . .

I dunnno. . .

pppsssshhhhhh. . .

mmmmMMMMMMMmmmmmmm. . .

school.

No matter how badly I wiggle in the "floaties" on my arms im still just a hot.mess.

caught in wave after wave of of water, higher, faster and stronger than me.

my make up is streeeeaming down my face and blue hair is all but Capoout!

Interntaional student indeed!

lets break it down;

For me to be able to stay in the good 'ol US of A, I must maintain my F1 status. this is the status of an international student and as per the college's rules that means a full time student which is 12 units per semester. example - easier class is worth one or two credits, hard class could be five ect.

Well registering for classes for the regular students happened ohhhh I dunno a few months ago. International students?

today.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?

Oh. ..I didnt mention that we are not allowed legally to work for the first nine months of school right? oh yeah so im broke. this means I need no MUST, NO! CAN ONLY FINISH THIS PROGRAM IF I FINISH IT THIS YEAR. I cant afford to go for a second year as an International student!!! They pay thooouuusands more than the regular students and last time I checked, I have yet to poop golden nuggets.

Alas I get to the international students office and sit down with the others.

check the computers.

there are no classes left.

none.

0_o . . .

*Blood boils.

not even just in my program but like AT ALL.

There are noticeable fist crumple marks on my papers when I release my death grip on them.

okay well I guess i'll just um. . . put myself on waiting lists. . .

Oh CAMMON waiting number 26?!

class 2 - waiting line number 28.

twenty m0*$^rF*&k!ng EIGHT. . .

At the juncture in time my brain is about to Explode.

Several slash ALL of the classes that I need to get into I cant even put myself on the waiting list for because you need to be doing another jam packed class as a co-requisite!

. . . so your telling me that no matter how hard I try, unless these teachers take me in and let me sit on the class that I cannot physically finish in oneyear?

- Yes.

- Okay well what am I supposed to do? a second year isn't an option for me.

- Im sorry.

Now I have a feeling that they are not infact sorry and believe me.

I aint takin this lying down. Push me aside? ppfffttt we'll see.

I will bring sleeping bags and camp outside of the class if i need to. AAArrrrggggg

O O

* O *

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ Today I was a grumpy bear.

Needing to have at least 12 units, I tried my luck on other waiting lists.

As it stands I am number 1 on the waiting list for "Vegetarian Life style cooking" (*even though I am a meatasaurus. . . but More and more i've been leaning to the ' Veggiepreferian' side.)

10th on the docket for "Hip Hop History" (*Thanks be to sweet baby hey zeus that I packed my Easy E shirt)

the next on the list will be interpretive dance for beginners.

Get. the . Eff. Out. Of . My. Way.

So as I sit jobless and I wait. Its a club my International friends and I are in.

The Jobless Waiters Club