"these are a few of my favorite things..."

When all the world is new, one learns to find pleasure in the simplest of things. Here’s a portion of my on-going list of simple things that, peppered throughout my day, bring me a smile:

• finding a hidden hot chocolate packet in the cupboard of my guesthouse
• the night watchman’s leopard-print slippers
• the imported Dutch trampoline at a friend’s house
• starting a fire with less than 10 matches
• Chaila—the coffee house that serves homemade milkshakes
• the two ice cubes I’ve had in 4 weeks
• hot water
• balloon man selling helium balloons tied to the back of his bicycle
• gospl quartet at the military base
• sunset into mountains
• almond-shaped eyes and wind-burned cheeks on children wearing fuzzy wool hats