last night i grew a new freckle. it’s on my heel, and it’s already blending in nicely. no one ever believes me that i can feel myself growing, but i can. i remember telling people about my discovery early along the mostly smooth course that was getting to know new friends in ghana. this personal revelation was the only speed bump on the way to glorious friendships.

it happened tonight during my towel time as i was lying on my bed. i can only feel myself growing a new freckle in the rare moments when i am in the quiet space of being alone, being on my back, and being peacefully awake. growing a new freckle feels like a tiny and persistent ant is dancing in a single spot on my skin. every single time.

on friday and saturday evenings while robin, meta, and i were staying at saint gilly and saint greg’s beach house, i went out into the incredibly low tide bay where we found the most spa-like mud. the kind of middle of the night black mud that feels like wet silk. the kind of mud that is produced by millions of years of volcanic formation that appears only during low tides in shallow, get low get low get low get low, bays and the kind of mud that costs 200 dollars an hour to have rubbed on your body by a “technician” at a spa. both of these nights we rubbed the black mud all over our entire bodies then stayed out in the sunset and let the heat dry us into a crackle and then let the ocean wash us clean. it felt perfect. when perfect is accurate, you know? i had a dream on friday night where i had black mudded half of my body and left the other half my regular white color. in this dream someone took a picture of it and put it in a museum and the picture was titled “Ebonme and Ivorme.” robin and i tried out the picture setup yesterday afternoon. it was better in my dream.

in other news, robin and i took meta to the airport today and wished her a safe trip back to the united states. after ten wonderful days with us, we all are tired and happy and impressed by all we got to see. it was so lovely having meta here, and i was constantly grateful for her unnecessary, but much appreciated, generosity in funding many of our expeditions! we saw giant kauri trees and sat on wonderful beaches and had a “perfect day at sea” and ate chocolate and drank wine and snorkeled and went to sleep early and woke up early. my only regret (not at all regret. i say regret because i think i am supposed to.) was that i spent a solid ten of a 36 hour period reading a john grisham book. i couldn’t help myself! we are on a (year-long) vacation.

AND WE SAW AVATAR, AND IT IS FANTASTIC. i love aliens?! who am i now? the most stunned i have ever been after three hours of sitting in the dark. great, great, i always want to be surprised and pleased like that, great.

in a few days robin and i will leave auckland to meet up with malcolm and lindsay to hang out for a bit before all four of us start working on an apple orchard. i suspect malcolm will be making serious bank. i suspect i won’t. eh. i’ll learn. and then jacob comes to new zealand and then my family follows a few days behind and then, boom! - it’s the middle of march and we will have been here for six months. where does the time go? probably to starbucks for a non-fat latte and then to the gym and then gets home for dinner with its grandkids.

love,
maggie