my lizards...

nope, this one is not a figure of speech. it's quite literal. i claimed ownership on a pair of lizards living on a body of water that i pass by everyday when i go to work. between 7-8 in the morning, on the side of the train facing the sun, i take my time looking for a pair of monitor lizards swimming across the lake in khatib.

i don't really own them, i didn't buy them from a pet store, i don't feed them. i really don't have anything to do with the lizards. i just happened to notice a break in the still waters of the lake one morning, and then saw it again the next day.

it has become a part of my everyday life here. i made it something that would help me get by. when i have no choice but to take a spot facing the other side, against the waters of the lake, i feel like my day didn't start right and that it would not end well. and whenever my lizards show their ripples in the water, i can't help but smile. i feel like they are greeting me, letting me know that even lizards can find their place here. i may not have completely settled in this country yet, but i know it'd come. after all, i have yet to receive my first pay.

everyday is still a struggle. i don't think i would ever be comfortable with all the shouting. i may really be just a gentle simpleton, not made for the high pitched high volume type of discourse. i manage to get by staying calm. thank god for the clean air here, and the birds...

it's just crazy, how an unconscious act of noticing a random ripple on the water on a fine day could make such profound realizations on life.

and everyday since then, i had to take the same place in the train, the one that most people here avoid, the one facing the sun, so i can always see the break in the still waters of khatib reservoir...