When I got up Tuesday morning I felt like I had slept downwind from a forest fire. Actually I had slept downwind from rice farmers who are burning their fields after their last harvest. When you mix the country smoke with all the pollutants from such a large city you get a pretty strong mix that is affecting many residents along with this foreigner. It seems that each day the mixture gets stronger as more and more straw dries out and is burned. Someday, hopefully, before I leave the burning will be finished and the air quality will improve.
The picture below was taken from my kitchen window looking east at the rising sun. As you can see the air is pretty thick. When you walk outside you have to almost push yourself through it.
I ate breakfast, put all of my equipment in my big backpack – laptop, projector, cables, and other miscellaneous things – and headed to the bus stop. I used to take the 510, but in my old age I am getting wiser and realize it is smarter to get on the 521, which starts at my bus stop. As a result there is always a seat. I ride it about two thirds the way there and get off and get on the 510, which by now has seats and ride it to the bus stop I get off at for the church – the 521 doesn’t go there. This morning as I got off the 521 the 510 was in front of us. We were stopped in traffic so I could make it up to the 510. This all took place in the second lane of traffic. At that time busses were lined up three abreast.
The trip went very well. My class starts at 9:00 and I was there at 8:40. I got set up, tried to say hello to excited students who were glad to have me back, and answered final questions Joy had. While I was doing this the class decided to sing some hymns from 8:45 to 9. At 9 Joy and I started, and the moment we did I knew it was going to be a very special morning.
The picture below was taken from my kitchen window looking east at the rising sun. As you can see the air is pretty thick. When you walk outside you have to almost push yourself through it.
I ate breakfast, put all of my equipment in my big backpack – laptop, projector, cables, and other miscellaneous things – and headed to the bus stop. I used to take the 510, but in my old age I am getting wiser and realize it is smarter to get on the 521, which starts at my bus stop. As a result there is always a seat. I ride it about two thirds the way there and get off and get on the 510, which by now has seats and ride it to the bus stop I get off at for the church – the 521 doesn’t go there. This morning as I got off the 521 the 510 was in front of us. We were stopped in traffic so I could make it up to the 510. This all took place in the second lane of traffic. At that time busses were lined up three abreast.
The trip went very well. My class starts at 9:00 and I was there at 8:40. I got set up, tried to say hello to excited students who were glad to have me back, and answered final questions Joy had. While I was doing this the class decided to sing some hymns from 8:45 to 9. At 9 Joy and I started, and the moment we did I knew it was going to be a very special morning.
