the exchange

For a daily appearance in the dumpy teacher's office of random furniture and disgruntled staff... a cheerful "Kelly, desho cha dungkee" (Kelly, come drink tea) and a twisted paper cup of sweet milk tea from the hand of the grandfatherly head of the language department.

For a haphazard glance at the computer screen on which my boss browses 'Left Behind' computer games... a brief chance to explain the rapture.

For an invitation to a meal and a bench inside a tea house staffed by friendly giggling sisters... an unashamed peal of laughter from the weary chapped handed junk seller and a daily phone call from her small sweet voice in a language I barely understand.

For learning the name of the girl at the stationary store... free pens every time I enter.

For a casual comment about the beauty of plants... a ride across town with a fellow teacher to a random flower market and an afternoon spent viewing strange flora and picking out plant arrangements and pots for our homes with no expense questioned until the back of the jeep could hold no more.

For a smile... the linguistically impossible overflowing adoration of the grocery store family.

For a friendly acquiescence to the demand to empty my package of all its contents... a ten minute conversation about baking and teaching and a rush of compliments from the heretofore hateful customs postal worker.

For returning to a noodle restaurant and gushing with compliments about the food... warm attention from the exhausted owner and a red plastic bucket of too chewy sweets.

For listening to the halting, broken, nearly verbless English of a shy, self abasing student... the confession, over cups of sweet tea and bowls of yaky noodles, that "teacher you my best friend."

For being a conspicuous white girl using hand cream while waiting for a friend... a chance to share the Bert's Bees luxury with a beautiful, ancient, milky eyed, nearly toothless, demanding grandmother and compare my white splitting hands with her brown knobby ones.

For nothing whatsoever... grace.

The exchange isn't exactly an even one. It was never meant to be.