waterfights + visting temples to douse the Buddha w/ water
pray for lots of luck, lots of rain this year
my friends went to this royal city in the north where all the tourists go
i didn't want to go w/ them
so i went off by myself to an island near the delta of the Mekong
got a bungalow for $2 a night
biked around the little island
checked out a waterfall
took a boatride
saw some dolphins
drank some icy pink juice from a plastic bag
all by myself
that night, i settled down in my hammock to take a nap
this french girl next door started talking to me (her English was really good)
about asia. the food. the weather.
and her friends. she said that in French, there's 2 words for friend
copain is an acquaintance-friend. a regular friend. you can have many copains.
but ami is something different. you can only have a few amis.
an ami is someone you share your life with.
who'd drop everything, quit their job, fly halfway across the world because you just called them at 3am + told them that your fiancee just died + can you come? she told me. that's an ami
she had amis
i asked myself, do i have any amis?
i couldn't really think of any. i have lots of copains.
but i don't think i have an ami.
i don't think i really want any amis.
i don't think i know how to be an ami.
it sounds like it takes a lot of work
sacrifice. time. love. myself.
i'd rather have copains
copains don't bother you
don't call you too late
don't ask for too much
don't make you change
we talked into the night
it was strange, to meet a stranger + to be sharing things as if they were an ami
we gave each other our emails
she was gonna be in my city just before she flew back home
"give me a call if you wanna meet up, friend"
i didn't
