Spelling the Island

spell:

v: to constitute the letters of a word /to add up; signify

n: a trance

I vacillate between verb and noun. Do I spell the name of our new place Kanatabla? Does it mean something like a table rock? The view is splendid. 180 degrees of sea, the island Tinian. Around the corner, San Pedro Chapel is announced by a candy-bright statue of the saint standing next to a statue of a chicken.

And even though we spent three hours scrubbing the floors and walls of our apartment, I am in the trance of flame trees, ylang ylang, coconuts, lagoons you can walk far into, massages the evening after our labor.

Everything adds up to a good place to try teaching.

This morning, I woke early to learn powerpoint. School starts on Friday. I have a grand amount to do beforehand.

And I'll learn how to spell my home.

Anna, landed