e is away....: Hakuna Matata

Where to begin Where to begin....Charlie charlie charlie. In Muslim countries. ....but first....

We loved Washington, loved seeing the white house all the time (so close to the street!) so loved the sites, Lincoln's speeches written in stone. They always choke me up: always. I do however think he might have been one of those great geniuses who wrote the speech in the car (horse) on the way to Gettysburg. If you re read it, you might agree he could have used a little bit of editing: he says "here" too much ...it is slightly distracting. Also there is a mangled sentence in the second inaugural. I know this is blasphemy to the people who worship him (as I do) but it's true. I got the feeling in that memorial that he is cringing ever so slightly at its imperfections.
But but but.. as if to remind us there was simply no one like him, he awes with the beauty and controlled vehemence of this:

Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away.
Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."

every drop of blood drawn with the lash! shall be paid by another drawn with the sword! Come on! The little black man at my side at the memorial was patting my shoulder at this point. Kills me. I just think he started a bit late writing some speeches. that's all I'm sayin.

Ok now to comedy. and statistics.
14 minutes.
That is the amount of time it took young Charles McCune (as they called him in Dar es Salaam airport) to say the words AL QAEDA!! kind of loudly in Dubai. When we landed and took the walk to a bizarre in-airport hotel...which had no windows to the outside, and one does not even go through passport control to reach it...it is totally inside. ..but on the way there were plenty of women in full black veils, and men in skull caps (he thought that meant they were "hebrew" and said that also loudly..).and saudi types in their funny robes, was the only time the children stopped yacking to each other. Charlie was agape. He walked into walls.
Then the next morning we fly to Tanzania..and the children are in coach and we are in business (emirates...most unbelievable business class luxury ever)...and Charlie comes up to me (see photo) to wake me in my air conditioned splendor to ask for more chocolates from up front for his "friends" people in the back he has asked to teach him to swear in Swahili. Then he shows me photo after photo of him holding one black perfect beautiful muslim baby after another. One had a fully veiled mother..who said nothing. But the father in long white cloaks and skull cap (aka a hebrew) said to him..where are you from . AMERICA! well the man said, you are so kind, and you smile all the time, you will go very far in life.
(!!!) way to go CHUMU!!! make one muslim friend at a time. All over the world, until they like us. and they will.
Check out the photos...he does nothing but play with their children, spreading love and sunshine and chocolate. He is now so exhausted..we put them into bed at 8 after sampling a chocolate fountain at the buffet. Ridiculous.
Tomorrow we will fly in small plane to the outback in time for an evening game drive.
The frederick and charlie duo have gotten even funnier. Because before we used to laugh only at them..now they have a bit of game. Had us in stitches describing the typical american approach to safari, i.e. the BIG FIVE. all the New Yorkers demand to see the BIG FIVE (lion, zebra, hippo, giraffe..blah blah0 and it is like a competitive sport back on the upper east side. So the children took a riff on this and said they would chest butt and high five with each one. Trouble is they are so loud and chatty (discussing I am not kidding everything from chinese currency manipulation to whether or not Jesus married) that we will not see any f ing animals. So it will be the BIG five
insects.
Took us three hours to get out of paspsort control and a 5 mile drive to the hotel, but the man who picked us up said simply Relax...! all good all good. Hakuna Matata.
Charlie: what MOVIE IS THAT FROM?????!!!!!!