June 12, 2005
I've been here over a month now, and things are really starting to look up.
The people are very inviting. During my stay, they took in another set of travelers: a man and his wife traveling the world together. They didn't speak or understand the language either, but I helped translate for them.
I'm pretty good at their language now, and Shikoba helps with words I don't quite understand yet. He's still teaching me sign language too. I think both will be useful to me someday.
The log pose has long since set to the next island, but I have no intention of leaving. Marines seem to leave this place alone, as I haven't seen or even heard the word 'Marine' mentioned in my entire stay here. It's safer here than I thought. Perhaps…safe enough to call home.
I don't wanna get my hopes up and then be disappointed, so I'm still holding out for something bad to happen. With my luck, the whole place will burn down or something…
Shikoba and I have become really good friends since we met. He likes to take me exploring through the forest. There are so many different kinds of plants and animals on this island. Most of them I've never even seen before.
He likes to hike a lot, too. Especially when he can climb a hill better than I can, and then quickly make fun of me for it. Though, the waterfall has become our favorite spot on the island.
He's taken me to visit the other villages. They are just as friendly, but each one differs slightly from the others. It's so cool to see how much their culture can change just by residing in a separate part of the same island.
I've told him my name before, but he always signs 'Nizhoni' when he refers to me. Every time I ask what it means, he only shakes his head. I get the feeling he's insulting me or something. Once he wrote it in the dirt around the bonfire, and when the lady near us saw it, she just smiled like she knew something I didn't. I couldn't get her to tell me what it meant either. Everyone's so stubborn…
Today was the first time since my arrival I decided to venture off on my own. The hunters of the village thought it was a good idea, though they probably just thought I was trying to display my strength of something, and therefore thought everything regarding those lines was a good idea. The women and Shikoba were more reluctant but finally allowed me to leave the village. I promised to be back by the bonfire and set off.
Right now, they are probably preparing the fire, but I'm not quite ready to go back yet. I wanted to sit and think about things by myself.
Should I stay with them? If I leave, there's no returning. The log pose doesn't work that way. Would the next island be safer? Friendlier? More like a home? I still feel like an outsider, mainly because I'm the only person who still doesn't understand a majority of the language, and they still treat me like a special guest or something.
Every day felt like the one before. There was no defining line between one day and the next. They all seemed to blend together. It's a wonder I've kept track of time so far, otherwise I would probably have been so lost by now.
I don't know if I could live here for the rest of my life. I still want to experience life. Yes, the Doctor and Viper will always remain a problem to me, but that doesn't mean I'll give up living for the sake of being 'safe.' I refuse to let them dictate how I will live.
There's a lot I need to think about….
The sunset looks so beautiful. I think I'll just sit and watch it for awhile.
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