and that map has some funky dutch names on it

Letters of recommendation are very American things. You need them to apply for jobs, scholarships, and schools. I have had to ask for a few, and I have written many.

Yesterday I wrote a letter for a student who wants to study abroad in Cape Town, South Africa. I really hope she gets to go, because from what I hear Cape Town is an interesting place. Western European culture with a layer of Africa, just as California is Western European with layers of Mexico and Asia: cultures bleeding into each other.

I randomly met a woman from Cape Town at San Francisco International once when our plane was delayed. We spent a few hours people watching and chatting. I haven't talked to her since, but I get emails from her sometimes. Political mass emails I am assuming she sends to everyone she knows.