School | Growing Cilantro

Unfortunately, the rain got to it first. It was about 2 pm and Pak Budi came by my classroom with a giant plastic bag. Inside was my Valentine's package. Although it was sweet of him to deliver, it was strange because normally I have to go to the business office to pick up packges.

You might notice that this box appears to be yellow which might not seem weird except that the boxes from the USPS are white, not yellow. My box is yellow because it was haphazardly taped back together. Once I opened the plastic bag, I figured out why the business office wanted nothing to do with it:

I was almost knocked off my feet by the smell alone. Not only did I find coffee, salsa, soap, and books, but I also found some critters who had decided to hole up in the damp, fuzzy surroundings of my box. If you look closely, you can see the green dots that penetrated the cardboard.

I obviously recognized the mold (green and white fuzz) and the coffee grinds but was befuddled by the larger chunks that were also omnipresent. After Laura helped me salvage the belongings inside, I discovered that the large chunks were the cilantro seeds that had begun to sprout. At least we know that it can grow here!

At my request, my medicine had been stashed inside the bag of coffee beans, so that it wouldn't be taken by the customs guys. Unfortunately, it was apprehended in the course of this journey. Eloise (above right) was looking pretty rough and my Valentine's letters are decomposing under a blanket of white fuzz but on the bright side, everything else except the salsa made it!