I remember thick green mint, crushed beneath our sandy feet as we drank out of a small silver cup that hung from the faucet. It smelled delicious, fresh and cool and it made the last long walk up the hill unbelievably worth it.
The house clung at the top of a long sloping driveway, partially hidden behind a small forest of banana trees. It gave it the air of a tree fort. There were windows with wooden shutters, or bamboo screens to roll down at night or on rainy days. There were mosquito nettings for every bed, and bookshelves full of books, some in Japanese, which seemed both exotic and exciting. The shower remained a mystery to me all my childhood and youth- I could never manage the hot and cold water right, but somehow, that too was exotic and added to its charm.
The Surinam cherry tree- did it ever go out of season? I remember it always full of cherries. They were tart and sweet, and tasted like nothing on earth but themselves. I would circle it, eating as I went, rashly at first but with more discretion after a full round.
There was a beautiful terraced garden, bursting with everything you could wish for in a salad. My salad-loving young heart fell in love at first glance. Gardens, especially terraced ones, were new to me, and I can still see and smell the nasturtiums and even the cilantro when I think of it.
An oasis means different things to different people, and that house meant oasis to me. It wasn't my home, nor was it my family, but when I'm homesick it's for that family, that home; for the sun sparkling on the waves below and the winds that rushed up from the ocean.
The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.
Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.
The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.
The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.
Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O Lord, for ever.
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