Some days we (meaning some PCVs) wake up and wonder what are we doing here and are we really making a difference? Sometimes the evidence is right there in front us and other days it all feels like a waste. So where do we find motivation to keep moving forward and not give up. For all of us this motivation is as different as the reasons we signed up for the job in the first place. Some people are affected by different types of down points and some are affected by the same down points differently.
The Peace Corps. is often described as “the hardest job you will ever love.” I agree with this statement, but then again it all depends on what day I hear it.
So how do I deal with these down moments and low points? Play guitar, call someone and bitch about it, eat more rice than any one person should eat and quests. I have been on several quests and they are the following with results…
• Find a bar to watch American Football. Status: Achieved (added bonus of steak tacos)
• See a cock fight. Status: on going
• Grow a big barbarian-esk beard. Status: still growing
• Learn Spanish. Status: estoy trabajando
• Find a good pint of beer. Status: failed (conclusion; brew my own)
• Eat street food and not regret it. Status: Achieved
So I am kind of losing focus on the blog. What do you guys want to hear about? Drop a message please! Your input is of great value to the author.
A night Bus is defined as “a large motor vehicle designed to carry passengers usally along a fixed route according to a schedule.”
The author defines a night Bus as a “a large motor vehicle designed to scare the shit out of all the passengers while traveling along whatever route (preferably with turns that require only half the wheels on the ground) works according to a pretty accurate schedule. Fully inflating wheels is optional. Bathrooms are for women only. Males should carry water bottles. Be advised, for both sexes it is highly recommended to take a few shooters of Pepto before your ride.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XghJuH6GSCo
Wow, Tristan, you are doing so much to help others that it is amazing. The thought alone should keep you up!!!! I love reading your adventures. Even what must sound normal and mundane to you now is exciting and new to all of us.
ReplyDeleteYour bus ride sounds like something from a novel or perhaps the scene in which Kathleen Turner rides the bus in "Romancing the Stone"!!!
We went to Mexico for Harvey's daughter's wedding. The most I can say we did to improve humanity is help out the economy a bit and drink tequila with some Mexican guys.
The baja is arid and beautiful. Athough the dicotomy between wealth and non-weath is striking,if it weren't for the tourists and the rich folks (Oprah, madonna,etc) who own houses there - the poverty would be over whelming. The land doesn't support farming or ranching. Thank God the Agave plant grow so the tequila industry rules!
We are all looking forward to seeing you at Christmas.
Love, Sue
The blog is your Ulysses. That is what makes it so special, why we follow and read.
ReplyDeleteHi tristan,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy the insights you provide into the everyday life of another culture. The customs, architecture and colors used are very different and most interesting. Your work there provides the local people a look at our culture, as well as insights and ideas for them to take and use as appropriate. It is you and people like you who can make a real difference for a better and more understanding world. Keep up the good work.
Cheers,
Richard
PS: I love your pictures of the people and countryside.
The Whale... If you read a recent front page story of the San Francisco
ReplyDeleteChronicle, you would have read about a female humpback whale who had
become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was
weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to
struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope
wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her
mouth. A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farallon Islands
(outside the Golden Gate) and radioed an environmental group for
help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined
that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and
untangle her. They worked for hours with curved knives and
eventually freed her. When she was free, the divers say she swam in
what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and
every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently
around as she was thanking them. Some said it was the most
incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The guy who cut the
rope out of her mouth said her eyes were following him the whole
time, and he will never be the same. May you, and all those you
love, be so blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by people who
will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you.
And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude.
Nanny and Grandpa tnx to Billie Snyder