On...thisandthat

abandoned

2008-05-30T23:44:00.000-04:00

I am not writing until further notice...

Wrapping Up

2007-10-16T06:38:00.003-04:00

Futebol

2007-10-16T06:38:00.001-04:00

Brasil, first impressions.

2007-10-16T06:35:00.000-04:00

frustrations and asunción, py

2007-09-26T22:13:00.000-04:00

i got to the paraguayan border after 3/4 of a day on buses only to find out that i would now need to lug myself and my huge bag back to the previous town, shell out 50 bucks and get a tourist VISA. not only that but the only real viable way of transport was a personal taxi, ugh.....i could hear the money just draining like liquid out of my bank account. so after a few snafus at the bank i finally got the dough i needed to get the VISA. two hours after my initial arrival i had my VISA and was through to paraguay. now i had a decision to make, hop onto a crowded mini-bus for real cheap and hope it takes me to the brasilian consulate in asunción (my whole reason for going to PY in the first place) or take my cab high-style like right to the door. well, i knew my money was low but i was also extremely stressed and tired and was hoping to get the VISA processed that afternoon so i opted with the friendly cab-man.

then, i got to the consulate but it was closing 20 minutes after i got there...finish this later.

santiagueños

2007-09-26T21:34:00.000-04:00

time flew in argentina, i was there for 18 days but it felt more like 3. what did i do?

santiagueños, people living in santiago del estero in the north of argentina, are known for sleeping all day and going out all night and boy is it true! its so hot there during the day (summer time well over 100) that no one can stand going outside so everyone sleep or chills in the house from 1-5 in the afternoon, nothing is open and the streets are empty. lunch, the biggest meal of the day happens at about 130. merienda is like a small breakfast with bread, sweets, and tea or café con leche and happens about 5 or 530. Then there´s la cena, or dinner, and it happens about 11 pm and normallay consists of a tasty sandwhich. argentina has excellent meats and almost every meal was rich and tasty for me, a meat lover. thats about the daily schedule and for those who don´t work or have school early in the morning it is very easy to sleep in til noon on a daily basis, and thats pretty much what i did...thing is it is quite difficult to eat a massive lunch 5 minutes after waking up. but i wasn´t the only one who slept in half the day, ceci and ines also did because their university classes didn´t ever start before 6 pm!!!

so i met a group of high school kids who played basketball with me several times. it wasnt great competition but it was a blast! they were great kids, asking me all kinds of questions about the US and offering every nuance about their own country and city. i ended up going to 3 professional basketball games, the team Quimsa, which were all a blast and all victories! It is true that argentinians take their futbol quite seriously...but it is also true tha basketball is without a doubt the second most popular sport and well supported. Their were approximately 3,000 screaming and chanting fans in attendence and the game reminded a lot of college basketball with respect to the fans, the concessions (just a table with some people making food behind it), and the skill level. Though the skill level is definitely higher than our college basketball i wouldn´t say its much higher than say final four ball. The best players on the teams were almost always african-american players from the US. They were definitely not head and shoulder above their teammates, but it was obvious who was the go to man in key situations...As for my own basketball play...let´s just say im a bit rusty. one afternoon i went to the park with my young friends and their was a group of older men who ran us off the court so they could play full-court 10 v 10, except they were only 9...so i filled in. i was already mad at their behavior, and on top of that i was arrogantly thinking i would likely dominate the game. well, i played ok but i definitely did not dominate... it was fun though.

what else? i met some friends at a local ping-pong club, where i met some stiff competition and others who were easily whomped. in one stretch of three consecutive nights i stayed out until 815, 730, and 630 respectively. i got a bit tanner, every day i laid out in the sun while the rest of the world slept the night off. i met quite a few beautiful girls, mostly friends of cecilia and her boyfriend benjamin. i enjoyed immensely the warm hospitality of cecilia´s family, their generosity and friendships. i especially enjoyed getting so much closer to cecilia, we talked a ton every day about everything under the sun, but mostly her relationship issues. i truly can´t wait to see her again!!!

well, im in asunción paraguay now, the trip (as always in latin american) had quite a few of unexpected surprises which i will write about next...thats it about argentina, what a wonderful place!

love

on travel

2007-09-13T15:27:00.000-04:00

so i`ve been at this gig here for about 2 months now...and while it has been incredibly enjoyable, refreshing and awesome there are a few downsides.

free time. this is obvious but it is worth saying. im not working or studying. therefore, i have loooots of free time, lots of time to do whatever i want. and now this may seem like a complete liberty, and it is to an extent, but it is also a burden. not since i was 16 have i gone so long without work or school, something to strive for, something to work at. meanwhile everyone around you has job, school, friends, significant others, etc. that keep them busy. its just an odd place to be really, trying to soak in everything you can from a different land while not being drowned by the massive amounts of time you have to do so....

communication. while i do speak spanish fairly well there is still a communication gap, one that nags at me. so often people talk about local things. who`s going out with who, what the price of bread means to the family, what the latest scandal is in local politics...and so on. it is difficult for a foreigner to have much to say, sure you can have some input, but its not like dynamic interaction. and i love to have dynamic interaction, discussing politics, God, relationships, men/women, etc. on such a deep level, having real give and take. it is possible for me to have that here but only on a generic scale, not on a local scale and that`s a bit tough. it makes one feel a little bit on the outside. not intentionally so in the sense that the people are putting you there, but just because they are taking about something that you have no idea about and have nothing to say and therefore nothing to contribute.

i think good solutions to both issues are staying in one place longer, studying, getting a job, developing a social network, and learning about every-day life. until then, you`ll just be a wandering gringo......not that that`s a terrible thing. ;-)

love

Argentina, first impressions

2007-09-08T20:36:00.000-04:00

First, im thanking God that the weather has finally smiled on me. After spending the past 7 weeks in the frigid cold, albeit beautiful, shadow of the mountains im freakin thrilled to be in the arid north of Argentina. Though the landscape is nothing to write home about (no pun intended) the beat of the sun warms my spirit!

4 years have passed since I`ve seen my argentinian sister cecilia! how great is was to see her!!! she is so mature now, frequently conversing about very difficult and deep topics, most hospitable (wont let me buy anything), and welcoming!

the trip to santiago del estero was long...and arduous. 1 day and a half to Buenos Aires, which by the way i wish i had way more money and time to spend there because it seems fabulous! very much like new york, grand city, bustling people, good public transport and an international feel and flavor. love it! but i only spend 1 day there for another 14 hours to santiago...

argentina? very dirty, it seems like they dont give a hoot about trash collection or litter. or else its already so bad they`ve given up hope. or maybe it sticks out here because the surroundings are so arid? argentinians? awesome! love to have long, intellectual discussions, which is of course a love of mine as well, though quite difficult to sustain in spanish for hours on end. love to walk all over the place (average 1 hour per day at least i guess). go out at night extremely late (we didn`t even go out until 3 am last night, returning at 7). eat great great meat, oh man im gonna get fat its soooo good! extremely passionate about futbol. very proud of their beautiful women (well justified). and not the cocky, too-good-for-this-continent that everyone makes them out to be...

love

Chile at a glance

2007-09-08T20:19:00.000-04:00

what can i say about Chile? i was there 23 days and nearly cried when i left. feña`s family showed such fantastic hospitality it was nearly overwhelming. they always made sure i had some interesting things to do, always asked about my day, asked what i wanted to eat, took me all over the place. that is, on weekends we would "dar la vuelta" which literally means take the turn but for them means driving around. anyways, every weekend we would take a half-day trip to see some waterfalls, or some lakes, or some other beauty of nature that this part of chile offers. and not just the parents would take me, everyone goes, its a family event! lovely!

i had the privilege of going to carla`s english class, she`s studying to be an english prof and is quite good already! anyways, the chilean college experience was quite interesting. everyone goes home to their home towns every weekend, therefore very little partying is done with college friends, perhaps one night a week. but we did go to a party....and didnt get home until 1 o`clock the following afternoon! thats just how they do....start partying late (we arrived at the disco at 130 and left at 430) , then went to someones house until nearly lunch time!

the south of chile is completely unprepared for cold weather. it snowed the second day i was there, the snow disappeared before the afternoon ended and school was cancelled for the following day! and actually for good reason, because the city doesn`t have the equipment nor means to take care of the streets like we do, they are just not accustomed to snow, the first time in 15 years, imagine!

because of chile`s geography it is a quite beautiful place (at least the south of chile is), mountains, rivers, lakes, beautiful fauna... quite to my liking. however, what i didnt like, the cold!!!! ohhhh so cold every day. i mean not cold in our sense of cold winters but seemingly colder because they dont deal with the cold the same way we do. they simply endure it, they just tough it out, heating the whole house with a single fire in an oven in the living room, such that going to sleep under 7 blankets still requires about 20 minutes so that your freezing toes and hands are comfortable enough to fall asleep. we just fire up the gas and /or electric heating systems and blast it out. their system is much more nature friendly though ours is obviously more comfortable.... comfort at what cost? tough question.

chileans are passionate about futbol and proud of their country. they don`t have the best relationships (or thoughts toward for that matter) with their neighbors argentina and peru, but i was treated fantastically. staying with feña`s family was an incredible experience, it made me want to host a student again, it makes me want to go out of my way in the US and practice hospitality to the stranger, to the exile, to the immigrant, to the refugee.... how great a feeling it is to be treated so well in a foreign land!!!

love

Attn.

2007-09-02T23:23:00.000-04:00

Sorry everyone for not writing in forever, I have been extremely busy this last week in Chile. I am leaving for Argentina tomorrow morning, Monday, and hope to get to Cecilia´s house in the north no later than Friday. Expect some monstrous updates within the week!

love

El Mighty Volcán

2007-08-23T14:30:00.000-04:00

What. an. epic. day!

The ascent took about 6 hours and the descent 3 more, the guides said it was -15 degrees (celsius which is 5 Fahrenheit), smoke billowed out from active volcanic crater at the top, and the mountain provided some of the most fantastic vistas i have ever seen...

I packed 2 large bars of chocolate, 3 bananas, 2 sanwiches, 1 bag of peanuts and 2 bottles of water. well, thats a funny thing...because eating in such extreme weather is quite interesting!

second stop up the mountain im feeling great, not cold at all and wondering where the power of the mountain is. i enjoy chomping on my chocolate and gazing out over the valley. meanwhile, the two brazilians who are doing the trek with me are keeping up just fine and we are all enjoying talking in our broken spanish.

fast forward about 45 minutes and the brazilian couple is split with the girl lagging far behind, we stop again to eat only this time i open my pack up and rip open the banana eating it in record time im sure, i stuffed the whole thing in my mouth as fast as i could so that my hand could return to cover! my sunglasses were covered in snot and my strength, though aplent, was waning. i mentioned to the guide my fear of descending and he said if i was afraid that we couldn`t go to the very top. woops! i mean, sir, im good to go, vamos!

next stop...utter misery. my hands beat against my chest to keep from going numb, my feet already there. the reason? we stopped for a quick snack break, me drinking ice cold water, and then 5 minutes later again to put on the cramp.pns. thus, my body suffered for these consecutive stops. anyways, cramp-ons on (kinda like a pick axe on my feet) and suddenly my fear of ascending up the mountain in ice vanishes...

summit. wow o wow. we are above the clouds, wreather in vapor fleeing maddeningly from the volcano opening. the vistas are indescribable but the cold is overwhelming. it is impossible to really appreciate the views though, as it is just too cold. really that kinda sums up the trip, that is, the mountain provided incredible views, beautiful expanses but it was more about my individual effort, overcoming my fears, trusting in my body and pushing on when i thought i couldnt.

at the end of the day, upon returning to villarrica and staring at the massive piece of rock, i felt a great sense of accomplishment in summitting this beast, im eager for my next mountain....but not too eager!

love

Pictures!

2007-08-23T14:29:00.000-04:00

I have posted pictures from Villarrica in facebook and anyone without facebook can look at them by clicking on the links to the right! Look here for more future pictures from ecuador, peru, and the rest....

love

Villarrica

2007-08-20T14:32:00.000-04:00

as the name implies, this really is a rich ville. it is a tourist haven...but apparently only in the summer as i am pretty much the only gringo ive seen south of santiago. but i can see why. the lakes that border the edge of town are massive, with beautiful, towering mountains to top their skyline. they provide lots of warm beach space and water sporting activities. speaking of the mountain, its called Volcan, or volcanoe, and its quite active. and i do mean puffing smoke at all hours of the day! i´ll be climbing it to the summit tomorrow!!!

ahhhh but its a beauty. it towers over the town like a watchtower and is seen in the skyline from nearly everywhere in the city and the surrounding countryside. the smoke that billows out is fantastic. i cant wait to see it close up!

some interestings:

-i´ve been to 3 parties so far (lots of food and adult beverages) and none of them have ended before 1 am. 2 lasted until 5 am! One of them, a party for feña´s pop, also named fernando but called nano for the sake of clarity, was a smashing hit!
-i saw sea lions and medieveal artillery used in the war against spain yesterday on the coast.
-it snowed here for the first time in 15 years, what luck! (or bad luck as it turns out, im sick of the cold!)
-chilean spanish is much harder to understand than peruvian or ecuadorian spanish. either that or my brain is tiring.
-i watch on average 1 futbol game a day, is this heaven?
-i went to some hot baths, i mean hot! they are like our jacuzzi´s only they are swimming pools filled with hot water. anyway, i went with feña, his two sisters andrea and carla and andrea´s boyfriend, rodrigo. they were the only 2 girls there and felt quite awkward getting in the water with 20 men gawking!
-i went to feña´s english class and got hit on by 17 year old chileans.
-i got lost 1 block away from the house.
-i got whooped in ping-pong by every chilean at the party on friday, and i thought i wasn´t bad!
-i went horseback riding at rodrigo´s country estate and found a lost, baby sheep, which, if it survives they are naming dan in honor of its rescuer!
-i drafted a Fantasy Football team with my friends from bluegrassmagic and got Ladainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Andre Johnson, and Adam Vinatieri...quite hopeful i think!
-i sleep about 10 hours a day.....

love

finishing the trek, impressions of Villarrica

2007-08-15T21:00:00.000-04:00

ok, well im only going to write a bit and then add more later.

juan, 27, is ok i guess. he should be back in spain by now i reckon. we never saw him. we tried for 2 straight days to find him in cuzco, at hospitals and such, and just missed him before he flew to lima. we kept going to places we heard he was and it kep turning out that he had just left... it was like carmen freakin sandiego!

machu picchu was absolutely amazing. we started off from the nearby town at 430 in the morn, my travelling companion, leah, was deathly sick (thought she is fine now i believe), so we lagged behind the group and arrived at the summit at about 630 i believe. i didnt mind arriving late though as it was an arduous trek up the hillside for my good friend leah and i needed the company as well. plus machu picchu wasnt going anywhere afterall...so the summit. there really isnt a way to describe it but ima give it a go.

the first thing one notices atop the old mountain (the meaning of machu picchu in quechua--the andeans believe smaller mountains are older) are the neighboring mountains. they shoot up fom the winding valley like tall, majestic spires wreathed in the morning mist. i think i stared ahead at the opposite mountain for about 15 minutes, so awed was i, and we were waiting for the rest of the group...

upon entering the outer gate you see an ancient stone city, each building made with incredible precision and insight, though there are no roofs as they wanted to be that much closer to nature. it is staggering how it was built, its immense size and beauty and architectural genius. the surrounding mountains and crisp air must have provided a much different ¨city atmosphere¨than what we´re used to in the west, more in tune with the land and the blessings of the earth. we toured the grounds of machu picchu and learned about the condor which represents vision, about the puma which represents strength and war, and about the snake which represents the afterlife and the underground. all doors and walls are trapezoidally shaped to provide a stronger foundation--since peru is known to have earthquakes. there was a large bowl filled with water with which one could look at the sun (since looking at the sun, which was their chief god, unaided was prohibited) and the stars. also they had an ancient clock which took the sunshine and, with a rock spire, deflected the shadow pointing to a time.

we climbed waynu picchu (young mountain) and stood atop what seemed like the tallest mountain in the valley. waynu picchu is what is seen behind machu picchu in all the famous pictures. from here machu picchu seemed small, yet one could picture it in the midst of these great mountain ranges and appreciate it all the more. seeing machu picchu was unforgettable, it is one of the highlights of my life, and is truly deserving of the title ¨one of the new 7 wonders of the world!¨

the trip to villarrica was looong (3 straight days on bus) but well worth it. im having a great time with feña and his family and feel so welcomed and honored. more on this...in the next blog.

love

day 4: sadness descends....

2007-08-14T11:03:00.000-04:00

Things were going just so well up to this point on the trip....

Juan, my new friend from spain, woke up with quite a different look on his face. he felt nauseous and just plain terrible...i thought he would soon get over it though, as it seemed like everyone was getting sick at one time or another on our trip.

about 15 minutes into our trek, just after we crossed over a rushing river in a crate with a cable line (pictures to come!) juan got sick. so he turned back with out guide miguel to get some rest and hopefully feel better. the rest of us continued on, though in quite a somber mood. we felt like our team, our family was breaking, and it was...

the day was hot and i think everyone just wanted to get to aguas calientes, the sending off point for machu picchu. trudging along in relative silence we got to our destination at about 5 in the afternoon. not much to say except that walking along train tracks for 3 hours straight is quite depressing. u must look down to avoid a misstep, which means u miss all the gorgeous scenery, and the rocks punish sore feet if a misstep occurs. ugh.

relieved and exhausted we arrived in aguas calientes to hotels with hot showers and actual beds (what is this?) weird for us, a bit like cheapening it, but a welcoming situation nonetheless...we meet up for dinner and learn terrible news.

juan got considerably worse, in fact he had the beginnings of a heart attack. he is made to stay where he is due to the severity of his condition, and will only be brought to cuzco when he gets better. paul, who has been travelling a bit with juan, informs us that juan had a heart condition that never manifested before...what a horrible time! we all groan down our dinners and wonder what could befall our friend. next time: more on juan and the wonders of machu picchu!

love

day 3 (and the 3-day trip to Chile)

2007-08-10T18:08:00.001-04:00

I am trying to write about the past, when so much has happened in between. forgive me, here goes....

i recall the 3rd day being an absolute blast. i woke up feeling much better from whatever body cold was attacking me. i remember dunking my head in a steaming hot waterfall, and i remember playing soccer for like an hour with a cruddy ball, a difficult field, and a tired team...it was pretty much the best soccer game of my life! so much fun! it was me, 2 english guys, an aussie guy, and an isreali vs. 2 peruvians, 1 spaniard, 1 frenchie, and 1 american. we tied 4-4.

the rest of the day was pretty chill. we walked for a few more hours to this tiny town called La Playa (the beach, although it was anything but). after lunching we piled into a bus (if you can call it that) and drove for about an hour and a half over and through some of the most terrifying terrain, cliffs, sheer faces to another small town Santa Theresa. We witnessed the slaughtering of a cow, quite the thing, before heading off to what has to be one of the most beautiful and relaxing places on earth.

Hot springs, or rather, hot springs channeled into big, rock-lined pools of water...warm enough to bathe in yet relaxing enough to just chill. located in the nooks of a mountain side, next to a rushing river, with nearby towering mountains to mesmerize. we watched the sun set in her brialliant pinks, oranges, and yellows on the mountainside...the stars soon graced us and we were in utter blisstown.

at dinner we decided to have a few drinks, so we shared about 4 bottles of wine (between about 6 of us) and got a bit happy and played some awesomely invented games (liquid delight and the new game)...it was a grand time of laughter, joke telling, and story sharing.

as they say in saraguro...stomach full, heart content, mind at ease.

love

Day 2, Salkantay

2007-08-07T19:24:00.000-04:00

No one had a decent night´s sleep and to top it off we were greeted by a trio of frenchman singing some awful britney spears.

Forgot to mention, I saw the milky way for the first time. Outside in the frigid cold, in the shadows of the mountains the milky way lit up the sky and blessed us all as we stared in adoration for over 10 minutes. Upon awakening, we are further sustained by naturé´s beauty--the awakening sun lights up the snow-capped mountains and shines brilliantly. On to the hike--the hardest physical challenge of the trip.

The altitude, while not affecting me at all yet, was staggeringly present with me on the first part of the trek. The air was just sooo thin, it felt like it was slicing my lungs and throat apart. we trudge onward and the valley opens up as the sun shines her brilliance into it. aside from the pain i am in, it is a sight that fills me with joy. im worried about not being able to make the 800 meter climb to the top so i start thinking of lord of the rings quotes, and they inspire me onward!

after about 3 hours of straight climbing upward i finally reach the top--4600 meters above sea level (i think over 14000 feet) !!! it is such an exhilirating feeling i am almost in tears. i embrace my travelling companions. we make a traditional offering of coca leaves to the mountain for protecting us and taking us to her pass. speaking of coca leaves, i chewed them throughout the trip as they are a traditional andean way of giving energy and health to those who chew them and swallow the saliva. (coca leaves are a hot topic for the US, since they are used to make coca leaves, but the andeans seem to only use them to aid them in their mountainous life).

the top of the pass is stunning...and cold. we are above clouds, literally. we dont wait long, before beginning the remaining 6 hours and 1800 meter descent. the rest of the day went phenomenally smooth, we were all still so jazzed about the ascent. lunch is in a picturesque valley and the night´s camp is set near a river. we were followed by clouds nearly the whole time...im sick this evening so head to bed early and in a foul mood.

observations. i reflect on the mountain, her beauty and ferocity and thank god for the safe passage. i reflect on the triumphs of the will, which pushed me onward though my mind begged to stop. another day with my travelling mates has opened us all up and we share stories and laughter constantly... the group is a unique blend of international westerners and is a true example of what communication and openness brings about--understanding, friendship, and even love. day 3 coming later...

love

5 days/4 nights

2007-08-07T19:00:00.000-04:00

15 people in our group. 3 French brothers-Jeremey, David, Nicholas. 1 couple from Scotland and England-Guy and Ethna. 1 couple from Italy and Austrailia-Sonia and Ken. 1 Australian girl-Evelyn. 1 guy from England-Roman. 1 guy from Ireland-Paul. 1 guy from Isreal-Zohar. 1 guy from Spain-Juan. and 3 Americans-Dale, Leah and I.

So amazing! At any given time we were all communicating in either French, Spanish, or English and we had such great conversation and laughs! There was truly a strong bond created as a result of the difficulties of the trail and the joy of companionship. I hope to meet up with some of them as I continue my travels and I hope also to keep in contact with them through my life, they are some truly remarkable people. It was the best part of my trip, making new friends, which is saying a lot since I saw one of the new 7 wonders of the world!

This blog will be partitioned as it will be so long...

Day 1
We get up at 4 am to catch a 3 hour bus ride to our starting point. From there we hike about 4 hours to our lunch point through picturesque mountain landscapes and river flows from melting snow. At lunch we see our day 2 destination (huge mountain covered in snow) and we kinda groan in expectation of the arduous journey. After lunch we hike another 3 hours to our night camp. It is absolutely freezing in the camp as it is right underneath the 2 towering mountains, umantay and salkantay--i estimate probably about 25-30 degrees F, if that. Yet the beauty of the nearby mountains and the fellowship of the group sustains us enough to not get totally discouraged. In every article of clothing that i brought I tent it up with a 56 year old american from california, we have some good chats about ohio sports before falling into a most uncomfortable sleep (believe it or not my body was warm, but the cold air entering my throat was enough to keep me tossing and turning all night).

observations. our two guides, miguel and juan are really cool. they have a lot of cultural history and background to share as well as a very genuine friendship to offer. additionally, we have a team of about 10 mules carrying all our gear, with 4 porters and 2 cooks in tow. we are quite an entourage. the porters and cooks wear only sandals and a vest in this frigid, uninhabitable climate. wowee. they are hardened to the mountain and her ferocity.

we passed a hotel at the end of our 7 hour trek, a hotel! complete with jacuzzi and more... it was absurd but im sure some westerners would pay the price (i think like $150) but only to miss out on the extraordinary experience of the trek! word has it that cameron diaz stayed there in the end of june... all for now, am heading to chile either tonight or tomorrow morn, will write about the other days asap.

love

cultural divides

2007-07-31T18:13:00.000-04:00

I read an article last night about a gringo (american) living in nicaragua who was convicted of a murder that seems impossible for him to have committed. he is to spend 30 years in prison in nicaragua. his name is eric volz. the people of the town insulted and shouted awful obscenities at him, but not at the other 3 native nicaraguans who were also brought to trial (one of whom was also convicted). Such things as ¨die gringo¨ and ¨he´s so rich his parents will probably buy his way out of it¨and ¨justice to the gringo, killer of innocent women,¨it brought so much to my mind...

i love people of other cultures as is well documented. i also have a very high view of humanity (i think people are beautiful and capable of tremendous beauty). but am constantly brought to my depths when i hear and read of people who hate other people based on something that seems so arbitrary, like nation of birth, native language, and color of skin.

it has happened and happens everywhere, throughout history, with all peoples. why are we so afraid of what is different? why do different cultures and customs and languages cause so much fear in us? just think.

what is your view of middle easterners?
and what about those that profess the muslim religion?
what about the illegal latin american immigrants who enable us to eat out so frequently and cheaply by working shit wages and hours in our restaurants?
what about asian immigrants?
what about african americans?

REMEMBER all of our parents were at one time immigrants and strangers in a foreign land. i want to challenge us to not only act with kindness and love towards those of other ¨races¨ (which is, by the way, a complete bogus concept invented by whites) but also to think good thoughts about them, afterall they are human just like you.

i have lots of amazing friends, but most of us, myself included, need to check ourselves with respect to peoples of other cultures. if we don´t, if we let hostile or even negative attitudes prosper within us, then the same thing could happen in middle america as happened in nicaragua. pointless, brutal, disgusting, hatred based on misunderstandings and ignorance.

love

Cuzco on the way to Machu Picchu

2007-07-31T17:57:00.000-04:00

Cuzco was the capital center of one of the biggest pre-colonial empires this side of the world--the Incas. Though there were many Andean peoples and empires before them it was the Incas who seemed to have mastered the difficult landscape enough to make a lasting impact--with the remains of beautiful stone structures that boggle the mind.

It is located in the middle of marvelous and gigantic mountains in the Andes mountains in Eastern Peru. Every time I turn around I see landscapes that previously only existed in my dreams. Mountains that tower above everything. Small towns with ancient churches and cobblestoned streets. Rivers that cut through valleys as if they are still creating them. Ancients ruins that are built so masterfully that it seems impossible for a people with no knowledge of iron or steel.

I stare out the windows on the bus rides and when I am in the town center my eyes constantly wander to the snow peaks so many thousands of feet above. We went to Pisac, a site near Cuzco and did a 2 hour climb/hike up the mountainside to view the ancient ruins. My mind kept wandering to this point: It is no wonder these people worshipped Mother Earth and Father Sun, they were surrounded by absolute beauty. Besides the magnificent landscapes there were plenty of ancient ruins to see. The ruins made up religious and cultural centers but I´m not sure what else...Anyways, the building were made of gigantic stones that fit together like a puzzle. With no iron or steel to shape the stones and no mechanized equipment to drag the stones up the mountainside it seems miraculous that they even exist. And what craftsmanship! I stared and stared at their beauty...

Well that was Pisac. Tomorrow (wednesday) we leave for a 5 day/4 night hiking and camping trip throughout the valley on our way to view the splendors of one of the newest 7 wonders of the world--Machu Picchu. We are going in a group of 6 and we hear the trip is quite difficult. But it is an extraordinary opportunity to be hiking along the same trail the Incas used, seeing the same beautiful landscapes that captured their minds so many years ago. On the 5th day we leave our camping site at 4 in the morning so that we might catch a glimpse of the first rays of the sun as it peaks over the tall mountains and into the bowl-shaped home of the ruins...Check my facebook profile for pictures in the next couple of weeks.

love

Festia de la Patria en Lima, Peru

2007-07-31T17:35:00.000-04:00

I ate cow tongue. And it was delicious. I was a bit weirded out at first but after the first bite (reminds of finely roasted beef) I couldn´t wait for the second. We spent most of the two days in Lima doing what the rest of the country was doing--celebrating Peru´s independence day. We took a city tour and went atop this marvelous mountain...but it was so cloudy that you could only see about 20 feet in front of you, so we missed out on the spectacular view that Lima provides, nestled between mountains. We went to the national parade and I was a bit surprised to see that the only participants in the parade were military. The country must be particularly proud to show off its military, people cheered and loved the display, though it seemed a bit gloomy to me. We went to a cool chinese restaurant and ate a feast for about 2 bucks each. Everything is sooo cheap here that it is laughable!

I eat full meals (much better than what you could get in the US) for 2 bucks. What else?
Hotels for 5 bucks a piece.
Taxi rides for about a dollar.
Bottles of water for 30 cents.
Beautiful Alpaca wool sweaters for 13 dollars.
Freshly squeezed juice slushies for 1 dollar.

It´s nice because I´m quite broke and poor.

Anyways, I wrote last time about the deplorable conditions in the rural areas of Peru. Well the following day I picked up a newspaper and read about the President´s anual speech he gave the night before. One of the main issues he wanted to address was the disgusting rate of poverty (some stats suggest it is over 50%), he wants to lower it to about 30% during his term (until 2011). I was so happy to see that this was such a point of concern for the nation and I hope he follows through with his promises and that his term isn´t characterized by corruption and mismanagement like every other term seems to have been in Peru´s history.

Though the government has its faults the people are warm and friendly (aside from the constant begging and offering to seel something). I got money out of an ATM in Chimbote (6 hours north of Lima) and was so mad when the machine gave me dollars. I stormed off in search of a bank that would change my money. Well, I had forgotten my bank card!!! Much to my surprise a woman came running after me with it in her hand shouting that I had forgotten it. Wow, that incident made my heart jump a few beats. The hostal and restaurant service have been excellent and we´ve encountered some very kind people (friends of Leah´s) that have put us up in their homes, fed us gorgeous peruvian cuisine, and taken us around the city.

I love Ecuador and am starting to like Peru as well, the language is a bit different but the food is delicious! We are in Cuzco now...which will be the subject of my next entry. Until then,

love

peru, more on the andeans

2007-07-27T20:39:00.000-04:00

the religion of the andean is called animism by some. that is, they "worship" the sun, the celestial beings, and in general the created order. but i do not think "worship" should be taken in the same sense as we, inheritors of judeo-christian practices, worship God, the Son, and Spirit. there are definitely similiarities...

we sing songs to God, they sing songs. we offer prayers of petition and thanksgiving as do they. we offer tributes and payments (tithe) and they offer similar material gifts. but one thing i noticed that we could take a hint to pick up on, and that is the sincerity with which they respect and pay homage to that which sustains them.

often i have seen that in our churches and places of worship things seem forced. that is, it is no longer worship in the true sense of the word (adoration, respect, love) but mere ritual. however, the andean seems to worship the created order because he must. he is so thankful for the sustenance nature provides while he is in awe of her majesty. so his prayers, songs, and offerings are a direct outpouring of his inner state and relationship to nature. it is a very interesting and attractive character quality, and i hope to apply its sincerity and depth to my own life.... but that is a whole nother story.

now i am in peru and have been shocked at the poverty here! people live in nothing but looks like flimsy wooded boxes in the midst of barren deserts... i am dismayed at how a people can live in conditions like this and am outraged! the government here seems to be too mired in corruption and self-interest to help its people.

anyways......so tired now, will arrive in lima tomorrow after 36 straight hours of buses and bus stations, tired, hungry, dirty, stinky. i long for a hot shower and a cozy bed! check out leah´s blog (under the skies) for a better tale of our adventures.

love

saraguro

2007-07-26T22:28:00.000-04:00

i just spent 3 of the most amazing days of my life in a small indigenous community in southern ecuador, called saraguro after the name of the people that live there.

i stayed with don miguel and anita for the better part of it and enjoyed their excellent cooking and 4 children (andres, marlene, amawta, yara) among other cousins and nephews and nieces. they truly opened their home to leah and i. the children played with us and asked us many questions about our homes and customs. anita shared laughter and her phenomenal foods with us. miguel taught us the way of the andean.

the andean lives in equilibrium with the land, he does not abuse it nor take it for granted. instead, he takes what the land offers and promises respect. he lives in harmony with others because of the excellent relationship he possesses with the natural order, which gives life to all. he eats only what he grows. his animals are cared for and not a thing goes to waste! he believes that man is most alive when he is living in equilibrium with the land--that is, when he respects, cares for, and prospers the natural order around him by offering his honest work and words of petition and affirmation. to the andean, everything around him possesses energy--endowed by the Creator. everything that is natural is sacred and to be respected. this is the real life, the only way to really live.

i love nature and i feel so peaceful in it, but never before have i met a people that gave such due respect and love for the earth and for the cosmos which sustains man. it impacted me in a mighty way. i can no longer see food, or a tree, or the sky, or a rock in the same way. everything that God has created is alive in a sense, because it lives in mother earth and sustains life therein.

what impact has this? every time we eat, we must first ask questions. where does this food come from? do those who grew this food respect the earth? did they mistreat the animals or the workers in the field? if i eat it will i remain in harmony with the cosmos or will it cause the natural order harm and so cause a disequilibrium within me? even more so, do the things we buy, things we do, places we go, harm the creation that is alive and sustains us?

to really understand what i am saying is to be shocked out of your pants, it is to cause a total re-evaluation of every aspect of our life. and it begs the question--just how progressed is the american society?

i will write more later about the indigenous life, but please post your comments so i know at least someone is reading!

love

Time and space

2007-07-20T13:56:00.000-04:00

So....

the concept of time and space here is so different. they are not one´s own. that is, what you perceive of as your space and your time really isn´t. instead both space and time belong to everyone and no one. this is so antithetical to the american culture of super individualism.

just think. when you get home from work do you stop and share your day full of small stories and happenings for 20 minutes or do you go right to the computer or tv. when you eat and are finished do you stay and sit, talking and laughing, or do you go upstairs to your bedroom? and when you go somewhere with someone are you worried about what you will do or what time you will get home? here time just flows and you must flow along with it or feel terribly uncomfortable.

im not saying one way is better than another. but it has refreshed me quite a bit to not have to worry about what time i need to be where and with who, or worrying that im "wasting" time by not doing work, or what´s on my to-do list.

with that said, think about every aspect of your day and how much of it is consumed by the need to "get things done" on time. try sharing every minute detail of your day without worrying about what you´re going to do tonight. it might be very rewarding!

miss and love.

first week in Latin America

2007-07-18T12:26:00.000-04:00

my good friend cindy and her family have been very gracious and have opened their home to me and it is like my own, i am blessed to be able to stay there, eat great food and have a family. also, my old host family has been very eager to invite me to almuerzos and other social gatherings. how good it is as a stranger to be welcomed in a foreign land!

one thing that is truly amazing about life here is the family culture. all the kids live with the parents until they get married and all the extended family lives in the vicinity so everyone is always always spending time together. its really really neat. well, so far i´ve played soccer, went off-roading, salsa dancing, to a bar, worked in a beautiful farm in the mountains, ate pig skins (soo good!), and ate lunch with 2 different families! oh, and i have a cellphone and ipod here (cindy´s family loaned them to me).

so saturday night was the salsa dancing event. it was actually just a family party but here family parties are a bit different. we got there at 9 o´clock and everyone was there--aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, friends, etc. well, everyone danced, drank, ate until 2 in the morning! it was incredible to have people from so many different generations all dancing together! even though i did dance with some younger women the older aunts and grandma´s were the best! ha!

i am going to a place near the coast on friday for an overnight vacation with cindy's brother and then off to a small village comprised of mostly indigenous folks, where we'll stay with a family and then off to peru and macchu pichu!

will write more later.

love