Missing Out

Yesterday, I was sitting in the teachers' lounge as my friend Selena got the news that her family dog passed away. The dog wasn't sick, just old, and despite her age, her death was still unexpected. My heart went out to Selena, as I know how much she adores her family, dogs included.

This got me thinking about a question a student asked me a few months back- “Teacher, what is the hardest part about being away from home?” At the time, I answered quickly with some generic answer about missing friends and family. In truth, I thought it was a good question, one I hadn't thought of myself and honestly, I didn't really know the answer back then. Now, however, despite the fact that I'm not home yet, I think I'm starting to realize what's been the hardest part about being away from home...

… it's the missing out.

Now, let me just say that there are few things I'd trade this experience for and as I am starting to get retrospective about all of it, I'm in awe of how much has been crammed in to half a year. So yeah, no regrets at all. Still, part of being away from home is missing home and missing out.

As I've caught up with people back home and been asking about what to expect, it turns out that I'm not returning to things the way I left them. Duh, right? Right. My loved ones are still healthy and happy...I think (knock on wood) and I don't have a dog, so...no need to worry about that. But, some things have changed- good and bad...and sad. When I left, I ran over the fact that things would indeed change over and over in my head...but over time, when things don't change immediately and time passes in a way it's never passed before, it's easy to convince oneself that maybe it won't be so different and maybe, juuuuust maybe, I'll get to be the luckiest girl in the world- living in two different, spectacular countries, making new friends, realizing new capabilities and then, at the end of it, coming home to things the way I left them. It's foolish to think that I'd get everything I'd want this year, but it's been hard not to have certain expectations and wishes upon returning home. I still am returning home to a beautiful life, I think I just got a little greedy in the “hope” department.

So yeah, this is getting real. It's kinda trippy to think about sitting by a fire in Mount Prospect in 17 days. I'm currently sitting on my roof in shorts and a hoodie, surrounded by the Andes. (Yeah, I really shouldn't complain about much these days, huh?) I look forward to home, yet I'll miss this terribly, just as I loved this but at times, missed home. All in all, I need to realize that the next step is just another one in the whole scheme of it and it's sure to hold unexpected gems of its own.

And lest we not forget, I've changed too.

I'm Coming Hoooooome!

So, I'm in the home stretch now. Literally. I'll be home in LESS than one month. Things are starting to feel very surreal. I am sad to leave and nervous for what awaits me. (I can't help but have expectations about returning home, y'know?) But most of all I am SO excited to see my friends and family. As I've mentioned, this is the first time I've been gone this long, so I'm ready to see my people now!

Speeeeaking of, I had an awesome little surprise today when my two favorite boys presented me with TWO videos in my honor. Nate and Dustin took time out of their busy, fabulous lives to film this plea for me. They visited some of my favorite Chicago spots AND they even shot in front of my old apartment building. This is the best Christmas present I could ever hope for (well, next to that ticket home). How lucky am? Check out the vids below...

"Come Home" by Nate and Dustin:

Here's the blooper reel:

Untitled from Nathan Stoner on Vimeo.

Gracias

I spent yesterday prepping for upcoming quizzes and exams and recovering from a recent food poisoning and/or parasitic bout. So, y'know, a pretty standard Thursday in Cusco. However, it was pretty hard to miss the pouty little gringo faces around the building- it was kind of obvious that for one day, we'd all rather be back home, gnashin' on home cooked goodness and lovin' on our families. No one was sobbing into any pillows, but it was definitely a new feeling for me, as this is my first big holiday away. I did take a lot of comfort in the fact that I'll be seeing all my loved ones very soon, though. All of us teachers (and some Peruano friends) are getting together on Saturday to have our own little Cusco Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to it, as I know it'll be a memorable holiday celebration.

The absolute highlight of yesterday, and probably my week, was skyping with my friends and family. I skyped with the Elfring family's Thanksgiving crowd and it was a blast- got to laugh with some of my good friends and their family and got to see smiling faces I haven't seen in ages. It was pretty great. THEN, I called over to the Sammon residence and got to chat with my cousins, aunts, uncles and of course, Mama Sammon. It was great to hear the familiar sounds of a Sammon Thanksgiving- laughing, shouting, confused bickering, AND little kids! Our little Declan is almost three and his new baby cousin, Zack, was celebrating his first Turkey Day. I loved hearing the sounds of little people in the background, as it's been us big kids for so long.

I'm thankful (as I should be) every year, but this year, this wonderful, beautiful, exciting, and challenging year, I can't help but feel exceedingly thankful. From the very start, 2010 has been a been a thrill. Even before heading to Latin America, it was a thrill.

I'm thankful for this experience- traveling, teaching, learning, culture, the epic natural beauty, and of course, new friends. AND I'm also thankful for home- my incredibly loving and supportive family, my hilarious, wonderful and oh-so-missable friends and the warmth they all provide. I am a lucky ducky, without a doubt.

Happy Black Friday...and by "happy" I mean, I hope you're not shopping because that is crazy...and sick...and CRAZY!

Campy Camping

I had my first South American camping experience last weekend and LOVED it. I thought I'd really be roughin' it, but turns out that the campsite in Pisac was part of the “Royal Inca Club”, across the street from the Royal Inca Hotel. I mean, yeah- I was still surrounded by dirt roads and mountains, but I imagined myself digging latrines and fighting off pumas. This was not the case. Me, along with five friends, stayed in a lovely little site, around the corner from the indoor bathrooms. We briefly considered just hauling off into the wilderness, but then we were sold when we saw the pool near our campsite. C'mon, who doesn't love a pool?!

Pisac is only about a 40 minute drive from Cusco, and as most drives in Peru, it is a beautiful one. Pisac itself is beautiful and tranquil. Cusco is no Chicago, but it is a city and it's nice to get away from its hustle and bustle sometimes.

When we arrived, we learned two things:

1. We could not have a fire and could only cook with a stove, which we did not have.

2. That we would be camping around a group of Catholic, 12 year old boys on a school trip, so we had to be on our best behavior.

Who knew Peruvian camping would have so many rules?

Turns out, neither of those things were a big deal- we made do with food and as the night went on, made friends with the 12 year olds. My friend Whintey taught them all how to make “S'mores”. They promptly fell in love with her and requested group photos. We all went to bed tired and happy...

...until I woke up and realized SOMETHING was missing. I was all ready to start my day at the pool, but WHERE was my bathing suit? I had left it out to dry overnight. After searching all around the site, and thinking it over and over, we came to the conclusion that my bikini had been STOLEN...most likely by our tricky little neighbors. There was no one else around. And who else besides 12 year-old boys want to steal a stupid old bikini anyway? So, yeah. I am now bikiniless. I'm okay, though. Me and my purple bikini had a lot of good times together, but it was time for us to part ways anyway. I just wish I'd been the one to decide when.

All in all, it was a great weekend. One of the best I've had here. We're thinking of trying to squeeze another trip in before I leave, but that all depends on schedules and of course, the rain. We were SO lucky to have a sunny and dry weekend. Apparently this is the dryest November they've had here in years, and after a very wet summer in Costa Rica, I am NOT complaining. Stay away as long as you can, rain! Oh, wait...it's raining...right now.

Lessons Learned

Some of you ask what my classes are like. Here are some highlights from some of last week's lessons:

1. In my Advanced II-2 class we read alllllll about Scientology. I did it to spark some conversation and debate AND to get them writing about something. Turns out, I ended up learning a lot more about Scientology than I thought I knew. Did you know that I have a Thetan inside of me? Neither did I.

2. In my Advanced II-3 class, we read "Letting Go", an anecdotal essay by David Sedaris. I was nervous about them not getting his humor, but they did and turns out, they love Sedaris now, just like Teacher! We also got some great vocab out of the reading.

3. On Friday, in my Pre-Intermediate and High Basic classes, I had them listen to and do a gap-fill exercise to "King of Wishful Thinking" from the Pretty Woman soundtrack. Latinos love 80's and early 90's music, so I thought it was a good call. It was a lot of fun and sparked some fun conversations about breaking up and moving on. I played it for three classes, three hours in a row, so while they listened, I watched the youtube video on repeat. Um, it's ridiculous and if I had to sit through it twelve times, you should experience it too. Click HERE to enjoy.

Greetings from November!

I'm writing to y'all from my second week of my third month in Cusco. Yep. Two months down, two more to go. I can't believe how time has flown.

I'm lucky enough to have yet another killer schedule- 7-10 in the morning and 6-9 at night. That big break in the day is really nice. (Though, I do miss having evenings to myself- it kinda takes away from prime Skype time. Beggars can't be choosers, y'know?) I also have two more advanced classes and they're going well- I've decided to get a little more creative and so far, so good. In one class, we're reading about and discussing Scientology and in the other, we're reading David Sedaris (my fave). I get such a kick out of watching my students get a kick out of Sedaris.

I'm having a lot of fun and feeling at home, though I can't help but feel butterflies when I think of touching down at O'Hare in...wait, lemme count...55 days. Yowza! And to think that in that relatively short time I will miss the Franny Burger Bake-Off (family tradition), Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, but that also means I get to experience some pretty memorable holidays here.

When I first got really sick was when I first felt the real pangs of homesickness and since then (as I predicted), there's been an ebb and flow. I have not felt a horrible longing to get home, but there is always a quiet anticipation. I've mentioned before that this is the longest I've ever been away from home, so y'know, I'm pretty jazzed to see everyone again. I know the next time I go abroad I'll have a little more endurance.

So,yes I'm jazzed, but I'm also nervous...nervous to come back and have to get a job, nervous to return home with the memory of the high note from which I left...nervous to feel disappointment and discontentment. BUT! This is all part of the experience and I mean, I get to come home to the greatest family and the greatest friends in the world, and that's more than enough to look forward to.

In the meantime, I have parties, holidays and a trip to Lake Titicaca to look forward to. I also intend to embrace the time I have left with the wonderful friends I've made here. Let's just hope the parasites keep their distance...!

The Quillabamba Blog

I'm a naughty girl with a bad habit for not updating my blog as often as I should.

I went to Quillabamba two weeks ago. I did not go alone. Eleven of us went- ten teachers and one local, our friend Dillman. We took a combi, rather than a bus. Why? Because the roads are tricky and a combi is more mobile and compact. It's also a shorter ride. It was well worth the ten extra soles.

The ride there was one of the best parts of the trip. Cusco is not known for its customer service, but our driver catered to some pretty important needs, like music. He had this hilarious mix of hits from the last fifteen years. It was a literal mix- only about a minute of each song would play, so we'd be all jacked up on something like Aerosmith's "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" and then, at the climax, we'd switch over to "What's Up?" by Four Non-Blondes. It was rad. I joked that he bought the CD from some combi wholesale place that distributes Gringo mixes and categorizes them by age, because these songs were specifically hits from our generation. Lots of throwbacks to Jr. High and high school fo sho. Nothing like sippin' on cerveza, singing at the top of your lungs in good company, and crusin' through the Andes.

We arrived later that night to our less-than-charming hostel. It was weird and the people that ran it were weird. I think it was the worst hostel I've stayed at these last five months, but whatever- it had beds and we were tired.

The next day was our only full day there and we headed out to Siete Tinajas- a waterfall in the jungle with seven bowls of water. We hiked up it, splashed around, and had some laughs. Being there made me realize how spoiled I've become- I've seen some pretty gorgeous nature in these last five months and although I liked this place, I couldn't help but think it was no Agua Azul. (Spoiled. Rotten.)

From there, we headed to a gen-u-ine Peruvian water park, which was a lot like and American one, but as far I could tell, they did not sell nachos with bright yellow cheese. Bummer. It was awesome and I wish we could have stayed longer. I don't remember the last time I went to a water park with friends. We raced down the slides, did hand-stands, and had splash wars, and of course, chicken fights. It was great. (So great, in fact, that I've already started planning a trip to an indoor water park back home. I'm not gonna let January get me down! Who's with me?!)

From there, we came home, got dinner, laid around in the plaza and headed back to the hostel for bedtime stories and nightcaps. We were spent after a lovely jungle day.

The ride home was less fun than the ride there, as we were without the "Gringo Mix 2010", but we made do. Latin American road trips tend to be incredibly gorgeous, but not incredibly safe- I wasn't a fan of seeing piles of fresh rocks on the road, next to the mountain from recent, small rock slides. And the lack of guard rails while literally driving through the clouds is also a little unnerving...but the views of snowcapped mountains kinda make up for it.

This was my second to last LA road trip, as I have one more left- to Lake Titicaca at the end of the month! Stay tuned!

((Check out more photos HERE!))

Up on the Roof

There was no rain today. The skies were blue and bright. It's days like this that I appreciate afternoons off. I sat up on my roof and worked on my Spanish flashcards, while listening to some tunes. It was lovely. So lovely that it reminded me of the song "Up on the Roof" by the Drifters, so I put it on. I love that song. I love my roof. I love listening to that song while up on my roof.

La vida es buena.

Enjoy...

Me Encanta Agua

You know how Joni Mitchell (and about a million other people) said that you don't know what you got 'til it's gone?

I think she may have been living in foreign country in a house on a hill with no running water.

Sure, I KNEW running water was awesome, but...did I...really...?

Here's the deal:

Our toilet has been finicky for awhile now- breaking and then working again, on and off.

THEN, last Sunday, the water tank attached to our house (that supplies water for the house in the evenings, while Cusco supplies it in the day) broke. Our landlady was here, knew about it, and then bounced off to Lima, telling us she'd be back to help us on Friday (today). That meant we went five nights without water. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't great either.

THEN, this morning, I went to check on the toilet to see if it was running and when I went to flush it, the "trip lever" (yeah, I looked that up) just SNAPPED and then the tank started overflowing. This happened at 6:30 am, 10 minutes before the absolute latest time we could leave for work. We eventually had to turn off the water in the whole house in order to stop a major flood from happening.

Ohhh! Aaaand it rained a lot yesterday (which is normal for this time of year) and the drain on our rooftop porch was clogged so our ENTIRE KITCHEN flooded while we were at work.

And now? It's Friday afternoon and the landlady is back, but there's no plumber in sight and she has yet to discuss the situation with us.

Suddenly this charming cottage on a hill with killer views kind of...sucks.

If this doesn't get fixed, and if our landlady keeps flakin' out, we might have to move. I don't want to do that. I'm just getting settled in. The four year-old at the tienda next door and I are becoming such good friends.

Despite all this, I have to say that this is not HORRIBLE (yet). It's inconvenient. And annoying. I'm learning about what I need to live comfortably and it turns out, it's a lot less than I thought.

And now, I have a new appreciation for running water. I LOVE me some running water.

Weomans in the Bisco

Q: "What are your friends going to do this weekend?"

A: "maybe hunting weomans in the bisco."

(Corrected sentence- "They might look for women in the disco.")

"Teacher, what does 'one night stand' mean...

...and 'hit it and quit it'...

...and 'wam, bam, thank you ma'am'?"

- This came from Soledad, one of my smallest and most adorable students, who heard another student asking a male teacher about these things. When she got to "wam, bam, thank you ma'am", I laughed until I cried.

Have I mentioned that I love this job?

Riddle Me This...

A riddle:

What still has parasites, two thumbs and no running water at night?



Answer:
Me.

C'mon, CUSCO! Make this place tough to leave! Parasites be gone! Water- RUN!

Happy Ending

I recently showed this to one of my friends here, after describing the Kate/Nate/Dustin dynamic to her. She loved it. I originally posted it on my regular blog (which has been neglected the last few months), but I realized that since we made this in honor of my departure, I should probably post it up here as well.

It's cheesy, unchoreographed, and over-the-top...but it's us.

Enjoy!

Here's a quick vid of Machu Picchu. Please ignore my dorky commentary. Also, I sound like a man. Hiking around and feeling tough will do that do a person.




I was taking this video on the way back to Cusco from our trip and it's really not all that interesting, BUT at one point you can hear me say "Me gusta tu musica" to the driver and suddenly he starts blasting "Let's Hear it for the Boy". The 80's are HUGE in Latin America. The whole trip home, he played his own 80's mix for us and, I gotta admit, it was awesome.

Here Comes the Rain Again

This song has been playing on a loop in my head. Why? The rains are a comin'! Yup, the rainy season is upon us. I've had a nice month and a half off from the rains- I came from the rainy season in Costa Rica. Apparently I am gettin' outta dodge before they get real bad (January and February) and I'm thankful for that, considering I live up high on a hill. It's started early this year, though, and I'm already realizing that I'm going to have a messy walk to work (down stairs, hills and cobble stone streets). But! It builds character, right? Plus, after living through the rain in Costa Rica (which wasn't so bad at all), I realized I prefer the rain to bitter, face-numbing cold any day...

...I say that now. I'll get back to you in two months.


((Enjoy the music video above, and let me know if you figure out the plot. I'm confused.))

"Womens are complicated."

- One of my Basic-3 students

So are mens.

The Machu Picchu Blog

Hola!

I went to Machu Picchu last weekend. The verdict? EPIC.

I only spent a total of about 2 and a half hours at the ruins and now that I'm gone, I look at the pictures and think, "Really? I was there?"

I went with two of my teaching friends from work and my Italian roommate, Betta (don't worry, Cameron is still around- she's going to MaPi with her mom in December). We opted to take a tour, but you really don't need to take a tour. There's a helpful brochure and map that tells you just about as much as the tour does. The thing about Machu Picchu is that no one really knows much about its history and origins. It was built around 1450 (more recently that I'd assumed) and at some point the civilization living there decided to up and leave. There are parts of it that are still unfinished and it hadn't been lived in long when it was abandoned. One theory is that the people on Machu Picchu got word from Cusco (the capital of the Incan empire) that the Spanish were invading, so they bailed to save themselves. Turns out, they may have been alright if they stayed- the Spanish never found Machu Picchu. Another theory is that an illness wiped out a bunch of the people living there and they left to avoid complete obliteration. No one can say anything for sure, but the mystery totally adds to its epic-ness.

MaPi (it's nickname) is considered one of the modern wonders of the world and it is truly wonderful. If you can get there, do it. One of the best parts about a trip to Machu Picchu is that it's also a trip to Cusco and the Sacred Valley- there's so much history, rich culture and natural beauty here. You shouldn't miss it.

I think the fact that my students and other locals I meet are just as in awe of Machu Picchu as tourists says a lot- they live here, they take school trips to Machu Picchu, it's the biggest deal around these parts and they're totally not over it. Before leaving last weekend, I was talking to a class about weekend plans and I told them about my trip. They know I am on antibiotics right now and can't drink alcohol (they are used to their teachers being on antibiotics), and one of them said, "That's too bad, Teacher, because when you see Machu Picchu, you'll want to have a beer." Well, I can definitely concur that a toast was definitely in order- beer or no beer.

Salud, Machu Picchu!

Fun Fan

This is a conversation that took place between me and a student yesterday...

Student: Is there fun in this class?

Me: Yes! This class will definitely be fun!

Student: No, is there fun?

Me: Yes, I like to have fun in my classes.

Student: There was no fun in the other class.

Me: Really? Who was your teacher?

Student: Nooo, fun!

Me: Write it down.

(She writes "fun" on the board)

Me: Divertido? ("fun" in Spanish)

Student: Nooooo.

(Waves hand in front of her face like a fan.)

Me: Ohhhhh, FAN! No, we don't have a fan in this class, but we can open the window.

Month Two- Bring It

I have officially been in Cusco for over a month and I am less than THREE months away from landing in the Northern hemisphere. (Start chilling the champagne...)

With a new month comes a new class load (for some teachers and this month, that means me). I am happy to report that my October schedule is awesome. Yes, the split shift is inevitable, but I'm teaching TWO Advanced level classes and I got to keep the two Basic level classes I love. I like teaching Advanced because there is a big focus on writing, the rules of writing, and reading comprehension. I love all of the above. I'm a geek.

In other news, I went on an AMAZING hike with some friends yesterday. We started at our house and feasted on a killer breakfast prepared by my roommate (don't worry, Mom- I shopped and cleaned for it) and from there we headed uphill toward the Cristo Blanco statue that stands over the city. It was just what I needed. There were hills, mountains, trees and of course, Incan ruins. There are small ruins all around the area and we actually climbed inside and old cave/Moon temple and checked out the sacrifice altar. Cool, huh? (Okay, maybe a little eerie too...) I live here? Really? I knew I needed to get OUT of the city and do some exploring and whaddya know? It worked. It was inspiring and rejuvenating. I am so happy, so lucky to be here. It was my best day in Cusco yet and maybe one of the best of this whole experience.

I'm already entering in to this month less stressed and more eager- I am settling in. I look forward to see what month two has in store for me.

((Headed to Machu Picchu on Friday...!))

- See more pictures from the hike HERE

- See more pictures from the rest of my September HERE

From Cusco, With Love

Um, hi...it's me. I know, I know- it's been awhile.

I have to be honest-I've been procrastinating. My apologies to my six followers.

So! I'm in Peru now, specifically Cusco. I've been here for almost a month. It feels like it's been longer and shorter simultaneously. Cusco is beautiful and my views remind me of this daily. The views from my bedroom window and kitchen are of the entire city and the Andes around it. Yeah. I have to pinch myself sometimes.

I'm working for the same company, but my class schedule is different. Where as in Costa Rica, I taught two hour M/W/F & T/TH classes, here I teach the same six classes everyday, for one hour each. I have a split shift and my heaviest load of classes is at night, ending at 9pm. It's taken some getting used to, but I'm getting the hang of it. My classes are also much bigger here (thirteen per class as opposed to four) and that means the staff is much bigger, so that's more people to hang out with. That's nice. I'm making friends from all over the world- Peru (obviously), England, Ireland, New Zealand, Colombia and Russia. I feel so...international.

I have not yet taken a weekend trip outside of the city, but in about two weeks I will be headed to Machu Picchu. I'm totally stoked about that.

My Spanish is improving and I'm eager to learn. I start classes next week, but no, I am not fluent. My dad asked me if I was the other day. (Silly dad.) I do teach IN English (I let a little Spanish slip in from time to time), as our program is "immersion". They speak a lot less English here than in Costa Rica, and that's a good thing; I get much more practice.

I mentioned that things were much different here than in CR and one of those things is the water- in Costa Rica, just like back home, you can drink the tap water and here, as in much of Latin America, you cannot. I expected this and really don't have a problem with it, BUT that does mean I am more vulnerable to stomach infections and whaddya know? I got me some parasites last week. To say it was horrible is an understatement, BUT thankfully our school has an on-call doctor who came to my house twenty minutes after I called him. He gave me a shot for the pain and wrote me a prescription, which my roommate immediately ran out and got filled. I was incredibly lucky to have so much support and realized that if I got this sick in the US, I wouldn't have the immediate bedside service that I received (then again, the odds of me getting parasites in the US are pretty slim).

That being said, I have to say that one of the side effects of parasites is homesickness. I've been gone four months and this is the first time I've felt genuinely homesick. No, I don't want to go home yet and yes, I am completely aware of how important and wonderful this experience is, but I do miss my loved ones very much. Prior to this, the longest I'd been gone had been two and a half months, so yeah, this is natural (I'm told), and like many bugs, will come and go. I left on a very high note and I was very happy and despite how desperately I wanted to do this, I miss many of the sweet things and people I left behind. This is part of my experience and a challenge that I know is ultimately good for me. There is a lot to learn about myself when I'm this far away from everyone and everything I'm most comfortable with and I am realizing that this part of my trip might be the most enriching. I hope.

In other news, I had the best night I've had here yet last night- filled with lots of laughs, intelligent conversations, and ridiculous antics. I'm glad I'm here.

I promise to write again soon! I still have to post my final thoughts on my time in Costa Rica...

Cahuitaaahhh!

The weekend before last, Cameron and I took our final trip out of the city to the coast. We decided to try the Caribbean coast again (we've only been once, as all of our other trips have been to the pacific side), but we didn't want a party town (I'm lookin' at you, Puerto Viejo), so we decided on Cahuita. Boy am I glad we did! Cahuita has a Creole/Rasta influence and its laid back, welcoming vibe is just what we needed. We had the most relaxing and enjoyable beach weekend that we've had in Costa Rica and we liked this low-key, small town the best out of all the beach towns we've been to.

We got on a 6am bus on Saturday morning and rolled into town a little before 10 am. We found a cheap hotel ($25 for a double), dropped off our stuff and headed to the Cahuita National Park. The beach was gorgeous, the water was calm and blue and we were surrounded by dozens of sand dollars. We left the beach around 4:30pm, went out, had dinner and drinks and were promptly asleep by 9pm.

I know you're on the edge of your seat; we're really exciting girls.

We spent the entire next day at the beach too and now, thanks to that golden Caribbean sun, I am as brown as I've been in years.

All we wanted to do was lay on the beach, read, sleep and enjoy the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. And for once, we made good on our plans. What a way to leave the Rich Coast. I know I will be to Cahuita again. Maybe for a quit jaunt when I need to get away from life back in the States one day. I can turn to a cute guy and say, "Hey, I know this little town on the Caribbean in Costa Rica...wanna go?"

Yeah. I like that idea.

((Click HERE to check out pics from this trip in this month's album))

Pablo Neruda, Pablo Neruda...

At this very moment, I'm singing "Pablo Neruda" over and over in my head to the tune of "Hava Negillah".

I guess Pablo has that effect on me.

I'm on a big "Latin American Literature" kick right now. I just finished One Hundred Years of Solitude and The Pearl (both very good) and now I'm about to jump into The House of Spirits, while eagerly awaiting Born in Blood and Fire (non-fiction). In the in-between, I've been indulging in some Neruda. I say "indulging" because his poetry is so rich, so thick with decadent goodness, that to read him feels like a delicious indulgence.

But that's my opinion. What's yours?

Enjoy...

Ode To Broken Things

Things get broken at home like they were pushed by an invisible, deliberate smasher. It's not my hands or yours It wasn't the girls with their hard fingernails or the motion of the planet. It wasn't anything or anybody It wasn't the wind It wasn't the orange-colored noontime Or night over the earth It wasn't even the nose or the elbow Or the hips getting bigger or the ankle or the air. The plate broke, the lamp fell All the flower pots tumbled over one by one. That pot which overflowed with scarlet in the middle of October, it got tired from all the violets and another empty one rolled round and round and round all through winter until it was only the powder of a flowerpot, a broken memory, shining dust. And that clock whose sound was the voice of our lives, the secret thread of our weeks, which released one by one, so many hours for honey and silence for so many births and jobs, that clock also fell and its delicate blue guts vibrated among the broken glass its wide heart unsprung. Life goes on grinding up glass, wearing out clothes making fragments breaking down forms and what lasts through time is like an island on a ship in the sea, perishable surrounded by dangerous fragility by merciless waters and threats. Let's put all our treasures together -- the clocks, plates, cups cracked by the cold -- into a sack and carry them to the sea and let our possessions sink into one alarming breaker that sounds like a river. May whatever breaks be reconstructed by the sea with the long labor of its tides. So many useless things which nobody broke but which got broken anyway