Awhile back, I learned an important lesson about international volunteering. As Peace Corps volunteers we enter our communities for two years equipped with an entire flash drive full of resources (ideas, pre-made programs, previously used programs, workshops, talks, etc.), most of them tried and tru[...]
Posts Tagged ‘La Vida Idealist’
Chileno No Es Castellano
Oft-told is the tale of the little old German lady who, squeezing herself and her seven bags of flowers into the seat across from me (in a bus in Lichtenburg, East Berlin, 2006), threw me a piercing gaze and quite clearly squeaked “Geeeeps?” I gave her as uncomprehending a stare as I could, and [...]
Lessons of Working in Another Culture
Long-term international development work is a unique experience. It’s quite different than just moving to a new city in your own culture to start a job. Not only do you know no one, but you also don’t know the culture and how they work. Can they work as a team? Can they not? Are they effici[...]
The Centries: Handing Out Awards to Central America
While you read this, I should be on a plane back to the States. As this Latin American production wraps up, I’d like to present the Centries, which honor the highlights of my Central American experience (the marketing department’s working on the name). Best special effects: The Friday me[...]
Sub-juncting Myself to a Test of Generosity
The subjunctive mood in Spanish twists the mind like overwet taffy. Rarely used in English, it’s a different set of conjugations used to express wishes, doubts or uncertainty. According to my Spanish teacher, Latin America is the best place to learn it: ”La vida aqui es muy duro,”[...]
Nobody (At Least Not Me) Knows the Trouble Guatemala’s Seen
One of the best things about Spanish school is that it’s not just about Spanish. Coming in, I’d envisioned the teacher I currently have, who spends most of our time practicing grammar forms. God knows I need it, but my previous teacher (the school swaps instructors each week, so you can[...]
We Dance If We Want To (so why don’t we?)
Having been immersed in Latin culture, I’ve realized just how fantastic the skill of dance is. What’s great about it here is that regular people, not those with training or extensive practice, often break out into dances with style, with form, like the merengue or salsa. As it was explai[...]
Ode to Costa Rica
In my last post, I don’t think I was very convincing of living la vida idealist, naming all the possible health problems I could get and how I have lots of time in this slower pace of life to sit and think about them. So with this space, I’m going to do the opposite and [...][...]
