This post is dedicated to the folks I had the pleasure to meet during my time in Ecuador this past year. My life has been enriched by them and I wish all of them well in the coming new year. We had a lot of fun from March to December, and I know our paths will cross again. And you can read about some of our adventures together on my old blog site, http://www.larsmeanderings.blogspot.com/. That details what went down in my life - which was a lot, from January when visiting my sister in Panama, to studying in Guatemala, to being the "pastor" at Jon and Jen's wedding in Mexico, up through June in Ecuador. Ahh, some good memories at Blogspot!
Gotta make it to Copenhagen to hang with these folks again at some point.
Down to Quito to meet some great people from there and elsewhere...
And seeing some neat stuff along the way
Going to a free concert, before the rains come.
A year has passed in a blur... but a joyful one.
And time to reuinite with some old friends...
A belated Happy New Year to all!
Indeed, my 5 day trip to the Amazon was very different from Joseph Conrad's classic Heart of Darkness. I don't have the time at the moment to truly detail all that I did and saw duuring this busy pre-departure period, but here is part one of a pictorial chronology of perhaps the most amazing place I have ever been. The experience was too fantastic to detail in one blog, so I will probably take a couple to do so. Time is of the essence right now, as it is Quito Fest, a week-long party celebrating Quito's independence from the Spanish. Anyway, things have been great, but the jungle was something else... 6 of us tourists set out to the northeastern Cuyabeno Reserve, the second largest in Ecuador. We took an hour and a half bus ride to the end of the road and then hoped in a canoe for 5 hours. We got pounded with a hortizontal rain in our faces for about 45 minutes, and then this happened:
We arrived tou our camp after dark, had dinner and a talk from our excellent guide Diego, then went on a night walk on a trail circling our camp. When we turned off our flashlights and waited for our eyes to adjust, there were all kinds of flouresant lights surrounding us. The lights are caused by a chemical in the mushrooms that grow in the area. I have never seen anything like it, and felt as if I was on another planet or in the movie Tron or something. My camera couldn't capture the lights, unfortunately, but here are the glow in the dark shrooms.
Saw this cool guy as well
Next day went on a 3 hour walk through the jungle; Diego taught us a lot about how local indigenous groups utilize the riches of the forest. With a machete he opens up a nut from a huge tree that beetles lay their eggs in, and the larvae grow. They are great to be used for fishing and are great for eating as well; high in protein.
I started wondering about Kurtz when we came along this
But my thoughts were pleasantly distracted by learning how to make a durable basket out of forest materials that can carry quite a bit of weight and last for 2-3 weeks.
And as we walked we saw some very large trees
Well, that is all the time I have right now. I have some videos I will be posting as well, and the next installment will be primarily dealing with all of the crazy animals I saw while there. And as a preface, I will just say that one of them is very large, slithery, and sometimes eats people. Do you know what it is? No, it isn't Dick Cheney, but an animal that lives in The Amazon. Pics and vids to follow. See you in a few days!
Hello there!
It has been awhile since my last post, but I have been very busy traveling and finishing up my life here in Ecuador.
I am headed back Stateside on Wednesday, ending a nice run of travel, learning and various work experiences. I will return 3 weeks shy of a year from my home country, and the feelings I feel right now are mixed. I am very excited to see my family and friends again, but I am sad to be leaving a country I am just now starting to feel comfortable in. Upon my return I will finish my master's degree and looking for a new job - somewhere, somehow. The uncertainty surrounding this change is simultaneously unsettling and exciting. I was feeling a bit down about all of this a few weeks ago until I had an enlightening and inspirational conversation with two of my good pals, Brian and Paul. It turns out that since I have left their presence in the nation's capital, they have each faced the same daunting challenges. But they turned the challenges into opportunity to pursue their lifelong dreams, and I would like to take a moment to share their experiences with you, in hopes that you will find the same inspiration that I gained from these conversations.
First a little background: Brian has excelled in the HR department for his company for several years, earning promotions and climbing the proverbial ladder. But after awhile he felt the need for a change, and he decided that there is no time like the present to go and grab life with claw-like grip. As it turns out, Brian followed his boyhood dream to cultivate the treasures of the sea, and he started his own crabbing business on the Maryland seaboard. Here are some of his rather philosophical thoughts regarding the change.
"You know, the crab that finds its way into a trap is a great life analogy. The young ones are able to make their way out of a hole in the bottom of the cage, back into freedom, while the older, bigger ones are trapped. Humans often find their way into metaphorical cages of their own. Luckily, size doesn’t preclude their escape. They only have to think young to become free.”
Paul, who has quit his job as an international development agricultural and economics specialist, has dropped what he’d built to become what he calls a “free ranging insect harvester.” He explained: “As long as I can remember I’ve loved the outdoors. It comes from growing up on the northern shore. You know, fishing, cross country skiing, searching out the source of woodpecker noises deep in the forest, to pheasant hunting. I have loved being outside amongst nature.” How did this inspiration come about? “Well, I have been thinking about it for a long time, but the inspiration was found on a recent trip to Pakistan. I was there setting up economic development projects in the wake of last year’s devastating earthquake. One village I visited was way up there in the mountains, above the tree line. But the area was teaming with these bright yellow grasshoppers. The children were trying to catch them, which is difficult because up at that altitude there is less grass, so they have to jump farther to justify their name. Anyway, I joined in the fun, and proved quite deft at capturing them.” What did the villagers think about this? “The locals found it quite entertaining, me frolicking in the flowers and grasses and coming back with hatfuls of grasshoppers. But they were delighted, as they are a seasonal delicacy, and we fried em up with a delicious curry and feasted.”
So these gentlemen are leading by example, tearing down the walls that had been built around them, through a combination of their own behavior and greater society’s expectations. They have set themselves free to pursue their dreams, until the next cage becomes confining. I am looking forward to my visit to DC nest week, where I can see their respective ventures firsthand.
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Okay, very glad to see that the Dems appear to have gained control of the House and likely the Senate - by one vote - negating Dr. Evil's tie breaking vote. So let's celebrate...
But once we have landed back to earth, in reality, as opposed to the fine sand beaches of Playa del Carmen that represent a shift in power from incompetence, lies, corruption and cronyism, where do we find ourselves? Likely not in a much better spot, but it can't be worse. Before our poilitical situation is to improve we must get vested interests out of politics to the extent possible. There should be a system devised where the taxpayers pay an equal amount to legitimate political contenders and parties, thereby making our "representatives" more responsible to us, and not the donors to their political campaigns and war chests. While it may take a revolution to get this accomplished, it is possible, and I certainly hope to see it in my lifetime. Until then, I side with Leonard Pitts on this issue, as I do with many others, and his thoughts are pasted below for your enjoyment.
Posted on Mon, Nov. 06, 2006 |
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A letter to the Democrats. Congratulations. If the prognosticators are correct, you are about to win a victory that will shift the balance of power in one or both houses of Congress. Of course, if the prognosticators are incorrect, you will soon be committing hara-kiri. In which case my only advice would be: one hard thrust and then pull up. But this letter proceeds from the assumption that the prognosticators are right. On that basis, I want to make a plea. Let me preface by saying the campaign that ends here feels like it's been seven years long. Last week, The Washington Post published a story describing it as ''a carnival of ugly, especially on the GOP side.'' The Post was referring to ads like the one in New York that accused a Democrat of using taxpayer money to pay for phone sex -- after a campaign aide misdialed a government office and reached a porn line, at a total cost to taxpayers of $1.25. Then there's the Tennessee ad that makes a nod to white racist sentiment by implying that senatorial candidate Harold Ford, Jr. -- who is black and unmarried -- might be intimate with white women. Or the one accusing Democrats of wanting to abort black babies. ''If you make a little mistake with one of your hos . . . '' begins the announcer. And yes, last week we sufered through John Kerry trying to make funny. Agreed, that's a traumatizing thing. But really, there is no comparison. These low blow ads symbolize what many of us have found troubling about the GOP in recent years. Meaning a certain boorishness, a certain disconnect from reality, a certain say anything, do anything to win mindset, all wrapped up in a priggish facade of moral rectitude garnished with arrogance and sprinkled -- liberally -- with hypocrisy. So, if you win power here, please don't assume it validates anything you've done. If you win, it's because of Mark Foley and Terri Schiavo and Randy ''Duke'' Cunningham and Donald Rumsfeld and George W. Bush and Jack Abramoff and Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter and Dick Cheney and Hurricane Katrina and 2,800 dead soldiers and because, as my mom used to say, enough is enough and too much stinks. More to the point, you don't win because of you. Heck, I don't even know who you are. Ever since Bill Clinton left town, you have been inept at defining yourself, communicating your ideals with all the clarity of, well, John Kerry trying to tell a joke. I don't know what you believe, what you plan, where you want to take the country. I daresay that most people don't. A victory here just means that you were the only other game in town. And yet, it would give you a rare oppportunity. I suspect I speak for many when I say I'm tired of wedge politics. I'm tired of stupid, I'm tired of greed, I'm tired of polarization, I'm tired of red and blue mattering more than red, white and blue. I want to know what it's like to have a sense of national mission, what it's like to strive for instead of against. I want to be hopeful about the future again, want my country to be looked at with respect again. Most of all, I want to see statesmen again. Meaning men and women who can debate, do battle, compromise and disagree over issues of great importance, but not let party, partisanship or politics stand in the way of doing what is best for the country. In these years of Republican bacchanal, we have seen the fissures between us widened, minorities among us demonized. All in the name of politics. Yet, we've seen very little of substance get done. Now, if the prognostications are correct, here comes you, taking power in a nation desperate for change. Which brings me to my plea. By all means, enjoy the champagne and confetti. But once the bottles are empty and the floor is swept and it's time to go to work I wish you would, for me, for all of us, remember to do one thing with this victory. Earn it.
Or some might say "skeptics", or is it "scheptics"? or "squeptics"? Hey, at least I spell better than my sister... maybe its genetic.
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I took advantage of the All Souls and Saints holidays (nice 4 day weekend) and headed to the colonial town of Cuenca, whihc is about a dozen hours by bus to the south of Quito, nestled beautifully in the highlands. The holidays concide with Cuenca's celebration of their independence from the Spaniards, so there were all kinds of festivals and dances to be seen and to participate in. It was the perfect opportunity to indulge in some of my long-held cultural curiosities, such as consuming the traditional Ecuadorian specialty of cuy, or roasted guinea pig.
Can't say that I will be ordering cuy again, as it is a bit on the greasy side, tasting kind of like a mix between pork and dark chicken meat, but not as easy to eat. Plus it reminded me of a childhood pet. But I have heard so much about the darned delicasy I gave into Guilmita's prodding and we gave it a shot. She had eaten it once, but didn't really care for it, but kindly put up with splitting a half cuy with me so I could try. She says they also eat it on the coast, where she is from, but that it is much more commom in the highland areas. Coast tends to be sea food, which I hope to be enjoying in the next couple weeks...
The city itself is Ecaudor's third largest, but I am not sure how many people it has in it, as my book omits that info. But it has a small town feel, and is much more laid back, clean, with much fresher air than here in Quito. It cools off quickly after 5pm, but the festivals were rolling late into the nights. Some funny music was listened to, lots of neat tradtitional dance seen, and some great Incan history explored.
So we essentially spent the three days wandering around and taking it in. Cuenca is a great city to do so, as we enjoyed art exhibitions lining the cobblestone streets and under bridge passes that straddle beautiful streams that cut through the city and provide nice parkways for a stroll. Nifty cafes in which to catch a coffee or a brew or a bite as well. We also went to take in the thermal baths that are there but found them too crowded and decided against it; treated ourselves to a cheap spa instead. One night we went out and caught a great band and I tried my hand at salsa, and definitely reaffirmed my preferance for merengue-style movements. But I had a great time, and the two dollar mojitos definitely helped me accept the fact that my salsa aint all that spicy. But overall it was a very relaxing and chill weekend, and we also headed up to Ecuador's most important Inca ruins, Ingapirca. It was a beautiful busride, and the people in the surrounding towns were very friendly and helpful. As far as a striking archeological site, it obviously doesn't hold a candle to Tikal in Guatemala (which I have been meaning to blog about), but it was nonetheless a fascinating anthroplogical place to visit.
Now it is back to reality, having arrived this moring at 7 am and hopped in the shower and ran off to my spanish lesson at 8. A bit tired now, so I will call it a day and finish it with my book. Plus, a little kid is crying very loudly in this internet cafe which has ruined my appetite for writing. Speaking of appetite, anyone care for some pork?
Okay, shouldn't leave on that note. Here is a more palatable picture of Cuenca.
Well, I wasn't really asleep yet, but on the verge of it late friday night, trying to finish a chapter in Focoult's Pendulum - my favorite Umberto Eco novel, but a tough late night read. Anyway, I was at the point of book falling on face, waking up, trying to finish so roll over on side to wake up a bit, when suddenly, looking at the wall in my room, I was completely unsure of where I was. Was it Thailand, the States, Europe, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Ecuador? It took all of three seconds, but it was a really strange feeling. Maybe it is a sign of some kind. Or maybe the dëja vu part of the brain was somehow stimulated by a Templar phase quoted by Eco. Anyway, am am pretty sure I dreamt of this experience of eating atop a rock with workmates on a plateau outside of Nairobi.
Wonder where I will wake up tomorrow.... likely in Minni on December 7, as it happens. Gonna find a place to watch the Vikes take on the Pats tomorrow night to get me geared up for the playoff run upon my return.
It has been awhile since my last post, as i was unexpectedly asked to travel from Kenya to Sri Lanka for work. It was to help with an assessment of a non-governmental organization´s (NGO) transition from relief to development projects related to the tsunami response. It was a month of intense work, as I had to juggle several responsibilities and did not have any free time for blogging and the like, but that was a small price to pay for such a rich learning experience. I will write about that soon, but prefer to share my two day journey from Colombo to Nuwira Eliya.
A colleague in Nairobi advised me to take at least a day to hop on a train from coastal Colombo to Kandy, which is in the hills and the beginning of tea plantation country. I decided to take it one step futher and reserve two days for a longer, 8.5 hour trainride deeper into the mountains to a town called Nuwira Eliya. They say it is like visiting England in Sri lanka, as the colonial influence is still quite evident, as many English folk resided there and the climate is more similar to England, with misty outbreaks and even frost on some mornings. Quite the contrast to hot and humid Colombo, although it does not compare to the scorching heat of New Dehli or the stickiness of Bangkok in my experience. But as we climbed along the railway the temperature was noticibly cooler and the air drier, with the flowers topping the trees in bright yellows, reds and oranges that one only finds in slightly drier climates. It was one of the nicest scenery passing by that I have had the pleasure to gaze upon.
I met very nice and friendly folk in my particular cab, one gentleman from Matara (an area hard hit by the tsunami) who introduced me to his wife, and bragged that he was able to steal her from her family as she is from a wealthy one and he from a poor, and thus her family highly disapproved. I also met a goverment official in the foreign affairs department who is responsible to providing visas to foreign workers. We had a cordial chat about the anti-NGO sentiment in the country and the horrible lack of coordination in the aftermath of the tsunami that has led to lots of finger pointing, and most of the fingers are pointed at the NGO community, particularly the International NGO community - of which I am a member - and I expressed my unease at the negative view of NGOs in the media, which is heavily influenced by the government. It is complete yellow journalism, actually, but the discourse was cordial and I feel like I enlightened him a bit regarding the complexities involved and the absolute necessity for the government to take the lead at reconcilliation between all actors for the health of Sri Lankan civil society for years to come. As it stands, it is in jeaprody and that is probably an understatement according to what I have learned. Anyway, the government man gave me some fish sandwiches from his bag which i devoured prior to my disembarking. I have his name and if I need a visa to work in Sri lanka this may come in handy, as the government is really giving the international workers a tough time at present.
the nice folks guided me to a bus to take to the town, as the station is 10 km outside, and I landed in a cozy hotel with balcony and fireplace. Perfect to wind down for a couple days. Of course the touts who took me there had a perfect guide in mind to take me on a tour of the tea plantations the next day. A hike to the top of the mountain overlooking it all, and a visit to sunday market and whatnot. It sounded fab to me so I signed up for the 20 buck adventure, not the 60 that they recommended. It looked like this:
Along the way my guide, Leo, a very nice man who spent time in Holland and spoke great English described to me the challenges facing his country. I inquired about ethnic divisions, and he was quick to point out that Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslims live in communities together happily and peacefully in this part of the country, which is definitely not the case in areas I had previously visited. I asked him about working conditions on these vast tea plantations, which go as far as the eye can see and are really so lush and bright green if I hadnt seen it with my own eyes I would have thought they had been enhanced by a computer. I have other pics to put up but the ones here do not do it justice. Speaking of justice, or lacktherof, did you realize that ther are tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of Tamil tea plantation workers who were brought to Sri Lanka from southern India for work during colonial times, hundreds of years ago? These people still do not enjoy Sri Lankan citizenship or any rights that should be afforded a human being under a governed system. The workers are required to pick 40 kg (2.2lbs per kg) of tea leaves each day for a standard wage of $1.50. That is just under half my body wieght in leaves! They live in squalid conditions, crammed into mini shantytowns amidst the lush tea groves and have absolutely no bargaining power whatsoever. No unions, and advocacy groups fall on deaf ears. A good deal of racism is to blame I recon. This is modern day slavery, and it is an absolute disgrace. I could go on negatively, but will stop now. Here are two workers I met and chatted with along the way.
They did not speak English but Leo was able to translate for me and we had a nice but brief discussion. And for those of you who are wondering, I have undergone a quite remarkable growth spurt, and now stand six foot six. Luckily, Sri lanka is a great place to buy clothes, so I have a new wardrobe tailor made to my new frame. Anyway, we continued up the mountain, though a terrific eucalyptus forest which had a cool an aromic air that I have never sensed before, but in which I could remain forever. It had a strangely calming, peaceful effect. And I had seen a lot of eucalyptus before in China, but the trees were much skinnier and not nearly as tall. These were surprisingly big, and Leo explained to me the medicinal value of the bark that is stripped before they get too tall, and of course the leaves is used for the oil and what not in aloes and such. I will post a picture of it later, as well as other pics of the shameful houses afforded the tea workers amongst others.
So we sumitted the mountain and came down into town, passing buddist temples, where I snapped a shot of a monk on a cell phone - I don´t know why I find that so amusing - and we headed to the Sunday market. I have always LOVED markets, well not those in the USA so much, but the ones in the countries I have been fortunate to visit. There are such similarities in human behaviour, commonalities in bargaining and commerce, and the colorful fruits, veggies and all things edible that we as a species depend upon. In these markets you get a sense of the origin of food. The vendors are the cultivators, the farmers, the ones who reap and sow and bring so that it can be bought by us and put on our dinner table. Supermarket West lacks accessibility to these venues, and I cherish the chance to observe them.
We then continued to an old colonial church and graveyard which was interesting, and is also in the backdrop of the Queen´s old residence when she would come and chill with Mr. Lipton while in Sri Lanka. I will end with a picture of my guide Leo, nice guy who offered to put me up in his home nest time I am in Sri Lanka.
Next blog will address my views on tsunami response and coordination. Well, actually, I will write first about the military coup in Thailand. These are always uneasy events, particularly with Thialands proclivity to them and how blood is usually spilled - last time in 1992 - but to be rid of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra is most definitely a good thing. He is as corrupt as air is essential, and i hope he lands in jail. I was in Colombo working late when the news broke on BBC and I was unable to reach Duanrung, I feared phones had been cut, but finally got through to my buddy Alan in Ban Phe, to get his take on things, and actually I woke him and he was completely unaware of it. But he shares my disgust of thaksin and he said that he had moved recently to consolidate furhter his power, he was nearly a dictator, and Alan was of the opinion it could only be good that he is gone. But I will elaborate futher soon. May it all end well, and I hope you are all doing well as well.
After a good couple of days working here with colleagues from around , and after staying at my friend and collegue Sabrina’s nice home I decided to head out of on a bit of a safari with my fellow Pactite Gillermo. But a thorough description of this has to be postponed, for the days have been full and there is not ample space for reflection. But this time of year in Kenya, in their part of the Serengeti, the animals have moved from Tanzania to feast. In a couple months they will move back.
Plan was to head up to the Masai Mara national reserve (actually run by the Masai tribes who live around the park, as opposed to a national government run park). Two days and two nights there, and then a night and a day in Lake Nakuru National Park, before returning to Nairobi.
I will not beat around the bush. I was thoroughly disappointed. All I saw was a squirrel and few vultures swirling around a decaying antelope while peering though my binoculars from the top of a van for four days on a bumpy dusty road all across the parched horizon, which was interspersed with some acacia trees, shrubs and biting flies.
Kidding.
I saw TONS of wildlife. And that was just one elephant. My second day, fist morning, we rolled along the hay-colored grasslands and saw herds of antelope, zebra, topis with several other kinds of animals milling about amongst them; they appear friendly in their shared paranoid existence spent eating while looking for movement, lifting their heads to smell what hungry enemy might be lurking amidst the camouflaged grassland.
As we passed along this scene I had to fight off the early hour to accept what I was seeing. It looked as if dinosaurs occupied the distance, probably 500 meters off. I group of 5 giraffe reached their necks skyward for the top of the salty acacia leaves. They are so graceful, yet unearthly in their shape and movements. To see them run up close, and to realize they do not hardly make a sound, is an example of when the brain believes it is being deceived. A magical animal, these giraffe. Comical expressions, too. I wonder how smart they are. A they don’t rally have any enemies, they probably don’t need to be.
Anyway, as the morning light was perfectly illuminating this scene, we noticed a couple of other vans parked in the distance, on a slope in the pasture. We went to see what they were looking at... it was a group of lions devouring a wildebeest. We pulled so close we could hear the flesh being torn from the unfortunate beast, who would not be crossing the Mara river with thousands of his friends, if lucky enough to avoid the enormous crocodiles that lay in wait for the unsuspecting or weak, and heading back into . These lions did not even finish the carcass, as there is plenty of that to go around this time of year.
And the next day we went to the as well, where you need to be accompanied by a soldier with a riffle, lest a croc want to try something else on the menu that day. The guard pointed out across the river and said, in his Kenyan English accent, “Look there off shore, on the other side of the river.” “At the tree?”, I asked as there was a downed tree in the water.. “Look closer.” Holy smokers! The BIG part of the tree was not a tree at all, but the base of the biggest crocodile I had ever seen in person. I was told that this was a 60 year old croc that was the biggest in the area. The part I saw had to be 10 feet long, and the tail was completely submerged under the real part of the tree. That sight made me glad to have a soldier next to me as I was wandering around the bluffs of this river. Prior to going down this side of the river, we had gone down to see a whole gaggle of hippopotamus(ses). I counted 32 hippos, and they were of such size that I am surprised the shore supported the wait. They are thick, jaw crunching animals, and the only creatures (other than humans) that can kill on adult crocodile. The next day at Lake Nakuru we saw a whole bunch of flamingoes, making sections of the lake look pink from above and down near the surface, where the reflection of the shallow glass water is all pink and blue. Saw rhinos, a ton of giraffes amidst the tall, yellow-green acacias, and even saw a giant python, I´m guessing around a 14 footer, cross the road right in front of us.... But I hope to detail more on some of that stuff later.
Yep, I saw families of elephants grazing on the Serengeti, last week. I am still amazed by that. Three weeks ago this possibility was still in doubt, and a months ago it hadn’t even entered my consciousness. And when I was sitting in Schipol International in pleading for the passage of time, waiting for my connection to , i got an email from my DC boss asking if I would be willing and able to go to for a month, in two weeks time. Ahh, sure. (Although I packed a sweater for Kenyan Winter, not really fitting for the 95 and humid I would face in ). But what the hell? So now I am off to for a month, to do assessments for an organization that is looking to form an exit strategy from their relief and construction work from the tsunami. It will be fascinating work, and I am really looking forward to it.
I doubt I will be able to blog from there very easy, but I reckon I will have some things to recount once I return to (as is currently planned) on September 28. Yep, I am very busy right now, too time constrained to elaborate as I would like, but I am enjoying this current work, as I am learning on so many fronts.
There is one terrible regret that results from this opportunity. My good friend and roommate, Ruth, is leaving to return to before I return. We had planned to do a weekend getaway somewhere with Daniel and some of our friends; this will not happen now. I really tried to get back to for a couple of days to see Ruthie again, but could not swing it due to some maddening visa problems beyond my repair. But it is as she reassured me: good friends who part unexpectedly will meet again. I hope it is in , so I can see all of the great things I have heard about, and to meet her friends and family. Ruth, if you should ever find herself in the States, know you will find friends there for sure.
And my first taste of , and my first breath of African air, was very nice indeed.