Current reading, reflecting

I am currently finishing up the Coelho book A Orillas del Río Piedra Me Senté y Lloré.

(but, I seem to be spending more time composting than reading...earthworm blog post coming soon).

 

I feel inclined to reflect on something I just read, especially after my ride to town this morning with a Dutch friend of mine who also works in development.  We discussed how we are both quite pessimistic as development workers, but we both still put a lot into the job.  Social changes are key, yet slow to come by; but small progress, reaching one young student or educating one young mother is a success.  It is always important to keep on working, despite the slow progress and the seemingly endless challenges that face developing communities (social change, economic change, increased education, health improvement, population growth...and the list goes on and on).

 

"Nacemos, sufrimos, morimos, y las montñas siguen ahí"

 

Coelho writes in his story that mountains must always sit still, looking at the same view.  A river however is moving, and over time {a long time} it transforms the land that it runs through...

 

I am happy to be acting as a river at this point in my life instead of a mountain...a mountain which would probably be squeezed into an office cubicle :-p

 

 

 

 

 

Nica life moment

While visiting my first Peace Corps host family in Carazo this weekend, I asked my Nicaraguan mother how she was and if anything new was happening in her life.  She laughed and said, "Jodido pero contento."

 

Not your typical response for "How ya doing?"  But, this expression cracks me up and I would love to put it on a t-shirt.  It does say something more as well: I frequently meet people here in Nicaragua who do not have many resources, yet they seem so generous and happy; perhaps content.  Of course, there are all types of people in this world, everywhere you go...

 

Ciao.