All I can say is: “wow”
21 Grams… I got there, and it was good.
Wish me luck, world; I am coming home!……
Today is a sad day in Costa Rica. It’s my last full day. Surprisingly, I’ve made a few friends here in one months time, and today is a day of good-byes and so-longs. I bought cake for the kids at the orphanage where I worked — it was muy rica — and the kids loved it… so much that half of every bite was on their face, and after we were all done eating, our incessant hugging left the cake on my shirt — hazaa for tide! I had lunch with a buddy at my favorite little place - kind of like the Penelope’s of Costa Rica. My friendships with the workers there had really blossomed into an uncanny exchange of perspectives — on life and which woman walking down the street was most attractive. Ahh costa Rica. I spent my afternoon walking the streets of San Jose, feeling an emptiness — a feeling that all is temporary; and a feeling of anticipation, knowing that in a matter of two days I will be plummeting back into the fast-paced world that is America. It’s the middle of the afternoon… we have plans to go out… but, I’m not ready for the day to keep going. I just sort of want time to slow down for a while. I will surely miss this place—- I have a story to tell…. about an incredible event that happened, and probably the reason I was supposed to come to Costa Rica. pero, no tengo tiempo ahora……………….
I have 3 minutes of free time during a class break, so I’ll share with you a tidbit of my morning:
Today, I interviewed a woman from Nicaragua… aka, “una Nica”. She lives in los barracas, a poor neighborhood of sorts, and her life is clearly sub-par in the eyes of other Costa Ricans (Ticos), and especially Americans (Gringos). But, she came here in search of a better life and a more stable economic situation, and she truly feels she’s found it… here… in the barren streets of Curridibat, Costa Rica. We talked. And the whole time I couldn’t imagine how this life could be better then the one she left behind. We talked some more. She asked me about EE.UU. (aka, USA) and she assumed we were all millionaires and living lavishly in a ‘developed nation’. I told her that I think our nation is developed —- for sure —- with things. We have technology, freeways, non-corrupt police (for the most part), democracy, commercialism and opportunity. Sure. But where I think our developments have failed is in our minds. I don’t think our minds and philosophies of life have ‘developed’ —- in the sense that I don’t think our busy lives encourage us to contemplate enough. I told her that “I don’t think our minds are humbled with Global Awareness”, the type of global awareness that comes from the way these people live everyday. We both smiled. Con mucho gusto.
“Straight for a punch, man, I got to get through to you. Mix what I do with Zion I is special and you knew it too. Times for your mind, expansion and were on the grind, answering the question to where the hell am I gonna find ‘Bliss’? My soul’s music is timeless. Keep it close to your heart; it’s art at its finest. A pint is not enough liquid courage to go around, so when I draw from this universe I put it into the sound. Would have been lost or found myself in the process, from gettin’ up over and over and dealin’ with God’s test. You best have believed my quest to relieve the pain that still remains, but frame by frame we make the sickest scene. The most equipped of teams, tall with tall torches; only the weak-hearted wilt like cowards with no voices. Of course, the choice it yours, pick the lock to open doors, get the crop to go for more because its pure. And, wherever the wind blows, me and my trusty pen go and at the drop of a 10-cent coin I let these men know: Get passed the windows, the walls and defences; let down your guard and come to your senses —— Let it Flow!”
- The Grouch (1st Verse on ‘Flow,’ on Zion I’s CD, “Deep Water Slang V2.0”)
I only brought one CD to Costa Rica and every time I throw it in (in between my spanish music), the Grouch sits me down, and tells me how it is. Yo, I’m feelin’ you, Grouch. Werd.
Throughout all of our daily choices, are we really choosing to live, or are we choosing to avoid death?
Y tambien, un otra pregunta:
Is it better to exist as a powerful light for a certain few, or to exist in a way that reaches more? —- even at the risk of not fulfilling that greater role?
Y finalmente,
I was on a banana plantation this weekend, and there are these runners who run over a thousand pounds of bananas from the fields to the factory. I firmly believe this one of the most physically demanding jobs in the world. Anyways, there was the man there who didn’t talk at all… he just busted his ass running these bananas… 6 days a week, for over 10 hours each day without a break greater than 5 minutes. A friend (well, more of an acquaintance) tells me that he doesn’t like to talk to people, and never does. So I began to wonder…
“what is it like to truly not like to talk to people?”
The way I see it,
When you turn your back on people, even for a short while, they change. (this isn’t a bad thing - the changing nor the turning. Maybe you had to go to school in a different state and its hard to keep in touch, or maybe you traveled around the world for a year and you were beyond contact, or maybe you were just in your own element for a while; the reason isn’t important for this discussion). It’s only when they never leave your side (nor you their’s) that they seem to never change.
It takes a lot to step back and see the change around you… and especially in you.
(sorry for the broken ingles, no lo usa mucho aqui)
Anoche fuimos a una Discoteca — una palabra….. “increible!”
Necesito recuperarme porque era bastante divertido. Ay! Pura vida.
Ayer fue un otra dia maravillosa - con nubes blancos, un cielo azul y nada pero el viento suave con la adicion de un sol caliente. La vida es purisima! Escuela continua ser divertido y dificil a el tiempo mismo, cual es como lo debe ser. Los bares cerca mi casa son muy interesante, con un mezcla de personas locales, gringos y otros. Anoche, tenia mi primer conversacion extensivo con la familia (los primos de mi mamatica) y, en hecho, una de los hermanas tiene una hija que (pues, ella lo dice) debe mi esposa… pero no se; no se conoci todavia. Hay mucho mas, pero solamente tengo 10 minutos entre mis clases, y necesito devolver ahora… pero, sabe que todos continua ser magnificos… Oh! Tambien, anoche, en mis suenos, tenia una suena donde me regrasi a Costa Rica en el otono de 2004, y vivia alli por (mas o menos) 6 meses… No se, quizas una premenicion….. mucho gusto… adios!
Hola amigos…mucho gusto. Ahora, estoy en Costa Rica y todos estan perfectos! Mi madre nuevo (Viky Garbanzo) es increible. Ella es una pintura y muy tranquilo, abiertisimo y mas! Hoy es mi primer dia de escuela y tengo una examen y una intrevista —- estoy nervioso, pero no es el fin del mundo. El tiempo es caliente porque es el media del verano y hay una parque cerca de mi casa —- hay muchos personas que juegan basquetbol y futbol, pero mi meta es introducir el desporte de frisbee ultimo! Pues, necesito salir, pero, espero que todos estan buenos, y volvera con mas informacion por la semana! Adios …