hn58.

i'm back, and this time with three minor complaints:

well no, not so much complaints as commentary. i think the reason it may come off as a complaint is mostly because of my lack of cultural experience. Or maybe not. For you to decide.

1) honduran gas-less gas stations and chicken-less chicken places

When you read the sign SUPER POLLO what is it that you imagine? A chicken with a cape? Maybe a chicken so good you could only describe it with the word super? Well at least, you would think chicken I hope? But the last thing you would expect, upon entering such an establishment is a complete lack of chicken. Right? Unless I made an incorrect turn somewhere between the front door and the heated tray counter? In fact, I think there's a large humanoid chicken flexing his biceps out front? That I think should have been a dead give away, no?

Different situation, similar point. I'm sitting in the back of a pick-up as it approaches a gas station. Man pulls up to the pump. He waits. The attendant, currently lying in the doorway of the gas station convinience store, mutters under his breath: "No hay gasolina". That means, there ain't no gas for all of you who don't speak spanish. Then he laughs and returns to his nap like state. Would you find that shit funny? And it's the only gas station in 20 miles. There are convinience stores all over town that sell gasoline by the gallon at double the price (I'm not sure how safe or legal that is, but that's not the point), but the f-ing gas station is all out. Not that they don't have ways to call in the gas truck in advance or anything. Right?

2. Bathrooms in honduras don't always reach the ceiling.

If you were constructing a house and you had a choice of having the bathroom be sealed in by 4 walls and a ceiling/floor combo OR have walls that only reach about 6 feet up and then abruptly stop, which would you choose? Because using a bathroom where the top four feet are open to all curious spectators, and let's hypothetically say connected to a dining room, is not the most confidence inducing experience...In fact, it maybe one of the most nerve racking moments of my life. Especially for something that usually only provides calm and happiness.

and 3 will have to wait. maybe there really wasn't a 3 after all.

hn57.

well it's been a long time, so i think a little blog entry is in order. but i'm a little tired of the old format, the recaps of my work life and what not, so why not try something new. i will write when i have epiphanies, maybe little stories, but overall, i think it's time to chill with the absolutely inane sputterings that don't enlighten anyone.

furthermore, since my family knows about all my exploits, i don't have to cater to them in any way, and the rest of you could give a shit about solar panels and gardens, so i think cultural exchange is much more important and profound. now, let's see if i'm up to the challenge.

so for a first, i want to reflect on american consumerism. not necessarily buying new things (which is always fun), but buying new things that we have absolutely no apparent use for. think about it. no offense to any of my friends who read this, but why do you need 10 of everything. and i'm being this ambiguous because this applies to almost everything we possess. in fact, i think a good exercise is to look into your closet or dresser and analyze every piece of clothing. when was the last time you wore article A? and the time before that? if there is more than a month long period in between you should probably donate that shit to someone who can use it more often. now of course, this excludes the super fancy, the tuxes and evening gowns and things, which are for specific occasions. regardless, i bet you will find at least one thing that you don't need anymore. maybe two. and if you continue this inspection in the other areas in your house, you will find it filled with shit that you may not even know you had. and that, should make you think. if it doesn't, maybe you should reanalyze your approach to life, and existence on this little planet of ours.

ok, so why am i ranting about this now. and it's true, i am just as guilty of this as anyone else, and at this precise moment i am looking at my 1, yeah that's right 1, book shelf/closet combo thing, and i realize that there is much here that i have no use for. shirts i haven't worn since i started service, pants that i have only worn once. i even have a package of undershirts that i opened, layed out on my shelf, and then never used. not once. granted they're all mediums and i'm a tiny bastard who should have known better, but still. why are they still there. shouldn't someone put them to good use?

and yes, there is a point to all of this. there occured a moment in my mind that acted as a catalyst for this discussion. and it all happened when i did my laundry after vacation. you see, when you go on vacation you bring clothes for almost any situation, logically, because you never know. so i basically had to wash my whole wardrobe, which for a peace corps volunteer should be limited to almost nothing. not in my case. after i was done, i had three clothes lines drying, and then it hit me. i looked around and saw that i was being watched by the 20 coffee pickers that my host dad had trucked in from out of town. in their eyes i could see something like envy/disgust/surprise all mixed together. nothing hostile, but it still slammed me like a dump truck. i looked up and realized that i was hanging up enough clothing for most of them to wear for a whole coffee season. and it was all mine. i don't think i have ever felt as shitty about drying my laundry as i did that day. and it still bothers me.

i guess it's just something to think about when you do laundry next time.