Thoughts and Rambles: April 2010

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

on the move again

"Will you please start up your blog again?" is the question I keep getting from friends. It's not that I stopped the blog, I just didn't have anything really exciting to report. I've been running around enjoying springtime in Denver, stopping to take photos of the tulips and playing with babies, with time off for sunbathing and reunions with old friends. Funny how I perk up when the snow disappears!

Well, I've been officially offered the position of Visiting Professor for the upcoming academic year. I'll be teaching in the Institute of Language Studies and Culture at the University of Khovd in western Mongolia. The Dean has asked me what salary I require and what kind of housing I need, and we're getting started on the Visa process... we'll see how it all works out.

My Lonely Planet book on Mongolia has arrived, along with the Mongolian phrasebook and the "Talk Now!" CDs of Mongolian lessons (I was disappointed to see that Rosetta Stone does not offer Mongolian). I've started the process of my return to Mexico, where a summer full of hot days filled with open air cafes, hikes to the swimming hole, rooftop BBQs, and trips to the beach will help brace me for the cold plains of Mongolia... A dear friend and fellow teacher has asked me to help him start a language school he is opening in Guanajuato this May- I'm gonna have to see how well I can balance helping him manage the school in its starting phase and satisfying my desire to hop on a bus and explore Mexico on a summer adventure. A bit of this and a bit of that....

So for now it's packing and planning, brushing up my Spanish while also taking on Mongolian, and tying up loose ends here in the USA so that I can be back in my beloved Guanajuato within a month as I move through the wild ride that is my charmed life.

it's nice to be on the move again.

PHOTOS

All photos in this blog are those I have shot myself (unless, obviously, I am the subject, in which case I will cite the photographer - except for a couple cases where I simply handed the camera to the person next to me to capture me in the moment- unfortunately there are a few of those where I do not know the person's name). I currently use the Panasonic DMC-FZ28. It is a great camera with a quality lens and good portability, and I get really nice shots with it.

It's not the most advanced or powerful camera, and it's not a large fancy SLR, but I've found that the trick to getting a good shot is not always just about the camera. As a photographer I can achieve great shots by keeping in mind composition, angle, and understanding the computer inside the camera and how to manipulate it for what I want in the final shot.

Perhaps one day I'll have my dream camera, but until then, I'm doing alright with a really great "almost SLR".

As you read the blog, enjoy the photos I insert here and there to help you visualize my stories. I have so many more photos, but only so much space for them on this blog.

Life... or Lifestyle?

thank you Allie, for this story, which reminds me of why I tend to feel so frustrated with the traditional American rat race…

There once was a Mexican fisherman who would get up in the morning and go fishing. By lunch time he had caught enough fish for the day and would come home, sell the fish, eat lunch with his wife, spend the afternoon playing with his kids and napping in the shade and in the evenings he would go down to the bar and play music with his friends.

One day he met an American who asked him, "Are there more fish out there that could be caught?"

And the Mexican said, "Yeah, but I catch enough before lunch so I stop fishing and come home."

The American said, "You should fish all day and catch more fish so you could increase your earnings."

The Mexican asked, "And then what would I do?"

"You could then buy another boat and hire another captain and catch twice as many fish and earn twice as much. Then you could start to sell your fish to the large corporations."

And the Mexican asked, "And then what?"

"You would keep adding boats until you had an armada and then you could build your own fish factory and ship your fish world-wide! Then you, of course, wouldn't be able to fish any more, you could move to the US and run the company. You would be making tons of money!"

And the Mexican asked, "What would I do with all that money?"

"You would save it!"

"What would I be saving it for?"

"So one day you could retire, move to a Caribbean island, fish in the morning, eat lunch with your wife, spend the afternoon playing with your grandchildren and napping in the shade and in the evenings you could go down to the bar and play music with your friends!"

And, there's the rub. My mother used to tell a story like this, except it was about an African fisherman (appropriate, as my father is African and this story was a comment on how one can trade the good life for a promise of the good life). Is it the African Connection that draws me to a similar lifestyle in Mexico?

Now I am living with and in the experiences, enjoying each day, and loving the moment.

I shared this sentiment with folks and they say "well, sure, but then there's reality."

Whose reality?

Should I find a way to live, really live, and enjoy and learn and love each day, whether it is in the States or in Mexico or elsewhere, I will always remember to embrace each moment and find a way to enjoy those moments. I refuse to continue on the rat race so that one day I can find my paradise, whatever it may be. I may not have a lot for show, but I love each day, and this is what is really important.

Thoughts and Rambles

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

on the move again

PHOTOS

About Me

Guanajuato, Mexico at sunset

Life... or Lifestyle?

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