El Veintisiete de Junio 1:18pm

I have been thinking a lot about our country and education. Personally, I have felt a little gipped in the past. I realize I could have turned it around for myself somewhere with the correct motivation and self-control, but somewhere along the way an educator let me slip through the cracks. I want to learn for my entire life, yet sometimes I fear I didn’t learn as much as I should while my brain was at the height of its plasticity and ability to develop. Knowing that I have felt this way and that I yearn for increased knowledge and opportunity also leads me to feel a little selfish. If I believe myself to be of average education, where does that put those who have had very little or no opportunity? If I believe that an educator perhaps over looked me, a single person, then surely those that are less fortunate have the inarguable right to feel this way as well. After all, there are many of them. Surely the world is letting them slip through the cracks. Surely the world is overlooking these people.

I had a conversation about privilege recently with an employee at UPEACE. I expressed that I did not believe myself to be privileged- and I was challenged… I have been privileged enough with the opportunity to travel, with people in my life that have encouraged critical thinking and encouraged global awareness and an acceptance of other cultures. There are others out there that have not been given this push. They have not experienced the warmth and love from the world that I have even if it is indirect. Many people have no desire to have this experience. WHY NOT!? To not want this because you do not know that you probably should is a crime against life. It is a very interesting situation…

… While placement of responsibility is argued about and acceptable “efforts” are brought up and squashed- or carried out, people go hungry, starve, lose the opportunity to learn, get hurt, die…

Living my host family has made me think more… but I will write about it tomorrow. I have to leave now. I am going to Santa Barbara to meet the rest of the family! It will take a couple of bus rides and about an hour’s time, but it should be fun!

17/16/2012- 11:11 pm (Now 3 Days In)

Early minor challenges, though they are blips in the radar, have been well handled and have reinforced my thoughts.

Today I was told that I am “worth my weight in gold”. This made me beam. It is wonderful to feel helpful and effective.

17/6/12- 12:34am (Two Days In)

   Travel is exciting. The world is beautiful. People are inspiring. Often things go wrong but solutions can be found.

   I have been here 2 days and already I have begun to work on my two ultimate goals. The first is to satisfy my desire to become fluent in Spanish. To work on this I have continued to use my study tools but I have also practiced here in this beautiful country. Yesterday at La Oveja Negra our server’s name was Julio. He was very nice and I enjoyed conversing with him.

   My second goal is to improve not only my overall knowledge base but primarily my emotional intelligence and leadership skills. This first course at UPEACE is brilliant for thisand I know I will have much practice considering my current role.

   Exploration is essential. Nature is both our mother and our child. Our future is primarily determined by our actions today.

   These are the ideas that I have been thinking about, and that I have deemed to be very important in my life and on my journey.

   Buenas Noches. Es hora de que me duerma.

June 12, 2:32pm (3 Days to Departure)

There is a monster inside of me, and more than half of my energy is being exerted simply to contain it. I have recently acquired an awareness that as the time comes for me to travel… I have a tendency to become extremely stressed. This stress monster rages inside of me with impatience and intolerance for the most part, while at others times bursts with excitement and a longing to get going. Hence, my energy is diminishing due to the calm manner in which I am attempting to carry out these last few days.

I am now finished with work until I return (Sigh of Relief). However, I have about 40 things left on my “Master List of Things To Do Before I Go”. Yikes. I am simply running out of time.

Meanwhile: The massive fire rages on in Colorado and a volcano is erupting in Guatemala. Although I would like to borrow a smidge of Costa Rica’s current rainfall to help out poor Colorado, I’d really like to see lava in person. It seems unfathomable. Volcanic ash shooting up into the atmosphere and molten, fiery, liquid rock oozing downwards? Dangerous and scary? Yes, but also worth seeing once I’d say. Besides; volcanic ash is a contributing factor (pollutant) to the beautiful and breath-taking sunsets we all love so much.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! J

June 7- 2:52am (8 days to departure)

I am starting to feel the excitement throughout every vein in my body- perhaps even every capillary. Are you aware of how many capillaries the human body has? I am fairly certain it is in the billions, and if we were to lay them out- it would be between 50 and 60,000 miles long. To make this clear- I can feel excitement traveling through at least 50,000 miles inside my body; bringing liveliness to every cell. Pretty impressive.

            I just finished another forty+ hour work week. Half of me wants to work as much as possible to take the money and the other half wants to pawn off all of my shifts so that I can lay around and just wait for the day of my departure. Though I’d never really be happy with that, and honestly, the employees that are suited to take my shifts already have 40 hours themselves. Drat.

            I am not tired, but I have a meeting in the morning. I suppose I shall try to sleep now.