A new era of responsibility

How do you describe the most historic event of your life so far? How do you put over 400 years of history into words? You can't. Its not possible, words are too dry to describe what transpired yesterday in front of millions of people around the world. One man tried to get in in a phrase: "We are finally back in the house we built." That's not really my history, but I think it gets close to how many many people feel about an Obama presidency.

It was an incredible day all around, there was a feeling of real excitement rushing through the crowds, and it did not appear that anyone was disappointed after it was said and done. Started the day at 12:45 am Tuesday morning as I headed down to D.C.. Getting in five hours later at the D.C. Metro train was pretty easy, but the city was already moving and it was clear that this was going to be a busy day. You know when you are on a train heading to a baseball game and there are a handful of people wearing jerseys or hats and you know they are in it for the same reason as you? Well this was kind of like that, except every single person you saw was traveling to see the same thing; one man march into history.

Rolled into Union Station at about 7:20 and was resigned to the notion that a video screen and a massive crowd would be the way I was going to have it all go down. Well I was either at the beginning of a Karma movement, or somewhere in the middle, because a good man came up and handed me a ticket to the silver gate. Having no idea where this was, or really how to get there I obviously asked for directions, and was given some moderately acceptable information; "left on D, left on 3rd." Ok, that sounds quick and easy, and then I found myself in an hour and twenty minutes of getting way more acquainted with fellow citizens then I imagined would be the case. This was the worst traffic jam of people I have ever seen; two massive waves of people were trying to get through the same intersection and no one was all that willing to budge. A few guys on light poles and in trees made it happen after what seemed like hours and in the end I was free and feeling really good about being able to put my hands in my pockets without elbowing five people as the same time.

After my free-walking session it was time to make some progress to the silver gate, still not sure if I was actually going to get to see any of this go down. Apparently I had found the absolute worst spot in D.C. because there was nothing even close to what I had just experienced and I managed to get through the gate and onto the mall in short order. In this picture, I was standing just behind the first screen on the left, close, but not so that anything could be distinctly seen without the screen.A view from my angle:
By now you have heard the speech, seen all the fanfare and had your own feelings about it. Whatever you felt I hope it has given you a sense that we are all in this together and that whatever your vision is for our country, you have at least the next four years to find a partner in your government who is willing to work with you. Get out there and do something, volunteer, make something happen, it really is up to us. I know that I have a renewed sense of responsibility to my students and their families to be a part of what they perceive the American dream to be. To be as good an educator as I can be and to make all the hard work and long hours they put in for their children to have a better chance than they had a fruitful endeavor and one that works out as they hope it will.

Now is the time, we have a leader and no more excuses, "we are the change we seek." Make your mark and help someone else make theirs.

One last note. Amid all the history and significance of the day, perhaps the most joyous, or at least the most cathartic experience was seeing Bush fly 200 feet over my head in his helicopter as he finally left power. A one finger salute was properly given, though disappointingly he was not headed for the Hague.

Democracia

Yet again the US is being accused of tampering in the elections being held in El Salvador, accusing the Salvadorans of such high crimes as having friendly relations with Venezuela as well as an alleged connection with the FARC in Columbia. This is something to watch over the next few months.

If you can understand Spanish, or just want to watch some very good footage of the developments in Nicaragua, these two links are very helpful.

Sergio Ramierz is the former VP of Nicaragua under the first FSLN administration during the revlutionary years. He has since broken with his former party accusing President Daniel Ortega, 1979-1990 and again since 2006, of abandoning the revoltution.

http://www.elboomeran.com/blog/7/sergio-ramirez/

This is a weekly news webcast that has excellent footage of the situation on the ground today, worth a look even without Spanish skills.

http://www.estasemana.tv/


Still trying to figure out where the US is on this one; they certainly have not been a fan of Ortega in the past, but he has become somewhat tollerable it seems in his current presidency. One might be inclinced to think that the US wants the FSLN out, and State Department meetings with the man accusing the FSLN of voter fraud, Eduardo Montealegre furthers the suspicion that they are supporting the opposition. This combined with an incease in Iranian business in Nicaragua strenthens the idea that the US wants Ortega's party to lose stature.

It is with great hope that the US begins to act in a responsible manner and allow the Nicarguans to control their own fate; they have proven more than capable in the past...

Developments

Hey All,

Sorry to drop off like that without a whence or a whither, but I have decided to pick it back up, albeit without much travel for some time.

Heavy developments in Nicaragua the last few days, with the FSLN and opposition groups clashing in Managua and Leon. I plan to return again in June, it could be a very different place by then; we'll have to wait and see.

Oh and the last photo on the blog is from a football match between Flamego and Athletico PR at Maracana Stadium in Rio - Flamego 1 - Athletico 0. Awesome.

That was intense

I got what I came for

Sitting in the Bariloche airport today as I wait for my flight to Buenos Aires, in the heart of the Patagonian winter. It is a pretty good wintry mix storm raging outside and I have to say that I have enjoyed my two and a half weeks of winter this summer. It wasn’t harsh by any real standards; rather the weather felt much more like the build up to winter we get in November or early December many years; cold, often rainy, crisp mornings with relatively mild days.

A good storm rolled in on Friday and deposited a fresh foot of snow that I benefited from yesterday at Cerro Catedral. The snow was of a quality that was unexpected given the lack of major snow in the preceding two weeks and the views are unsurpassed in my skiing experience. Thoughts of the resorts around Lake Tahoe kept coming to the surface as I stood on top of the treeless peaks. In one view the huge sprawling steppe stretched as far as the eye could see. One hundred eighty degrees the opposite sat massive imposing peaks covered in flutes of snow as they jutted out in between the low (high) clouds they reached as they rose out of Lake Nauhl Huapi.

Bariloche was a nice place to live for the time I spent there – a bit touristy and a tad expensive but welcoming altogether. My Spanish has improved a great deal, and I had my first dream in Spanish the other night; a sure sign that the language is taking hold, and quite an odd experience that left me awake for some time after. My host family was truly wonderful and there was a very home-like dynamic that developed between the two Dutch girls, Ana and myself. I returned to the house last night to drop off some music for Ana, Nantha and Marique had just returned from Chile, and we all talked like a big family, laughing, saying goodbye; it was very nice. Staying there was almost like a second class; Ana spoke no English and I had to do a lot of translating for the Dutch girls initially and still on some things even to the end. In coming down here I certainly never expected to be a translator for anyone.

A small feeling of nostalgia has already begun to rise up occasionally as I wrap up this amazing time; soon I’ll be back to life in the States and this will all be a wonderful memory. I’ve seen some real poverty and wealth, been in situations that were fairly nerve-wracking and others that were as comfortable as can be, and I loved them all. One thing I had wanted to pay special attention to was similarities between the many different worlds I was privy to over the last month plus. Funny little things like both Nicarguans and Thais using plastic sandwich bags as the general carrying apparatus for liquids from soda to soup. There was certainly never a conversation between the two peoples, but somehow they just figured out the same solution to their carrying issue. Pace is another similarity that the Thais and Nicas share, the easy going “we’re not in a hurry to get there because well, eventually we just will,” was an lifestyle that I very much appreciated.

My connection to Argentina has been on the whole rather different. In Nicaragua and Thailand I found myself more connected to the people, traveling alone without hearing English at all in Managua and staying at the school with Roy were very, very different than living with two Dutch girls and hanging out with travelers from all over the world in Bariloche. The connection felt much more like tourism than cultural immersion; there just weren’t really opportunities to do that in Bariloche. Granted I lived with an Argentine and in that respect I surely developed an impression of the people as much as any one person could be expected to represent. I don’t know what exactly I was expecting; the first two worlds are so wholly different than the third in terms of general wealth. As an overall impression, there is one running theme that I believe you can find all over the world: people want to be cared for; they want to express their appreciation and enjoyment of others; all people want to enjoy themselves and share that with others.

These next two cities are going to be pretty intense, Buenos Aires is a city of 13 million – New York City: 8.5 million. The city has something like 7 or 8 neighborhoods of varying character. I’ll be staying in Palermo, great nightlife, cool places to eat and lots of partying until the next day - it can barely be called the same night when the party ends at 8 am. There are a few people from Bariloche that will be there at the same time, so I’ll meet up with them and we’ll see what BA has to offer. One other stop for certain will be La Boca, a very cool artist community on the far western side of the city as it stretches out along the Rio de la Plata. I’m too consumed by Buenos Aires at the moment to think too far ahead to Rio de Janeiro, but there are some general touristy things that I’ll do there on my first trip, with hopefully more to come in the future.

Alright, just began the decent into Buenos Aires…oh I almost forgot, I got my shoes back the next night in Thailand just in time to toss them off before jumping in the pool at 7 am that morning. Lucky.

Finalemente!!!

After nearly two full weeks in one of the premier ski towns in Latin America, it finally snowed today!! The forecast is for snow the next few days, hopefully this will drastically improve conditions on the hill - a lot is needed for that to happen apparently.

Its fairly odd to be standing in falling snow on the first of August; it will be even more so when I sit on the beach in Rio in a weeks time as well and then returning home to the high 80's summer heat. Needless to say, I am loving this.

Estuve Enfermo

After a long weekend and a beautiful run on Sunday afternoon, I woke Monday morning with a pretty good fever and a really achy body. I think with the full on one week rage in Thailand combined with the trek down south to the winter climate combined with non-stop action once I arrived (that I hadn’t planned for) my body finally told me that I needed a rest. So a rest I took, to the tune of 14 straight hours of sleep. Much needed, I feel great today and am ready for what is quickly feeling like the last leg of my trip. From here I have about another week in Bariloche and then onto Buenos Aires and Rio. All signs point to Buenos Aires being a pretty great time and Rio, well, its Rio.

This has been a really nice trip so far and I feel very distant from my first days in Managua. In some ways it has been hard to grasp all that has occurred this summer and all that I have experienced. From kicking around Managua with myself to getting chased by a man with a machete in Chaing Mai to cooking huge lunches with new (and old) friends in Bariloche; this has been all that I bargained for and more in many ways.

The addition of an old friend has suddenly placed Bariloche in a much different context; almost instantly more familiar. Mikel Bova and I met on separate ladders on the side of a house one day and I would say we have been friends since that day. We ended up living together in Colorado and had some real fun skiing together from late October powder days in Wolf Creek to late June avalanches in the Colorado backcountry. Now the possibility exists to hit up a few runs south of the equator in late July; something I would say has somewhat caught both of us by surprise, I think all we are missing is the month of August and we’ll have it all racked up, luckily that’s right around the corner.

Today we cooked a monster feast at our friend Kim’s house – a man with a positive attitude almost as big as his appetite. It was a great thing in itself to sit and have a fantastic meal with people from all over the US and the world yet made even better by the fact that Mikel was there to join.

A storm has finally rolled in that appears promising as I write this; I might even skip a day of school if it is true. I moved up to a new level this week and it is proving to be a little tougher, but not much. I would say that my Spanish has improved a decent amount, but even after just a few hours of constant English speaking I feel myself losing a little bit of my speaking abilities. I suspect that this is what will go first when I return, but hopefully I will retain my ability to read and write in Spanish.

Time has seemingly picked up speed and I am in the “enjoy every moment you’ll be in Connecticut soon” mode. I look forward to my return and even to the daily routine of life. I needed an extended break from that for many reasons and I am confident that I will return to CT stronger and more content that when I left.

P.S. It rained all day today on the mountain and to top it off a cable broke on one of the main lifts, so its completely closed for the next few days. Old equipment and Latin America don't make for a high degree of efficiency. Oh well...