Zambia 5
This is where we shared each meal. Starting and ending the day with laughter and love.
This was when my Zambian pharmacist friend taught me that my phone will take a photo if I wave my hand. We laughed because I didn't believe it.
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This trip probably opened you eyes a bit more, too... although Texas is pretty close to Mexico. As for me, I only really saw Manzanillo (Mexico) in '76, and it was very much like Caracas (only slightly more arid).
....and you know me, contrarian to the core.
He seems to be a decent guy.... but I wouldn't bet my life on it (yet).
And yeah, I'm still digesting "Inside"... and still have problems leaving my own comfort zones. One day, I'll take it all to heart, but am probably MUCH too comfortable at present.
I guess it's different for everyone, but being domesticated and doing the same thing every day has been frightening for me.
Life is just so short.
There's certainly been a come down since getting back home but it's not what I expected.
I'm having a hard time caring about so much of the daily minutia. Entitled people. Messy kitchens. Work. Politics blah blah
Apparently my comfort zone is in avoiding the daily grind.
Did you ever know Jungle Mom? She's in Uruguay...
I see myself somewhere other than the US. I think we're headed in a bad direction with the growth of Christian nationalism.
I can't say as I ever met a Christian Nationalist. My sister was a devout Christian though. She's living in Kodiak Alaska now, and she has a workshop where she restores Eastern Orthodox Icons. My BiL is very religious as well, studied "theology" and became a business consultant for executives of a large San Francisco based private construction firm (Bechtel). He's retired now, but active in the Russian Orthodox church. I think that they both became eastern orthodox when they retired to Alaska. We're not very close. She dropped out of UC Santa Cruz and married in 1970 when we returned to the US after living in venezuela for 4 years (she only lived there for 1). They were "hippies"... while my BiL was attending seminary (Princeton) they ran a halfway house for ex-cons transitioning from prison to the outside. That was when I was at the Academy.
The solution?
...>we need a solidarity of struggles, not a “dialogue of cultures" (or nations).
The only way to effectively fight “Eurocentrism” is from within, mobilizing Europe’s radical-emancipatory tradition. In short, our solidarity with non-Europeans should be a solidarity of struggles, not a “dialogue of cultures” but a uniting of struggles within each culture.
- Zizek, "The Need to traverse the Fantasy"
The question is, where is my jouissance? I'm not sure where to find it, other than travel and mission work.
Welp. I guess that answers that question.
We have an trip to Maine coming up in 2 weeks and I'm excited. It'll be nice and chilly and a big change of scenery.
It's been 4 weeks now and the brain zaps are diminishing. I'm still taking 5htp (precursor to serotonin) as a supplement and it seems to be helping.
I just turned 50 yesterday.
😑
Maine sounds like fun. A good time to visit, too. Have a great trip. And a happy, but belated birthday wish for you, too. 50. I'm not sure I can remember back that far... ;)
And you're right, pleasure is found in the small things.
So even though I haven't "really" spent time in Maine, I do have a fond memory of it, and the "perfect drive".
btw, ever drink a "Wicked Ale"? That's another Maine memory.
I love what little I've seen of Maine. I would eventually like to explore more inland and find some cool towns to visit. Last time we were in Camden I was surprised at the prices of homes just a few miles from the coast. They were surprisingly affordable! Texas used to have the most affordable land and homes but that's changing, sadly.
Anyway, I'm excited to sit on the grass and watch the boats in the port. I feel like a kid when I'm near the ocean.
Camden. Looks nice! I usually lodged in a B&B in Durham, NH, about a mile from campus (UNH). I stayed in their visitor dorms once, too... it was in the woods and had ceiling-to-floor windows that brought the woods inside. But the B&B was my favorite. Very "Maine-sy". For around 2 years, I visited once a month while they built an instrument (ULEIS) for the ACE spacecraft to monitor the progress being made for CalTech and the NASA project office.