Entries this day: Costa_Rica! Dream Early_morning Next_curriculum forgot_students_again zzzz

Costa Rica!

Costa Rica!

Hey everyone!

Hello from Cristobol, Panama!

I'm actually writing this on my computer in the ship; there are three
internet-connected computers outside that I may use to send this.
However, demand for the computers may keep me away.

Cristobol has been described as incredible unsafe; we (volunteers and
staff) have been disallowed to exit the terminal.  I don't mind; I
need the quiet time on the ship.

In New York City, I hung out with Paige in her favorite areas of her
favorite city in the world!  I enjoyed a scrumptious cupcake from
Magnolia Bakery which we ate across the street at what may have been
Beecker Street Park.  Visted The Strand "18 Miles of Books", a used
book store set in an antique building that now features Air
Conditioning.

Paige and I wandered independently about the store for about 25
minutes and met back at the exit where I discovered I no longer had
the claim ticket for my backpack.  Five minutes later I gave blessings
to the fine citizens of New York City, for one of them had turned in
my claim ticket and I was able to collect all my stuff.

Joined Paige and several of her friends at a bar in south Manhattan
that night where I met a man named Earth who knows how to play Silent
Football!  We didn't get a game started, but I felt thrilled to have
made that connection.

The next day started at the United Nations building where we attended
the opening of the GPPAC (Global Partnership for the Prevention of
Armed Conflict) which featured awesome Japanese drumming by about 30
passengers from Pb!  Most of the opening statements of the
GPPAC were boring Statements of Purpose, save for one: the brief
speech given by one of the original visionaries of Pb.  He was inspiring!

I met Paige again that afternoon and chatted with her and her friend
Emily (?) at Whole Foods near Union Station (?).  We shared Emily's
delicious chocolate cookies and I guzzled most of a 2 quart thing of
the dark green Odwalla Super Food drink, which I love.

I had to head back to the ship sooner than I would have liked, but as
a bonus I got to use the NYC subway for the first time.  I enjoy that
it's loud, rough and littered, but still rumbling on its way.  The old
metal staircases guide us safely through the din, just over and
between the lines.  Rar.

The third (last) day most of the GET teachers joined the challenge
program in Central Park, designed to get the students interacting with
real people out in the world.  I enjoyed wandering around the park,
from 70th street on the east side up as far north as Cleopatra's
needle and Belvedere's castle thing.  We got lost in the Ramble and a
Puerto Rican guy named Bam Bam wearing no shirt offered to escort us
out.  I accepted because I had a basic sense of the right way to go,
so I would know if he led us completely astray.

Bam Bam told us the enemy lived on the west side and we should never
venture alone that way.  He told us how he fought off a bunch of them
and how they won't mess with him anymore.  But they held up an old
lady just last week.  My gut feeling says he's full of it; his overall
story didn't hold up: he said he's lived in the park for 2 years, but
he wasn't able to get us back to our requested location without
actually exiting the park.  Even I recognized where we were before he
did.  I still gave him $5 for his efforts; he got us back to our
meeting spot far faster than I could have.

Then, we enjoyed a brief tour of Columbia University where I got a
photo of Francois (my stuffed rabbit) being eaten by a lion, though
it's quite backlit by sunlight.

I chose to return to the ship early and sleep instead of attend the
Peace Concert in Dag Hammarskjold Park.  I was drained.

Four or five days on the sea brought us to Jamaica where I joined the
waterfall climbing tour in Ochos Rios.  Had we spent more time
climbing than on the bus ride there and back, I would say it was
absolutely worth it.  But I did greatly enjoy barefootedly scampering
up the rocks while the rest of the group was asked to hold hands to
make a human chain and walk up the edge of the falls.  I had been
part of that group for about 20 seconds until I realized what a
tragedy that would have been for my climbing needs.

Today we are in Cristobol, Panama.  I'm going now to see if I can get
internet access.

---------

I was unable to get access, but the next day we sailed through the Panama Canal and
now we are in Puntarenas, Costa Rica!  Katt and I wandered around the port
city, which features a fish processing area and a park that has long since grown
over.  After that, we taxied south along the coast for a few hour excursion,
including photographing many trails of leaf cutter ants and getting rained on in
the rain forest!  We also saw some crocodiles basking under a highway bridge and
Katt had a crocodile burger for lunch.  Good flavor, and pretty tender.

Next stop is Acapulco!

     Love
     - Rob! 

Dream

6:13am CST Sunday 31 July 2005

"I believe the most powerful change occurred in my life when I read the books of Utah."

I wondered if he meant the books of Mormons or if Utah was some author's name. Nic was with me and she was like, "oh, you mean the _______" and he was all surprised like, "well, it's nice to see someone who gets out of their living room once in a while."

Early morning

6:18am CST Sunday 31 July 2005

Went to bed around 10:30pm last night; I was just zonkered after Costa Rica; I didn't even go upstairs to say bye to people nor experience the departure. I woke up around 6am, suprised that I had slept so long; I had expected to be woken up last night. I found my backpack no longer on my bed; I imagine Katt moved it down so I wouldn't kick it off the bed.

My dream seems important... Yesterday I had some brainwaves regarding mindfulness: basically wondering why some things are remembered long term and why some are forgotten in a trice. I tend to believe remembering things more effectively can allow one to lead a richer life. And leading a richer life tends to make things more memorable. Further, being more alive should allow us to bring life to the world by communication with others, by living with purpose.

For example, if I remembered all the Japanese that has been in my brain at one point or another, I'd be pretty damn fluent. Almost the same for Spanish and American Sign Language. Also, having more memories helps to create my own personal culture, helps me have better stories to tell like tribes who pass down their entire history through stories handed down for generations.

- - - -

So how does one go about becoming more mindful? I'm pretty sure there is a book called Mindfulness, by Tich Nach Han (sp) or some such. I've had trouble reading some of his work; maybe an American English version should be written.

Part of the demise of mindfulness has come with "news" soundbites and the MTV generation of images being flashed for hundredths of seconds. The mind tries to put it all together but becomes overwhelmed because in the end, it's all just a bunch of static.

Next curriculum

11:20am CST Sunday 31 July 2005

I've just finished my curriculum for Audrey; she wanted to see them by noon today (but then the deadline got pushed back to 6pm) and I'm glad to get it done sooner than later. Our third (and final) term starts tomorrow.

forgot students again

6:30pm CST Sunday 31 July 2005

Aw fuck I forgot three individual student meetings today. I wasn't even in a messed up situation - I just wrote it down in the margin of my schedule instead of in the timeline section of the day. fuck fuck fuck.

I was watching Family Guy with Katt as I missed the meetings. She was like, "I thought you were busy until 5!" and I was like, "I did too, but I can't see what it was. Meh; let's go watch Family Guy!"

8:30pm CST Sunday 31 July 2005

I wrote notes for all three of them, and rescheduled meetings with them. Actually I met Koji at the time I gave him the note: he was working on his speech on the board game Go, so I read it and gave him a bit of feedback, and retooled parts of it.

9:34pm CST Sunday 31 July 2005

I bought a drink for Yama, and Shunji bought me a bowl of ramen. Delicious! I'm going to go downstairs and go watch more Family Guy now.

zzzz

1:20am CST Monday 1 August 2005

I have a bit of heartburn from eating so much junkfood.