I’m in The Big Apple. It’s shinier than since I was last here but the taste is the same.
So my time in Costa Rica is over and have I made a difference? Have I left a mark? Well, there’s some corner of some concrete floor in some poor village in the middle of nowhere that has my name written in it. I paid for it, I mixed it, I laid it. And yes, I struggled with the proselytising Evangelical church aspect. It may be preying on the vulnerable but at least it gives those people some hope in a life which is otherwise devoid of any. If the main alternatives are the bottle or the needle then I view God as the lesser evil.
I didn’t make the world a better place but I did make a floor.
As for me, well, I came here to get away from a life lacking life in a culture in thrall to the superficial and to experience something more raw. The standard cliché reasons of the restless with Kerouac fantasies. But I got it. I got more than I hoped for. I haven’t ‘found myself’ or patched any gaping voids in my life but my experiences have definitely made me think about what keeps people going, about why we do the things we do, about hope…
So now I’m in a country which idolises distraction and the superficial.
I leave tomorrow en route to San Francisco overland. I have time to think this through…
Hello Sebastian,
ReplyDeleteMy wife, Nancy, and I have been following your blog. We share a common friend with you, Yvan, from your EBS days. Nancy was a student at London Centre in 1987-88 where she hung around with Kai, Yvan &Yanti. She knows about you through Yvan, but is not sure if she ever met you.
Anyway, my point is we now live in Washington state on Orcas Island which is north of Seattle. If you are coming north from California on your American road trip and would like to see the San Juan islands we would be happy to put you up for a few nights. We split time between Orcas and Victoria, BC so hopefully our schedules might coincide.
If you have any questions about our character or moral standing ask Yvan.
We thoroughly enjoy your writings,
Cheers,
Ron & Nancy
Nomads with too much Caravan!
And you didn't call to say hi....
ReplyDeleteMaggie
Hello Ron, thanks for the very kind offer. I am planning to head up Seattle way (probably June/July'ish) so I might well take you up on it (let's exchange mail addresses via Yvan). I don't worry about moral standing, mine fell over a long time ago...
ReplyDeleteMaggie, I have incurred your wrath but my ticket out is via NY so I was planning to spend more time there on the way back. I definitely want to catch up with you guys. I know after a drink or two you will forgive me... I'll be in touch.