Saturday, June 26, 2010

Still gets me...


How is it that while working in another latin country after two semesters back at university in the states that the DR still hits me in the chest?? Just sitting here with my mosquito net in Bluefields, Nicaragua, I put on some Aventura and begin editing the Fulbright essays I am writing. Although I am writing about Peru, the music brings me back to the campo of the DR. I miss the people, the culture, the tools I used ever day, and the men I worked with. Then I get a message from a friend who is still working in the DR, that she was in a town near my village the other day and a guy came up to her and told her, "Oh, that Roberto. He brought water to a community. Tell him I said hi." Can't help it. It hits me. Is it possible that one period of your life can be so rich and heavy with emotion that for the rest of your life a simple reminder of it puts you right back in? I love the feeling, but it hurts. Those two years seem to be untouchable and unforgettable. I left the DR 10 months ago. How far I have come is amazing but it pales in comparison to how far I have left to go.
How do I go forward when the biggest smile I have ever had was 1.5 years ago... Remembering is not enough.

1 comment:

Housatonic Habitat said...

Yow, you're a DR addict...like me!! We need to talk -- me and some friends run a home-building non-profit outside San Juan de la Maguana; we're focusing on taking college students. Maybe we should talk with Pitt??!!??

Oh, my friend in Hamden knows your father apparent, he sent the link to your blog....