Well another midweek report from the lone American researcher lost in his Spanish plastic world.
Well this week has been pretty relaxed for the most part. Class is its normal mix of everlasting torture of new words and rules that ridicule my mind....and other times I surprise myself with a bit of new knowledge.
I have made the decision to not drink during the week anymore because I was starting to feel like it was taking its toll on both my mind and body. Though it has only been a few days I already feel better mentally and physically. During the past three (maybe four) I have spent at my classmates’ house. Now all three of the fellow ISA students live in the same house so I find myself hanging out there. In addition, I like one of them and we have...not been dating but teetering with the idea, although we talked the other day and agreed it was better not to really date because I am leaving in basically a month.
Hanging out at this other house for the past few nights has given me a new appreciation for my current house life. It is much chiller here and the food is much healthier. I do not think I could handle deep fried food for both lunch and dinner every day. It is in Olive Oil but the amount I have seen used in the food surpasses any amount that could be healthy. Plus they eat two big meals a day, where as I have been eating one.
Yesterday afternoon I conducted the best interview yet. It was with my friend I made this summer that owns greenhouses that are open for tours. Unlike the other interviews, this one lasted an hour that passes quickly and only now I am I understanding how much information I have. In addition, although only three interviews, I am beginning to see/hear similarities between interviews. I would still like to have ten interviews but feel that I am beginning to better understand both the past and the possible future of this region.
Shitty sleep the past three nights has dampened my mood a bit but I continue to keep my health up for the Mt Kilimanjaro climb and good health in general. The weather here makes it easy to ride a bike and run....temperatures range from 68-73 during the day and about 57-60 at night. I do miss the winter but know that there is always plenty of cold weather if you want it.
I keep up with the politics of are horrible corrupt government and only wish that The People would wake up and make a change. But alas I know that things remain the same and we go along worrying about I and not the big picture. I have been thinking a lot about what I want to do after Grad School and more and more the idea of sitting in front of a computer playing with GIS seems unlikely. Maybe there is a way to integrate what I know in a positive way somewhere in the world but I do not think so. I think the best thing to do might just be to go help people that we (western governments) have made into dire states.

Paz and Amor
Ty