an excerpt from james's email

so this isn't an original thought of mine, but it sure captures my own opinion:

"I've read that one person's waste is another's riches. Being here reminds me again that my richness likely results from another's wasting away in hunger and malnutrition, that I cannot be lucky without the misfortune of another, that my privileged status is built upon the disadvantage of others.

SHIT! What do I do? Work for progress, I tell myself. This cannot be solved overnight, nor by me alone, but I can certainly spend less, live more modestly, and ensure that I have more to share."


this echoes the realization i had while living at holden a few years ago. i suddenly realized that we're operating in a closed system. we've only got a certain amount of energy to work with-- and if we spend it all on selfish endeavors, some other part of our world will be left to whither away. i think it's a matter of balance and modesty, "live simply so that others may simply life."

the morning view from guachipilin

the morning view from guachipilin
Originally uploaded by josefina1.

our final 2 nights out in the campo were spent in guachipilin, a community that was bombed and displaced during the war. it seems to be recovering pretty well. it was a long hike up from the bottom of the valley, and the views every morning were incredible. we were above the clouds!

rafael (the smilie-est baby in el salvador) and his proud father guadalupe

rafael (the smilie-est baby in el salvador) and his proud father guadalupe
Originally uploaded by josefina1.

guadalupe met us on the first day and walked with us almost every day. he was so proud to introduce us to his family when we finally reached his community, san miguelito. he is a sweet, kind, loving man. it's hard to think of him fighting in the guerilla army during the war.

padre tomás gives a wedding blessing

padre tomás gives a wedding blessing
Originally uploaded by josefina1.

in one of the communities, our usual daily mass was enhanced with a wedding and 4 baptisms. there was no light in the chapel, which made the candle light eery and beautiful at the same time. both of the people getting married had lost their first spouses in the 12 year civil war.

two shy salvadorian chicas

two shy salvadorian chicas
Originally uploaded by josefina1.

our sleeping accomodations every night

our sleeping accomodations every night
Originally uploaded by josefina1.

here we are! the delegation, in el salamo on our second night. by the last night we were all pros at sleeping in the hammocks.

perfecto and his compañera

perfecto and his compañera
Originally uploaded by josefina1.

as we started our 7 day trek though the salvadorean mountians, we were greeted by people from all of the 5 communities we would visit. some walked with us the entire time, offering their stories, their companionship, and their strong backs to carry our heavy loads.

central park

central park
Originally uploaded by josefina1.

a day in manhattan.
i called it FOOD TOUR 2005!
we ate:
mexican
guinean
jewish
turkish
korean
japanese
italian
indian

coney island.... jennifer under a dark cloud

coney island.... jennifer under a dark cloud
Originally uploaded by josefina1.

jennifer and i spent an afternoon at coney island. we rode the cyclone and walked along the boardwalk and then got drenched in the rain on the way home.

the clothed version of buttermilk falls

the clothed version of buttermilk falls
Originally uploaded by josefina1.

bella fueguita doing her thing

bella fueguita doing her thing
Originally uploaded by josefina1.

after a delicious meal at the moosewood, and some skinny dipping in buttermilk falls, katherine and helen and i made ourselves comfortable at our campsite and helen did some fire dancing.

a lemon tree grows in long island?

a lemon tree grows in long island?
Originally uploaded by josefina1.

jennifer and i caught the train out to long island and met katherine and helen at the beach. somehow we made our way to a harbor and entertained ourselves with a tree we found in someone's trash pile.

subway love

subway love
Originally uploaded by josefina1.

i got in to new york and jennifer picked me up at the airport. we went back to her house in brooklyn. she lives in the most diverse zipcode in the US. it's a great neighborhood-- jennifer says she can feel the energy of brooklyn coming up through the ground.... it was so good to see her there, visit her coffee shop, food coop, mexican restaraunt, etc.