Kuno

Mixto is a man, arguably ‘the’ man, yet so much more that the three letter word does not do him justice. Mixto is honesty. It all started the day he, Ravi, and I first tried to install a sink onto our first Sanitation unit without Connor (our mentor, aka “Professor Plumb”). To install this sink, we must drill holes in the concrete wall for the bolts. Naturally the holes in the wall must line up with the holes in the sink, so there is a bit of plumber eyeing involved (plumber eyeing - to use one’s plumber eye in order to measure something’s distance or relative position). Ravi holds the sink to the wall, I mark the holes where the drilling will be done, and Mixto makes sure the sink is level so the water ... read more

(note: This entry is all about run-on sentences and captions for the photos.) It was Tuesday the 15th at about 8:15 am at our regular morning organizational meeting. Forty plus volunteers are sitting in an outdoor area of a place known as Base Camp, where at least half of the volunteers have slept the previous night in two dorm rooms. The de facto leader, Jimmy, an under-30, thin-framed, scraggly-bearded mix between a hippie and a guy who used to write grant proposals for a non-profit in America, calls on Connor, a 26-year old Irish computer-science engineer who quit his job to travel South America for a year, found this random grass-roots volunteer group in Pisco, Peru back in January planned to stay with them for 2 weeks and didn't leave until 7 months later. Connor stands ... read more

It is ten until 6:00 pm and I'm eating at what must be a Peruvian Diner. I just ordered an "hamburguesa clasico con huevo y papas." Loosely translated that would be a classic hamburger with egg and fries. It feels so very White Spot for those of you who have been to Charlottesville. On the counter are homemade dessert cakes and glass jars of cereal. The whole place has to be no bigger than 15 feet wide by 35 feet deep, including the kitchen, sink, microwave, grille, dessert display case, a full-sized refrigerator and seating for 14 at 18-inch deep counter space lining the walls. Red and green padded-stools hug the blue bar counter around the walls while the husband and wife team run the place with a familial professionalism. Over the diner speakers plays "Maneater" ... read more

A return to the States is like a regression in time where buildings, roads, and store names have changed while people and old habits haven't. There's a new building on the corner, the highway is a little wider, a little longer before the familiar construction, and that one restaurant where you used to go has closed shop while three chain restaurants have opened in its stead. People have matured slightly with the passing of another year, but most of them look the same, act the same, and surely think the same as they did when you knew them in what seems like a previous life whose tracks you've picked back up. The comparisons are inevitable in the first couple weeks due to the shift in perspective you've gained from living in, experiencing and learning about different ... read more

(continued...) You don't have to think about it to define it: it's the "grass is always greener" phenomenon. What you have to think about is how to change this phenomenon into one that's going to make you a happier, better person. Isn't that what everyone wants: to be happy? Ask anybody what the secret of life is and they'll either say "to be happy," to something that basically means "to be happy." So why are so many people just not happy with their lives? Sure some are, but many people are wishing or dreaming for something else, and usually blaming something about their current life for the reason why they're not as happy as they could be. You don't have to be sad, depressed, or miserable to 'not be happy'. I mean, my life is great, ... read more