“It’s Been A Long, Long Time…”

Warmest Saludos to you blog readers. I know it has been quite a while since you have heard much about the Story of Ben, but I assure you I am alive and kickin’ down here in Bolivia. Since the last major update, a lot has happened. I’ve walked on hot coals, my niece was born, I’ve drilled another well, I’ve traveled to a higher elevation than ever before, I’ve discovered a hidden love for John Hartford and Bluegrass music in general, I re-acquainted myself with not-so-hidden loves for The Lord of The Rings movies and the The West Wing television show, I’ve attended a Japanese festival and bought a rug made of reeds there, I’ve often times worn my hair in a ponytail (my dad was happy about the bluegrass music, my bet is he is not so thrilled about the ponytail) and I’ve said goodbye to some excellent friends whose time is up in Bolivia. I was lucky enough to be able to put on a fireworks show on the fourth of July, I had a two person R&D meeting in Spanish and outside, I celebrated the 39th anniversary of Hárdeman by dancing all night long four days in a row, I met a sweet musical group when they came here to play, I started writing a letter a week to people back home but have since slacked off, I judged a beauty contest, walked in a parade, jumped on a trampoline and scored a perfect 100 at Japanese Karaoke. Oh yeah, and I snuck in a little trip to a place called The United States of America. Perhaps you saw me there. I did most of the usual things I do in Ohio, including eating at Skyline, hiking in Hocking Hills, playing softball with the Yidiots, visiting Ohio State and mooching off of my parents. So, I will repeat, a lot has happened. I’ll get on with some photos here in a second, but allow this long-winded traveler a bit of reflection time. About two weeks ago, I passed the one-year in-site mark. It’s pretty much 100% unbelievable that I have been here in Hárdeman for a year because it has gone by so incredibly fast, just like they said it would. But then there are days where it totally makes sense I have been here for a year. I know everyone when I walk down the street, there are tons of people to greet, I don’t mind the repetitiveness of repeatedly getting served the same food over and over again (that sentence courtesy of the Department of Redundancy Department), and I can sleep through a blaring television, crying children, rooster-ing roosters, cats fighting and insanely loud buses honking all at the same time. If you don’t believe me, ask anyone who has stayed over in my far-from Chateau Hárdeman. I no longer am self-conscious about speaking Spanish (even to girls!) and actually enjoy dancing to Bolivian music.

So when one joins the Peace Corps, a lot of people ask “why?” or “what’s your goal?” or “aren’t you worried about rabies?” or (in the case of my mom at first) “why don’t you do something where you can earn some money?” And most people who become volunteers (myself included) give responses like they want to learn about a new culture, perhaps learn a new language, help people, see the world, help themselves grow, blahbbity-blah. After being here a year, I’ve been trying to reflect on some of those answers. I’ve definitely seriously improved my Spanish, but it’s kind of tough to tell how I’ve grown or changed or matured (or un-matured for that matter). And I don’t think it will be really easy to tell a lot of that stuff until I am done. Everything about my life is different down here, I think how I change is going to come down to what I end up taking back with me to the States. Habits, ideas, memories, goals, motivations. I think I have a much different outlook on life now, but it’s hard to gage while I am still down here…it will have to wait until it can be set against the contrast of life in America. But for those of you die-hards who want to know how I am different now, I guess I can tell you that I spend more time on my hair than I ever did in my life, I write dates starting with the day instead of the month and I am seriously losing my skills at speaking English. I guess that’s not bad for a year in a foreign country. Perhaps those of you with whom I keep in better touch would be better judges of how I may have changed.

Well, without further adieu, the following are a bunch of entries to catch you up on my life, those of you who are interested. There are a few photos missing, I will get them up soon.