Its not that they don’t exist. It is not the fact that they aren’t technically fine or anything.
Its just that… there’s nothing that can describe certain things…
When a person says to me, with a little chuckle, “Noah, what have you gotten me into!?” I get a little warm and fuzzy. I hear a person slightly outside their comfort zone but still very much enjoying themselves.
To travel is one thing. But anyone who ponies up dough can do that. To travel and live is another. To get out there and say, “Yes, in fact, I will go with you to the most random place you can come up with.”
And this time, all it took was not getting out of the van when everyone else got out at the hotel. I just stayed.
I’m of the opinion that its not “your people” and “my people” and “those people”… its just “people”. I can be in a hotel anywhere in the world. I can only experience Cuba while I’m in Cuba. Cuba is not in a hotel.
I hung around for dinner.
People ask about the food there. Its a lot like any other place with seasonal fruits and veggies. Plenty of pork and chicken. No surprise there. Much of it is blended, though, and many people have a tendency of blending it as it goes on the plate.
Everything in one bowl. Just do it like the locals. Good call.
I had spent the day with a number of religious leaders at a conference.
.
I was there, just taking a few photos.
Sometimes the original “reason” for travel is just a framework. The reason for travel is to be in the midst of the locals. If one person is changed for the better because of my interaction with them, I am content.
But, in the end, I cannot tell you how much better I am from knowing them.
For now, stay tuned…
-Noah D.
