Arlene and the Black Cloud
Arlene is a child of the sixties seeking to cure the infirm using medical skills and herbs; digging with her delicate hands to help the compasinos and, learning Spanish with us. A dark cloud follows her as she travels through Ecuador.
As a doctor form the Southwestern United States, she should have better luck. After all this is her "vacation. Arlene kicked off her holiday by toiling in the fields of a small cooperative farm in rural Ecuador. The romantic notion of sticking rice into the ground was crushed after the mosquitoes began nibbling on her hands and ankles. Learning the ropes from the patron and getting whacked on the head by a shovel made doctoring at the psychiatric treatment center back home more attractive. It was time to change her travel strategy.
No problema! She was off to Cuenca, the intellectual capital of Ecuador, to improve her Spanglish. Her "homestay mother" welcomed her and promised a whole grain, vegetarian diet. So after registering for school (former hippies, now yuppies must improve their skills even on holiday, she decided to shop for vitamins at the local market.
A young buck "accidentally" threw ice cream on her and a "friend" offered assistance which included snatching her backpack and running into the sunset. It was time to go "home" to see her homestay "mom" and regroup.
Alas, there was no peace for this almost shaman. Knock, knock, knock...phone calls and prayer did not open the door to her casa. A power outage caused by construction caused "mom" to abandon ship and stay with relative for the night. Arlene was exiled to a fleebag hotel.
The days went by and presented other trials including: bank card fraud, a minor injury slip and fall incident, and gastrointestinal malaise. Her string of bad luck may have ended (we graduated and lost track) when a friend who was scheduled to meet her was stranded in Florida following a major hurricane.
Some fellow travelers have black clouds hanging over them, like thunder heads forming over the Andes every afternoon. The storm lashes out, subsides and leaves a fresh new evening to enjoy. I suspect Arlene will be plagued by such storms, but will not only survive them, but thrive.
You see, despite her worn look and bad luck Arlene has a great spirit. Her backpack was discovered without loss; the rice she planted will be harvested to feed the poor; her homestay "mom" returned to greet her with open arms; and, the bank machine began regurgitating dollars.
Life moves forward on the Gringo Trail. I bet we will see Arlene walking down the street of some other city with a smile on her face and her lost friend in tow.
As a doctor form the Southwestern United States, she should have better luck. After all this is her "vacation. Arlene kicked off her holiday by toiling in the fields of a small cooperative farm in rural Ecuador. The romantic notion of sticking rice into the ground was crushed after the mosquitoes began nibbling on her hands and ankles. Learning the ropes from the patron and getting whacked on the head by a shovel made doctoring at the psychiatric treatment center back home more attractive. It was time to change her travel strategy.
No problema! She was off to Cuenca, the intellectual capital of Ecuador, to improve her Spanglish. Her "homestay mother" welcomed her and promised a whole grain, vegetarian diet. So after registering for school (former hippies, now yuppies must improve their skills even on holiday, she decided to shop for vitamins at the local market.
A young buck "accidentally" threw ice cream on her and a "friend" offered assistance which included snatching her backpack and running into the sunset. It was time to go "home" to see her homestay "mom" and regroup.
Alas, there was no peace for this almost shaman. Knock, knock, knock...phone calls and prayer did not open the door to her casa. A power outage caused by construction caused "mom" to abandon ship and stay with relative for the night. Arlene was exiled to a fleebag hotel.
The days went by and presented other trials including: bank card fraud, a minor injury slip and fall incident, and gastrointestinal malaise. Her string of bad luck may have ended (we graduated and lost track) when a friend who was scheduled to meet her was stranded in Florida following a major hurricane.
Some fellow travelers have black clouds hanging over them, like thunder heads forming over the Andes every afternoon. The storm lashes out, subsides and leaves a fresh new evening to enjoy. I suspect Arlene will be plagued by such storms, but will not only survive them, but thrive.
You see, despite her worn look and bad luck Arlene has a great spirit. Her backpack was discovered without loss; the rice she planted will be harvested to feed the poor; her homestay "mom" returned to greet her with open arms; and, the bank machine began regurgitating dollars.
Life moves forward on the Gringo Trail. I bet we will see Arlene walking down the street of some other city with a smile on her face and her lost friend in tow.
posted by Chuck and Gay Mitchell | 8:57 AM
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