Peace: Take 2

Here I am, back in Ciudad Colon! I forgot how much I like it here. We are currently in the wet season, so afternoons are filled with a few hours of torrential downpour. It's quite refreshing and washes away the morning humidity for pleasant evenings. Of constant interest is the road to UPeace. 7km of winding pavement through the hills and on its last leg. Over the summer, there were 5 mudslides, 5 road closures, and use at your own risk warnings in place. Now the buses cruise up and down several times a day just hoping the mountain walls and sketchy bridges hold up. We have a university in San Jose on hold in case we can no longer access UPeace. What happens if the road goes when we are at school??....I am not sure anyone has thought about that yet!

So far class is going well. I am taking Foundations for Peace and Conflict Studies, along with the rest of the school. We have a massive lecture in the morning, and then break up into small seminar groups. My group includes students from the Rwanda, Kenya, Germany, Italy, Korea, Mongolia, Japan, Iraq, Egypt, and at least a few others I can't think of at the moment. It makes for some fascinating conversations. We have been talking about systems thinking and the interconnectedness of quantum theory. How we can't solve global problems in isolation, but need to look at the greater crisis of perception. The current globalization of the world is created based on perceptions of separated concepts: economy, society, environment, government, etc. The point of quantum theory is that we can't look at things as isolated incidents because everything is intricately connected so solutions and policies must look at a larger picture in order to be effective and sustainable. Awesome topics for discussion amongst such a diverse group of minds and experiences. Question of the day: Why is a goat one of the most valuable possessions of a Rwandan and why is a goat related to quantum theory?

Anyways, on a fun note...Lucia, my aussie buddy, has come to visit! She is taking day trips around San Jose for the week and this weekend, we are hitting the beach full force. Last week we brought a slip n slide to campus, and during the afternoon rain, went to town on the lawn. We showed some international students what American games are all about! A few grass stains, ant attacks, and massive bruises later, we received dirty looks climbing onto the buses wet and dirty. We are doing it again this week!

FYI- Palin was born in Sandpoint, Idaho. Perhaps she has hippie parents.