Ironies, Referee’s, and Heat

I am sure there are plenty of blogs out there discussing Michael Jackson today, I do miss his music and his genius, and also the smile that it brings to Geneva’s face when we are anywhere and an MJ song is on! With that being said, I won’t be going in on it today because I’ve already celebrated his life with my host family here by watching like 20 videos last night!!! I can only hope to have such a positive impact on the world!!! Descansa en Paz Michael Jackson…

And now, our feature presentation…

Ironies, Referee’s, and Heat

Ok, so being here really gives me a lot of time to think (as I have mentioned before). There are a few ironies that have run across my mind in my time here. First, and I talked with Jessica about this one a few days ago, I Love Literature. Some of my favorite authors are Chestnutt, Wordsworth, Cullen, Dickenson, and Lee; that is Stan Lee. Yeah, I am a comic book and anime head, it gets me through and it doesn’t hurt anyone, don’t judge me... With all of the being said, that brings me to the subject of Cyclops from the X-Men. Has anyone aside from me noticed that he always has to look at life through rose colored glasses and that his character is completely the opposite of this prognosis? I mean he may be the most pragmatic character that Lee ever created! Just a funny thought that I had.

The second irony is the fact that soccer stars from the United States are more known world wide then they are in their own country. I had a conversation with Sarah Medrano in Puerto Viejo the other day during part of the game, and she said the most interesting thing to me. “All of the good soccer players in the US play for European teams.” Usually it seems that athletes from other countries are trying to get into the US to display their talents, but for soccer in the US it seems to be the opposite. Take the Bulls drafting Seraphim last night, and all of the international players the US has in its professional leagues. Why isn’t Soccer such a big deal in the US?

My third (and hopefully final) irony is all of the matching’s in the prelims of the WC. With the exception of the African nations, I think there were some pretty interesting Colonial matchups, for example, England tied with the US, and Portugal tied with Brazil earlier this morning. Just a thought of how soccer seems to be more of a mirror of how the world is or may be to a certain degree than other things.

Ok, referees... I will say that it was good to see some uniform inconsistency across the board today with the no calls. I have had my times of yelling at the TV when a goal (or two) have been called away due to some oversight, or just, well, I’ll just say oversight. The one thing that really makes me laugh about the refs in this or any WC is the handing out of cards. I don’t know what it is, but it is HILARIOUS to me!!! And the players look around like little kids with dirt on their hands in the school yard when they know they are about to get one. It’s comedy to me! The ref runs right up to the person, reaches in his breast pocket and boom, there’s the shameful yellow or red card for the whole world to see! You can’t even argue the call, you just have to sit there and take it! I’m laughing about it right now just typing it! Then what makes it worse, is that they write something on the back of it, like you are going to get a whooping for it later!! Like, “Oh I’m gonna remember this!!! Minute 76:34!!! Name: Worthy, Jr.” I may be the only one, but I find it pretty darn funny!!!

Lastly, heat… It was so hot here yesterday, I think it gave me diarrhea. It was bad, I mean sweat and the whole nine. Of course I won’t go into detail, but let’s just say that fluids are essential! (In my Ricky Bobby voice)” I would like to thank the makers of PowerAde, and the release of Moutainberry blue, it cools you off on a hot summer day…” I watched Gran Torino this morning, while just chilling in bed. I liked it, I mean it was a racial slur fest, that once again showed the Clint Eastwood is kind of the last of a dying breed of men, but it struck a cord with me. No matter how old people get, one should never lose the ability to find good in others, that, and I want to be that ornery and cantankerous kind of old man to my grandkids!!! Ok, on a serious note, especially coming off of Fathers day, it is important to have a friend, it’s kind of like being here in the Peace Corps. Well, not the violence, or the racial slurs, but the sharing of culture, and the imparting of something that you cherish to someone else who would not have the opportunity otherwise. In turn you become more human, and you continue to learn that the lessons you teach others are also lesson that you learn yourself. I don’t plan on ending my service the way that Clint ended the movie, but I think we all, to some degree, would like to leave somewhat of a sustainable legacy for those who are left in our wake.

I know usually I end my posts with a quote and some music, but I think I will just leave with a story and a question.

My little sister and I both played instruments in the band, me trombone/baritone, and her trumpet. We do have that bond that we share where we can listen to something and just sit back and say wow at its beauty. I think it comes from sitting in a band, or in front of one and just being able to admire the beauty in the sound that you can conduct or create. My little brother has always wanted to do things a little bit different than his siblings, which I think is really cool, even though we do give his share of grief about it. He has taught me something in it though; he can pick out the beauty in some things that I just never thought about, especially in music. One day after a rain storm two summers ago, the sun was just about to fade and it left a beautiful cast of gold and fuchsia on the remaining storm clouds over my mother’s house. I rushed for my camera, but to my dismay my batteries were dead. Frustrated, I stood there just to watch, wishing that I could get it on my memory card. As we finally took seats on the front steps Marx looked over at me and said “You know, some things may just not be meant to catch on film.” How much of life have we spent trying to catch things in a frame? How much time have we spent of trying to catch that perfect moment and not living in it or experiencing it? So with that being said, I was thinking about “No More 3x5’s” by John Mayer and letting everyone know the next entry will be nothing but pictures…(Ironic, eh?)

Going in on Father's day

I find myself listening to a lot of music, sometimes just as background noise, and other times just for some meaning. With tomorrow being Dia de los Padres, I figured I should go in on the subject of fatherhood. Now for those who know me, you all know that this is a loaded subject that can go a whole lot of ways…
I have had to push the backspace button a lot in the past 15 minutes. You ever heard that song by Ed O.G. back in the day “Be a father to your child”? It has that old Roy Ayers saxophone riff in it, real smooth sounding??? It’s stuck in my head right now. Well not really I just changed it to “The Fact Is (I Need You) by Jill Scott. Sorry, usually I have something on my mind all nice and outlined to say, but right now I don’t know what to say about Fathers or the day in celebration. I’m not upset or bitter or any of that, but trying to find words right now is like trying to hold the wind in your hand, so I am going to keep grasping and we’ll just see where this goes, ok?
I have a question, which is up for conversation on the blog, I, of course, will try to take an active role in the conversation as posts come in, but what makes a man a Father? For that matter, what makes a man a man, what gives him the right to wake up in the morning and say, “Yesterday I was a man, and today I will be the same?” One of my favorite Poems is by Rudyard Kipling, and I know a lot of people know this poem (for those who don’t it is posted below) it is entitled IF…
IF you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,But make allowance for their doubting too;If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,Or being hated, don't give way to hating,And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;If you can meet with Triumph and DisasterAnd treat those two impostors just the same;If you can bear to hear the truth you've spokenTwisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,And lose, and start again at your beginningsAnd never breathe a word about your loss;If you can force your heart and nerve and sinewTo serve your turn long after they are gone,And so hold on when there is nothing in youExcept the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,If all men count with you, but none too much;If you can fill the unforgiving minuteWith sixty seconds' worth of distance run,Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
So I finally settled on some songs, “He Say, She Say” by Lupe Fiasco, and after “Lone Soldier” by Black Ice.
I Love my Father and I thank God for the person that he has helped me to become, whether through what he has done, or what he has not done. My brother Nakia has a cousin named Khalid (sorry if it’s spelled wrong) and he once said to me,”Be better than your predecessor”. It is a thought that has stuck with me since it was said to me and I used to strive to be better until I became my predecessor to a certain degree. I realized that while it is important to be better, it is also important to be yourself and realize that whatever your Father may have done is not what you have to do and is not how you are doomed to live your life... I would like to thank God for my Mother and the role she has played in my life. I thank God for all Fathers, those in action and those in names alone, for the Fathers that are no longer with us, and also to all of the women who have to play the role of Father and do the best they can. So HAPPY FATHERS DAY/FELIZ DIA DE LOS PADRES to you and yours!!!
“Life is a one way street and/ If you could paint it/ I’d draw myself going in the right direction”-Cee-Lo, Gnarls Barkley, “Just a Thought”
Have a thought you don’t want to post on the blog? Shoot me an email at billy.worthy@gmail.com or Skype me at billy.worthy.jr.

By the Sweat of my brow

By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food-Genesis 3:19(a)
I know a few of you are looking above like, “Billy, what’s going on down there with you?” Trust me; there is a perfectly reasonable method for this one! Yesterday I went, as I do most Fridays and hung out with a group of kids at the Escuela in Pueblo Nuevo, which is about 15km away, but still part of my community. Usually we will pontificate on the finer things of American culture (lol, I wonder what pontificate would be in Spanish) and play games. This week was a little different; they taught me a couple of things I did not know in the school garden.
That, my friends, is Yucca root. I was able to use a machete for the first time also, even though I don’t own my own as of yet. The teacher Jimmy had me cut the branches near the root of the tree for the sake of planting them in the ground for more Yuccas. Oh yeah, shouts out to Curtis Canady in Peru right now, I know how much he “LOVES” Yucca (LOL)!!! The school cook fried the roots after cleaning them and I got a chance to taste them for lunch. I’ve had Yucca before, but just not any that I pulled out of the ground with my own hands.
Rev. Velma Grant had a question about the food and the people, climate and things of that nature, so I will try my best to answer that. Food, it’s good to me, though I have lost about 20 lbs, I still have my panzone (little belly). I’ve eaten beans and rice or some form of it almost everyday since I have been here. Some of the things that I have been able to impart on others, especially in training have been putting jelly on pancakes, and the health benefits of drinking coffee with natural sugar instead of processed sugar. The only thing I am not a fan of, and this was before I came here, is processed meat, they have it here too, and though my family knows that I do not eat pork (ask Tony Castillo Jr. about that one, lol) I am still wary of meat that does not look like it just came off the bone. The best thing here is the juice or refrescos!!! It’s like most days they just squeeze the fruit right into the cup, it is AMAZING!!! My favorite refrescos so far are Guyabina (think my spelling is off on that one) and Cass, which I will try to link pictures for you to see them, but they are so GOOD!!! Even on days when there is not fresh juice, there is either red or orange drink (yes drink, haven’t had the grape drink yet, will have to inquire later).
The people here for the most part are really cool and super nice. I think you will not find a nation that does not have its problems, but for the most part this is a progressive nation. I won’t sully up this post with the negative, but it will probably come in a later post. There are only two seasons here, rainy and not so rainy as far as I am concerned. Most days are still really hot even after the rain, so it’s quite similar to Georgia in the summer in that regard. I stay in a forest reserve so it is quite humid, but there are fair shares of trees here also.
There are not any paved roads for as far as the eye can see and I am about 15 miles from Rio San Juan, which is a natural boundary for Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Most of the people here are farmers and work on properties called FINCA’s. There are a lot of cows, bulls, chickens, and dogs around here; and on the way into the community there are huge plantations of banana and pineapple that are usually sent to the US by Dole, Chiquita, and Del Monte. I hope that helped in answering your question and thanks for asking!
Currently I am listening to “I Know it’s You” by Donny Hathaway, which is quite possibly one of my most favorite songs! If you are wondering it’s on the Extension of a Man Album. It’s been raining on and off this week, and though it did start off kind of rough, the finish was good (reminds me of a bottle of wine). I find a couple of things to be really important to me while I sometimes have a lot of time on my hands. First, is reading, it helps to pass the time and it keeps my mind sharp. Second is to share things that are dear to others. I try to keep a routine on Saturdays, from 4 (CR time)to as long as I can keep my computer running on battery, to listen to the Hurst selection “From London to Atlanta” on www.wclk.com. Yeah, it’s a plug, but it’s such a good show that I have to share, especially to all of those who Love some good Jazz music. Also, I know that 8 times out of 10 a certain someone is listening at the same time back at home.
Well, the power in the town went out again, so I am going to stop here and we’ll pick up some other time! Until then, “Be at peace, but never be comfortable”-Eric Garvanne…
Ps, the camera that I have is a loaner from the office, so I will try to take as many pics as I can before I have to get it back.
Pics will be coming soon, and i wrote this with pics in it, so please bear with me!!!

This is the Inaugural Post!!!

Ok, Ok, Ok, I have been asked by so many people to do a blog; so… Here it is Motherlovas (crude attempt to stop cursing)!!! I will say that you should probably have low expectations for this due to the fact that I don’t like typing for long periods of time and that I don’t have a camera at my disposal to provide pictures for all of those beautiful words that I am going to use. Also, make sure to read the disclaimer and know that what I say or make up is in no way a reflection of Peace Corps Costa Rica or the United States Government. Ok, a couple of ground rules. I will try my best to answer questions as they come along, but I am not perfect and some days I will not feel like answering mail. That doesn’t mean that I won’t get to it, just give me some time. This blog is about more than just me being in Costa Rica, but just of my experiences, and some thoughts as I grow as an individual. Most subjects probably will not be taboo here, but I will say that you will be hard pressed to get a specific answer about my relationship with my Lady and the Kid.
For those that want to know where I am, I am not allowed to give you the actual address. Just say that I am somewhere in the middle of the Barra Colorado National Forest Reserve, and for all intensive purposes it is the bush. Training is over and I have been in here for almost a month. I am still shocked that we have internet out here because of the lack of other resources that are present. I mean, the bus only runs to town on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and if I miss it either way, especially on Friday, I am pretty much hosed for whatever I had planned for that day. I think that may be my biggest frustration right now, and I may be one of the most isolated volunteers here, which is cool with me; it just gives me the opportunity to really be in touch with my surroundings and really cherish my experience. It just takes some getting used to, that’s all.
I guess I would be remised if I didn’t speak about my trails with the language. I am learning a lot when it comes to the language, just from everyday encounters with people. I think I may have been one of the few people that actually somewhat enjoyed training, and I think it was because I was able to learn so much of the language. I am still not confident most of the time when it comes to talking and there are still a lot of things that I do not understand, but people in my community have been really patient with me and also very understanding. Learning any language outside of your mother tongue can be a challenge, and it has definitely been one for me. I have started reading books in Spanish and underlining words that I don’t know for the sake of building my vocabulary, and I still have my notes from training for the sake of working on my mechanics, but it is really different when one is in a real life conversation and has to speak.
This much I will say about my relationship, it ain’t easy, and definitely not for the faint at heart. I Love Jessica Doward and her daughter Geneva Tillman, and being away from them has been really rough on me. Okay, now with that be said, it has helped our relationship immensely also, because we have to learn to get closer to God, and also to delve inside of ourselves and deal with the base portions of our beings (well it has for me anyway). This is a growing experience on both ends, and (thank God) we are able to communicate a lot more than we used to during training.
I would like to thank DJ K.E.L.W.I.N. for the Isaac Hayes ITunes mix I am listening to while I am writing this. I am huge fan of Isaac Hayes and really sad that he no longer walks among us in the land of the living. If you have any thoughts or suggestions please feel free to write them below, and I will see about getting to them. I don’t have anything really deep to say, or any philosophizing to do, so if you are reading this trying to find something to keep you going in life, you may have reached the wrong blog for the day. Well, that’s about all that I have to say, so until next time…
Problem=Opportunities