Friday, October 15, 2010

Hobbies

Here in the Peace Corps I have realized I have an immense passion for 4 things. Well, realized is probably the wrong word since I’ve always enjoyed them, but now I’ve explored them on different levels. Anyways, I have digressed. Those 4 things are cooking, reading, writing, and painting. You could also include watching movies and listening to music, but I’m pretty sure everyone enjoys both of those things to some extent. Except my brother, who I remember him saying he can’t watch the last parts of movies cause he gets so bored and agitated and has to do something else. He says he always has to be doing something, although I’m sure I’ve caught him doing nothing for periods of time while I’ve been doing nothing except, apparently, not minding my own business. Again, I digress (apparently getting distracted runs in the family). So movies and music are out because they are tired cliques that don’t mean much anyways, not that the other 4 mean much either, but it’s hard to take up cave exploration or space discovery here in the campo.

As far as cooking goes, I could see myself being a housewife if only to cook all day making elaborate meals. And I do do that here in Costa Rica, when I have more than 10,000 colones to support myself for the month, for those months I have to be satisfied with making elaborate rice sculptures (note to Sam and Kristi: if you were thinking ice sculpture for your wedding I hear rice is more en vogue). I love having a finished product, which if you knew my writing or art you’d know that that rarely happens. But maybe the best part of cooking is the process. There’s a sort of love that must go into every dish before it can taste good, although I’m sure plenty of tasty things have come from salty people. Even cutting onions has become pleasurable if only to have a good cry, especially if The Notebook or Atonement are playing on my computer simultaneously. Most of the time I’ve been tasting the dish so much that by the time dinner is ready, I’m full. Those are the times I wish I had someone to share it with. Of course, like my art and writing, I’m shy about the things I’ve put my heart into, and would hate to get my feelings hurt if it really did, well, suck.

Reading is the next pleasure that comes to mind, especially on the rainy days that we’ve been having lately. I’ve read more books than I think I ever had, especially if you never counted those Babysitter Club books or the Boxcar Kids. The thing is I love reading. And this is going to be really corny and/or cheesy (I know there’s a difference between the two, but can’t quite put my finger on it), but when I read I get to be a different person, live in a different world, have a different life. Reading is an escape, plus it helps me learn new words for the GRE and keep my English from completely abandoning me. If I’m feeling lonely or unloved I pick up a good romance, adventure, well just read a little Hemmingway, or if I think the world just sucks, Russian lit is the way to go. If I really try, and sometimes it’s not as hard as it may seem, I can read a whole book (500 pages plus) in one sitting. I even prefer it to movies. For one, I don’t have Kiera Knightly telling me what a British, upper class, period woman is like. Reading, like for most volunteers, has become a part of my life. It is no longer just a hobby, but part of the lifestyle, just like drinking champagne on a yacht off Martha’s Vineyard is for the Kennedys.

So what do I do when I’m not reading or cooking (I guess you can throw in working as well, but working and Peace Corps is about as vague as the day you were conceived, you know it happened you just don’t know how or in what context and prefer not to know for that matter)? I am either writing the next great novel or becoming Georgia O’Keefe. Ok, so that will never happen, but why have a blog and not think of yourself in some sort of grandeur. So I paint, with watercolors if you were curious, and I write, mostly really short (painfully short sometimes) stories and poetry. None of this will any of you see or read probably, unless I die and you have an exhibition of it all and embarrass me post mortem. I write and paint various things; whatever seems to catch my fancy, blogging seems to not catch my fancy at all, luckily or unluckily for you all. There’s really not much to say about it, only that it helps me get rid of all my excess thoughts, reorganize my brain, and focus myself on something (again with the family trait of a short attention span).

So, these are the things that I do when I’m not working, maybe soon I’ll have another blog entry with an update on my actual work although it’s mostly the same: water project, English for adults and kids, and a few surprises here and there that I won’t reveal because I don’t want to jinx them. I did move into a new house and below are some pictures of the place. Enjoy.







1 comment:

Kristi said...

Great post. I'm learning that you share many similarities with Sam. He says the same thing to me, "the fun thing about cooking is the process..."