Things to Be Thankful For

Attached are pictures of washer-woman Peaps doing her laundry by hand, the "office" at the house where Peaps and another volunteer are doing some work, the room that Peaps and I are staying in here at the volunteer house (Mare is sitting on my bed), the Awamaki sign out front, and the gorgeous view of the mountains from outside our bedroom door.

For me the best part about traveling is the ability to step out of your life for a moment; To both count your blessings and dream of changes you'd like to make in your life for your future. I've been thinking a lot about the things I am thankful for both at home and while I'm here in Ollata.

Things that I am thankful for here:

1. Traffic that consists only of gringos with backpacks, cows, donkeys and street dogs, not loud, smelly, honking cars.
2. Dead silence at night so that I can sleep
3. Fresh foods daily
4. Incredible views of the mountains from every angle
5. Consistent weather: high 60's and sunny every day, not a cloud in the sky
6. Slow pace of life
7. Emphasis on family
8. Small town, everyone knows everyone
9. Festivals, music and parades ALL the time
10. No TV

Things I'm thankful for at home:

1. Washing machines
2. Being able to flush TP down the toilet
3. Refrigerators
4. Chances are that if you give someone at $20 bill, they will be able to give you change
5. Guard rails on roads
6. Speed limits
7. Chances are you will be able to get from point A to point B using public transportation without a random strike happening weekly
8. Infrequent use of a flashlight due to blackouts
9. Not having to cook all of your food and boil all of your water
10. TV