How to freak out Mom so fast...

[learnteach]

Everyone has their own reality.

I mentioned the thought of volunteering as an engineer in Latin America. Spend a year learning Spanish and teaching technology and setting up alt eng systems. Ride my motorcycle around Guatemala or one of those stories.

I'm apparently certifiably crazy for that idea. Who knew? Sounds pretty good to me...

Comments

[judith-s.livejournal.com]

Moms consider all ideas which involve endangering their children to be insane. Even, no especially, if the kid doesn't mind the danger. You'd think kids would grow out of it.

Staying here,

[learnteach.livejournal.com]

watching my Dad deteriorate out of spite and listening to his rants over and over and over, is more likely to have me slide the motorcycle into traffic than a little mosquito exposure. I'll rot like week old meat in the sink if I don't get moving and living, like him.

It's all relative, and by Einstien's third law (My Relatives Are All Things) it's all crazy.

Re: Staying here,

[judith-s.livejournal.com]

I'd go nuts if I had to live with my parents, and I think my parents are more sane than your dad. So I can fully understand the need to get gone. C loves social, so if you're in need of getting out (aka a ride to someplace reasonable) ping. Hugs.

Re: Staying here,

[learnteach.livejournal.com]

I can do two weeks in Costa Rica for 2500 on a motorcycle, pretty much all inclusive (hotel, air fare, motorcycle, arrangements, meals...some dinners might be a little pricier.) If I go as a volunteer, I can teach science/engineering seminars, and only pay for the flight, and take spanish lessons. (Although this takes more arranging).

[lifeofglamour.livejournal.com]

Sounds pretty good to me! I hope you do it. I'll come visit.

[kareina.livejournal.com]

Go for it, it sounds like a fabulous opportunity, if you can find a place which needs you there.

clovis_t and I are planning to do some travel between here and whatever we do next. I've never particularly wanted to go to Latin America, but to visit a friend could be easily talked into it...

[rustmon.livejournal.com]

That sounds awesome actually.

Dude you could get hit by a car crossing the street.

Do something you want to do. That would rock!

[acanthusleaf.livejournal.com]

Moms hear stories on the news about people being kidnapped and held for ransom. White Americans, that is. This freaks out moms. OTOH, you are a rather large strong man who has a black belt in karate, and clearly not a wimpy businessman with large sums of money.

I know a guy who spent a year in South America, and it changed his perspective forever. He had a tough time coming back to plasticland (OC CA), and was a teacher for a while and is now an actual beach bum in Hawaii. YMMV. :-)

[(Anonymous)]

Hey man, if I were in your place, I'd do it. Heck I'd do it now myself, if I had what it takes physically. Go! Why not? If you hate what you are doing as much as you seem to, you shouldn't do it!

[kahnegabs.livejournal.com]

It seems my name is anonymous today. I guess I forgot to sign in, sorry.

[mad-duchess.livejournal.com]

Moms are like that. eck, when I told mine I was thinking about moving downtown, she damn near had a heart attack. I think I could actually put her in the grave if I said I was headed to South America. Hmmmm...worth pondering.

[roisnoir.livejournal.com]

That sounds like a fabulous idea, actually.
Get out and *doing*, and doing something good while you do.

Also, depending on how paranoid you are about the economy melting down, I can't think of a better time to be elsewhere.


(Oops! I meant to reply to the main post!)

[valgards.livejournal.com]

Moms are like that. All moms. (well, if I told my mom I was going to convert the "heathen" to God she'd probably be all for that one). She just loves you. Ignore her. It's what we all have to do.

People who cannot fathom life always look on those who insist on living it as insane.

Or, as every evil genius ina James Bond movie has said "in a world of insanity, the sane man seems mad."

Or maybe that was Chief Inspector Dreyfus.

Yours is the most sane proposal I have heard from anyone in a long time. Hasn't your mom read Che Guevara? Or Hemingway? Or Kerouac? Or, well, anything?

I know, she's just looking out for her boy.

If you don't do this I will beat you soundly about the head and shoulders. That should be motivation enough.

And, yes, I envy you. Don't be like Norm on Cheers: who told everybody he was going to dump it all and live on Fiji, then just hid out in the back of the bar for two weeks until they found him out. Go out and live. You could die in an auto accident on the 101 next year (or even tomorrow) and not have done anything this cool in your life.

[kawgirl.livejournal.com]

Heh. I think my mom has become resigned to my running off to do stuff that is "dangerous."

I think you should go. I know someone who works with a number of different language schools in Central and South America. So, if you're going I will put you in touch with him and he might be able to get you a good deal as well as give you an idea of what places are like. He's the guy who hooked me up with a language school in Cuernavaca, MX; and in fact, he and his family were down there the same time I was. Good times!

If you're really serious about going somewhere and teaching engineering skills for a couple of years, think about the Peace Corps. They have placements in many different countries on different continents, including South America. I have friends who have done Peace Corps and swear by it.

Ooh the possibilities! (:

[klwilliams.livejournal.com]

It sounds great! It would be so good for you, too, as well as for them.

[martianfencer.livejournal.com]

That sounds wonderful in so many ways.

[ermine-rat.livejournal.com]

Tonight I was re-reading Edward Abbey's boyhood travels in "The journey home" and thinking wistfully about the many daring schemes that I never went through with. Not that I'm complaining too much, I've done many many weird and wonderful things over the years, and so have you. I guess someone who really does like that kind of adventure will never truly outgrow it...thought we may eventually forget about it.

Go forth, buy a backpack made of bat skin, explore a culture that wasn't raised on Wal-mart, eat something weird, learn a Mexican ballad, search for a golden idol, and come back and tell me all about it....