Ever Forward

I have a Peruvian lady friend who took me to her local favorite, Genaro’s Rotisserie & Grille, located on Park Road.  I had never eaten genuine Peruvian food before, so it was a treat.  She introduced me to ceviche, papas huancaina and a Peruvian drink, chicha morada.

Ceviche is, essentially, marinated raw fish (or mixed seafood) – a tart, tangy and spicy dish.  You’ll find some lettuce and onions and I don’t remember what all else.  And you can order it non-spicy as well.  The papas huancaina are boiled potatoes with a creamy sauce poured over the top.  My friend ordered chicken.  It came with yucca, fried like giant white french fries.  And then there was the fried plantains.

The restaurant has the feel of a small diner.  I really liked the low-hanging lamps, with their furled covers.  I don’t always pay much attention to the lights in a restaurant, but in this case, I just couldn’t help myself.  The tables and seats looked like they might be found in any restaurant in Lima.  I’ve never been there, but they are certainly unique, and add to the character of the restaurant.

My friend suggested the food was fairly authentic, though not always to her taste.  I suspect that this is probably because Peruvian cooking is a lot like ‘Southern’ cooking – it just depends on who’s Mama did the cooking.  My own estimate is that I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to discover Peruvian cuisine – and think ceviche could easily find it’s way into my stomach on future occasions.

You really ought to visit Genaro’s and try out the food!

One of the things I enjoy doing is learning languages.  Over the years I’ve studied in earnest, or at least dabbled in, French, German, Spanish, Thai, Cornish, and Biblical Greek.  Along the way, I’ve picked up on the cultures associated with these languages.  I’ve even dabbled in so-called model languages – languages used in fiction, or for stealth purposes.  And now I am in the process of beginning to strengthen my repertoire.

I forgot most of my French by the time I graduated high school.  I am perhaps strongest in Spanish, since I continue to speak it fairly regularly.  I can still read German, and can probably even speak & listen to some extent, but I’ve sort of lost my bearings.  My involvement in a Congolese congregation has me starting to regain my French and delve into Lingala.

I am starting with the Lingala – it’s a new language to me, and thus much more interesting.  This past Sunday, I noticed myself picking up on more of the French interpretation than I have been so far.  So Lingala it is – the French will come easily enough.  So far, I can say, “Hello”, “how are you”, and “I am fine”.  I’ll let you know how I progress.

Most people I talk to tell me they can’t get along without a car.  They don’t understand how I can live completely car-free.  I understand where they’re coming from better than they realize.  It was only 2008 that I was still driving a car all by my lonesome 15 miles one way to work.  Change doesn’t just happen though.  You have to make it happen.

In 2008 I moved to within 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) of my workplace.  Not only that, but I had scoped things out pretty well.  I knew I could get a cheap apartment right across from a grocery store, dry cleaners, as well as tax and insurance offices.  To top it off, there are three good restaurants and a pub.  The mall is near my workplace.  Another shopping center is 1.6 km (1 mile) up the street from me.  Bowling alley, movie theater – I got most everything I need.  There are 4 bicycle shops within 3 miles.

Bearing all this in mind, it’s extremely difficult to justify the cost of owning a car.  I mean, really, how do you justify spending $6k-$8k per year to drive 3 miles?  If the bike isn’t good enough, I can usually combine it with the bus.  In some cases, though, you can actually beat a bus across town on the bike, so it’ s not always worth the effort.  Still, it definitely beats walking, and I probably get better quality of exercise in the process.

So I’ve traded a 15-mile one-way daily grind for a 1.5-mile mostly relaxing ride to work everyday, plus more and better exercise, plus more convenience in my lifestyle.  In addition, I’m eliminating roughly around 7 lbs (or more) of CO2 with every trip I make, which contributes to improving our air quality.

There are three attributes that help define me as a person.  They may not be the only three, but these three are key.  I’m never lost, just always discovering.  I may not know everything, but I’m always learning.  And finally, I’m always moving… ever forward.

I spent six years in the United States Marine Corps, mostly in the infantry.  I say it’s the United States Marine Corps because that was what our Drill Instructors taught us to call it.  They seemed to fear some of us might have though we had joined the wrong country’s Marine Corps, or that maybe we thought we were in the drum & bugle corps.  Anyway, in the time I spent as a Marine, I learned how not to get lost.

I learned how to navigate in deserts, jungles, urban terrain – you name it.  I guess I got fairly decent.  I suspect there are very few places I cannot find my way out of.  I got separated from my parents once, when I was 3 or 4 years old.  But that’s not lost.  Lost is when you don’t know where you are or how to find your way.  I would get in my truck at Camp LeJeune, and follow the local roads where ever they went.  I always seemed to find my way back.

That’s the thing – I’m never lost.  If I don’t know where I am, I can usually still find my way.  As far as I’m concerned, I’ve just discovered a new place.  But lost?  No way.  Even when I make a wrong turn, I usually figure it out and figure out how to get back to where I need to be.  And even when I stop to ask for directions, that’s just a matter of expediency.  It can sometimes be quicker than discovering your way around.

Another thing I picked up on in the Marines is learning.  We were always and constantly learning.  We generally had two key approaches to training.  We could enroll in Marine Corps Institute courses, where they send a book and we read it, and then take a test at the end.  But the main training approach was classes.  In these classes, some corporal or sergeant would explain what we needed to know, and then we would actually try it ourselves.

Which brings me to why I hated college classes – there was no real-world practical application.  The Marines would spend time explaining how to turn your backpack into a personal flotation device, or PFD.  The instructor would demonstrate the process, and then we would have to try it.  And we would have to make sure it worked, which meant getting into a swimming pool or pond to swim with our handy-dandy PFDs.

Note: Please do not confuse PFD with Adobe’s PDF format – you will not float far on a PDF file.

Oh, sure.  Colleges give you a certain amount of practical application.  You get to write essays on Tam O’Shanter.  I have yet to use my critical analysis of Tam O’Shanter on the job.  Even so, I am constantly learning new things.  Computer skills are much more handy than rote arithmetic.  And I’ve been able to use the Spanish I’m learning to talk with customers, neighbors and people at church.

Like I said.  I’m always and constantly learning.  Sure, I’ve taken classes and earned some professional certifications.  But whether it’s my faith, photograpy, journalism, or just simply the fine art of scratching my back, I can usually find the resources – books, websites, individuals and communities to move my learning forward.

And now we come to that final attribute.  I rarely sit still for very long.  Yes, I watch movies regularly.  Yes, I sit long enough to eat – which, for those who don’t already know me, can take quite a while.  But that’s it.  I am generally very active – always doing things, whether reading books, participating in web communities, my local church community or going to work.

And yes, sometimes I fall down.  Sometimes I slide backwards.  Yet I always manage to pick myself up and dust myself off.  I am always moving… ever forward.