Forks in the Road

- Alice in Wonderland

The Quest Continues

I feel like it's high time to update my global audience on my whereabouts, life interests and general updates, especially since I'm paying good money to keep joshgreenman.com alive.

Grad School: I applied to the Masters of International Development Administration graduate program at Western Michigan University and have been accepted into the spring semester. The program has a deal with the Peace Corps where I could complete core requirements at the university and have my service with the PC fulfill the remaining credits. A nice aspect of this program is that the degree is completed faster (as long as the Peace Corps was part of you initial plan) and cheaper. A downside for me in starting school during the spring is the difficulty in obtaining teaching assistantships.

Peace Corps: Actually during the same day that I applied to graduate school, I met a PC representative from Chicago who was visiting the farm that I was working at. When she found out that I was interested in joining the Peace Corps she took the opportunity to tell me about the possibilities to study following an assignment. Even though I hadn't submitted my application yet, she took the chance and interviewed me for the position. A few weeks later I found out that I had been nominated to serve in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Final thoughts: I've decided to focus my efforts into the Peace Corps and re-apply for graduate school on my return. If the Peace Corps doesn't accept me quickly enough for me to return for the fall semester in 2013 then I would begin studying in the fall of 2011.

Don't worry, it all makes sense in my head. ;)

Feliz Día, Papá

Crossing the Strait of Magellan - Cruzando el Estrecho de Magallanes

Papá, te deseo lo mejor en tu día. Gracias por ser un gran ejemplo a tu hijo y por enseñarme como ser un hombre honesto y trabajador. I can't wait to see you again and to have more adventures traveling and seeing the world. It's always fun to dream big with you...

Gracias, Pá.

tqm

Update from the farm

For those of you who rely solely on this blog for updates on my life, a lot has been happening that you probably don't know much about. After finishing my internship with Samaritan's Purse in Bolivia and spending a few months traveling around South America with friends and family, I have settled down in a small rural town in Michigan. I am currently completing an internship with Tillers International that trains people how to farm using draft animals and other rural developmental tools.

The following is a video of the two young oxen in my care. I should have had them pulling something of a medium weight so that they would learn how to pull as a team. Blue, Caesar and I are learning how to work together and it's taking quite a while to iron the wrinkles out...

Poor College Student, again

While most of my college friends approach their senior graduation from college, I am just starting my summer semester. It's fun being a student again while discovering a new (and exciting) world of economics. I decided that I need to learn about economics and am taking a summer course at the local community college.

It's obvious that my professor is quite the capitalist but I find this a good way to acquire a balanced view of the world. Besides, the capitalists are the folks who make the wealthiest country in the world float and I should try to understand what makes them tick.

Enough is Enough

I am currently reading a book titled Enough by authors Roger Thurow and Scott Kilman, which deals with the issues of hunger in developing (undeveloping?) countries, particularly Zimbabwe and Ethiopia, among others. Human greed is portrayed in vivid detail while this book walks the reader through some of the reasons behind global hunger. We have traditionally blamed famine on the weather and corrupt African political leaders who have not taken care of their people. These may well be factors of hunger, but there are larger powers behind the deaths of millions of people. What is most absurd to me is that rich countries refuse to lend money (as of when the book was written) to countries offering subsidies for agriculture (a Red....RUN!!!!). In turn these rich countries offer HUGE subsidies to their own farmers, driving down prices and making it impossible for farmers in poor countries to even make a living farming. It got so bad in the early 2000s that farmers would lose money by planting their own seeds. The United States and other countries with huge farming operations need international food aid as a place to dump their grain.

I am obviously extremely limited in being able to summarize a book in one paragraph. I recommend this book to everyone who is interested in learning about hunger and the ways that it has been brought about due to economics.

10,000+ kms, oh what a trip!

I am so glad my parents invited me on a vacation that became the longest road trip of my life. We were able to see six or seven national parks and camp out in countless "campings." The trip consisted of driving to the two extreme points of Argentina, between La Quiaca and Ushuaia (southernmost city in the world). We were all extremely tired out from the trip but enjoyed ourselves so much that my dad and I have already started talking about our next adventure!

(10,000 kilometers is more than 6,200 miles)

(We still aren't sure why the signs have different kilometers listed. Maybe they measure different routes?)

¡¿QUE?!

I took these photos on the bus between Villazón and La Paz, Bolivia. It´s probably the nicest bus that I´ve ridden during this journey but definitely the one with the worst translation! Any idea what the second one is supposed mean?

Update on my trip...

My journey started in Jujuy, the most northern province in Argentina.


Ver mapa más grande

Four days of driving later, I am currently in Junín de los Andes, roughly a little more than half way to my destination.


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We hope to make it to Ushuia within five days...


Ver mapa más grande

Talk about a long trip!

My goals

I've decided to make a list of goals that I hope to accomplish one day. They encompass most areas of life, except spiritual (which is something that we should all be striving towards and it's hard to make a list with it). Anyway, a lot of my goals involve travel and self-improvement to help me find better jobs down the road. Ultimately, these travels and "self improvements" are going to empower me to help others. Plus, they are pretty darn fun. Let me list them off... Please comment and let me know what your goals are!

• Learn French
• Visit Cuba
• Study masters degree
• Be a master asado chef (Argentine barbeque)
• Acquire my Lithuanian citizenship
• Visit Mchu Picchu

The beauty of a nap..

Some naps are meant to be kept a secret; others are to be enjoyed by everyone. Some naps are silent, while others are loud. Some are short; others represent a full-nights sleep. Naps are beautiful and should be practiced by everyone. I appreciate a culture that can take time out of a busy day and just relax...

Jeff enjoying a beautiful nap on his way back from wine country in northern Argentina.

Photos from the trip

To see some great photos of my recent trip through Bolivia and Peru, click here!

No sleep... but it's for FREE!

This is how Ian and I "slept" for one night while in Buenos Aires. We were desperate for a free place to stay because of some budget issues. I think I got a few hours of sleep but Ian says that he didn't get much sleep at all. It might have helped if we had borrowed some blankets. Apparently pride isn't good for backs.

From Machu Picchu to Potosí

Machu Picchu was expensive, but very worth it. Visiting these ruins have been on my to-do list for quite a few years. To be honest, we had pretty bad weather but this did little to dampen my spirits. Because of the rain, there have been many landslides in the Cusco/Machu Picchu area and many tourists have become stranded there. We had a four hour delay on the way out, but nothing too serious.

We made it into Potosí this morning and were met with extremely cold weather. Ian and I are going to take a tour of the old silver mine which has made Potosí famous throughout the world. Tomorrow, Ian, Jeff and I hope to check out La Casa de la Moneda (silver mint) and visit some amazing hot springs in the area (the Incas would make a special trip from Cusco just to visit their healing properties).

The current plan is to leave Potosí tomorrow night and get back to my house as fast as we possibly can.

Travels since BA

I haven´t had much time or ganas to update my blog lately, but since I have a few things to update and I am paying for my url (the joshgreenman.com address thingy), I might as well write a few phrases to keep my even fewer readers content.

Jeff made it down to Buenos Aires on the seventh of this current month and we were able to make it up to Salta on a flight the following day. I felt a bit bad not being able to show the touristy sections of Salta and Jujuy to Ian and Jeff, but I guess that usually happens when you take living in a city for granted, no matter how beautiful or unique they might be (Jujuy is neither of these, I assure you).

We made our way up to the Bolivian border with a night spent in Huacalera, a small town in the Valley of Humahuaca (Unesco world heritage park). Our bus ride from the Bolivian border to La Paz was terrible, especially bad was the stretch between the border and Potosi. Once this road is complete it will be a nicer trip, with bus companies willing to send better buses, instead of just their beaters.

Once in La Paz, Ian, Jeff and I decided to ride bikes down the world´s most dangerous road. Ian and I made it down without any problems, but Jeff had a bad accident after one minute of leaving the top of the mountain and broke his wrist. We had a hard time getting the $3,000 together to pay for his operation. The clinic only accepted cash and our atm withdrawal limits are set to $200. Thanks to the generosity of friends and family, we were able to gather the money an hour before it was due. Whew...

I am happy to announce that we are now in Cusco, probably one of the touristiest cities we have been in so far. We leave for Machu Picchu tomorrow and will be back in three days. The next big city on our list is Potosi, which will involve exploring the silver mine and visiting the mint house (where coins were made).

We are all quite tired but I am sure that we will survive until the end of the month. I´ll put some photos on as soon as I get back to my computer in Jujuy.

Chau for now.

Love from Quechua land.

Buenos Aires again...

I've been in Buenos Aires for about a week now and have been really enjoyed it. Moving has always been a a large theme in my life and it seems to be continuing, even while on vacation. I've been in BA 7 days and heading for housing number 6 tomorrow night. It's been fun having Ian with me. We've been having quite a few laughs and I hope that these good times will continue. Ian's been a good sport even though he's been suffering through a few physical aggonies. He keeps saying that he can't believe how late we eat here in Argentina.

I've had a long week with some not so great sleeping situations. The hostel we are staying in tonight seems to be pretty nice and I hope our roommates aren't too noisy. Tomorrow Ian and I explore La Boca (Italian neighborhood) and move to a friend's apartment.

chau for now