I just want to clarify before everyone begins reading this post, one might make a connection with the title and the lovely rhyme that I took it from (beans, beans, the magical fruit, the more you eat…) however this post has nothing to do with bodily functions as one might conjecture. So, have no fear while you read there will be no talk of bodily functions. On to the post, this morning I had a sub roll with refried beans on it, yesterday with my dinner and lunch I also had beans; as I sat eating my sub roll with refried beans (which was pretty good by the way) I started realizing how many beans I eat. I usually get served beans with every single meal, or I get served rice but most of the time it is both of those with of course tortillas. Now I enjoy beans as much as the next guy but let me tell you eating beans with pretty much every meal can get quite boring (My host mom told me that there are many places in Honduras where all they eat for three meals a day are beans and tortillas, so at least I know there is an end in sight). Beans for breakfast, beans for lunch, beans for dinner, it is basically the perfect metaphor for my life at this moment. At this point in my service, I feel like training is getting a tad bit redundant, while I am constantly learning (especially in my Spanish class), I cannot help but feel like I have fallen into a fairly consistent routine here in Honduras. I wake up, eat, go to Spanish class, eat, go to technical class, hang out for a while, eat, play with my host brothers, study/do homework, sleep, and do it all over again the next day. The days are just not as exciting as they were when I first arrived; the excitement of every day is just not the same. Now do not get me wrong, I am fully enjoying myself here but the days are beginning to feel mundane.
I think that many of the other PCTs also feel the same way and I think one of the main reasons is because we have been out to sites and seen what the volunteer life is like and we want it, we are striving for that. Is that not just human nature though, people always want what is next; they want the future to be now. People very rarely live in the present and though it is cliché take the time to smell the flowers. The mistake of always wanting what is next can be a critical one as you miss out on what is happening in the here and now which most of the time is better. The future is very appealing because anything is possible, all of your wishes and dreams can be fulfilled. But the future is not guaranteed to anyone, for this reason alone it is important to treat every day like it could be your last. Carpe Diem, seize the day (trying to see how many clichés I can use in this post). I get that the present can be boring sometimes, you get into a routine and you do the same things over and over again (eat beans for every meal). This makes the future even more appealing because the future has endless possibilities, anything is possible. When I start to feel like I am living a mundane life, I think about how lucky I am to have this opportunity. I am living in a new country, learning about a new culture, and there are countless other new things for me to learn and do. The simple truth is that we receive a gift every day from God and we should be thankful for that miracle. So, treat every day just as what it is, a present (another cliché to end the post, just for good luck).
