Hot, hot, hot...Did I say 'hot?'
At 8:30 AM....and the power just went out when I wrote that, and went back on about 5 minutes later. It is now 3:07 in the afternoon and I spent most of the morning putting together the first grouping of some pictures from Bosnia and beyond. I have put them in a new public folder that one can link to through my Picasa site. Find the picture of the guy juggling on this blog and click...search around, you'll find it.
Still hot, but that does not deter the pilgrims from climbing the mountain and praying at the cross. The 12 Stations are on the way up, so I hope they bring water, sunscreen, hats, etc...very dangerous weather.
A group of Irish Travelers rolled into town last night. For those who do not know, they are Irish Gypsies and famous for their disrespect, thievery, and inbreeding. This is not a rumor. I can vouch for this. They are to be avoided at all costs. the children are taught early to emulate their parents and support them through begging, theft, and the old bait-and-switch game. You know, distract you over there and rob you over here. Once again, this is no joke. My Irish friends here tell stories about how the Travelers show up at night, pitch tents in a car park or field, and stay until they have completely despoiled the place with garbage and broken junk. I imagine they will be here all week. Spiritual paths can cross at the oddest times.
I have figured out why I was counting the days. Here in Međugorje, it can be pretty boring, the days all being the same, with nothing here that really interests me except for my work. The town itself has nothing to offer for me really (no museums, no culture, no music, etc...and it's not home!) so I tend to while away my days reading, sleeping, eating...Just like jail. When I go away for a long weekend, however, the counting stops and I am engaged in the real world, where cultures mix and sometimes clash, and the streets are filled with local people, instead of a patchwork population of Catholic devout.
How hot is it? probably around 38* Celsius, so...about 102*F. Not a cloud in sight...
Johnnyboy
posted by John D.C. Masters @ 6/23/2008
6 Comments:
At least you can get up and go out into the boring town, something you couldn't have done when you were in jail. :0)
My brother is doing volunteer work in Mexico, where it hit 118 F*. He loves doing this trip every year and always claimed that the heat doesn't bother him.
He's not saying that this time!
Good luck with everything there, and beware those Irish gypsies. :0(
Thank you for posting those images. It took me a while to find them, but it was well worth the effort. I especially like the image of the gypsy family, and the one of those two little boys.
Thanks Fred...I'll be posting more in that album later this week...
Yes, Aravis, it's true...I can leave whenever i want, and it isn't jail, but the down time can seem awfully lonely. Now, if I were Catholic it might be different...But then I'd have to believe in a lot of things that I don't believe in!
How dare you, DARE YOU suggest that I, as an Irish Traveller, have been brought up to thieve and rob everywhere i go!!!! I am a proud Irish Traveller and was brought up to preserve my heritage, culture, traditions and distinct language!
I bet you have just read junk and garbage about my community and spout it out in your silly little blogg and ignorant people actually believe that you speak from experience, open your narrow little mind and stop spreading RACIST views about a marginal, discriminated ethnic group from which i come from!
How dare you! I bet you have the same views about black people but you are afriad to show them, coward.
Mark Donahue, IRISH TRAVELLER
and i bet you wont publish my response to your racism, Johnnyboy!
No, I will, and have published it. As someone who is currently working with the Roma I am very aware of how governments and people perpetrate horrible stereotypes concerning small ethnic groups with the established societies. I am also aware of how these societies treat their women, children, and the places they live. I have seen it for myself. I am happy that you do not fit the current stereotype, Mark, but unfortunately many people perpetrate this stereotype themselves, thus leading to even more 'justified' (note the quotes) racism by the said society. I have no 'racist' thoughts about anyone, I merely report what I see myself. Color, religion, and so forth plays no part in my view of the world. I observe how people act. If you do not like what I said, then don't read it.
Post a Comment
<< Home