2009 - Durango, Mexico
I am here for work, but as most know me, I do not know where my profession ends and self begins. So, bottomline - I am a very passionate worker - Krishna would not be proud of me. But, I am definitely trying to follow Gita to the dot.
Anyway, mi poquito habla espanol (speak little Spanish). And, I am a very picky eater too, plus a vegetarian. Here, except for desserts, some life is used in each dish. Even beans and rice have chicken broth in it. Soon, I was avoiding food and eating more dessert and drinking more chocolate than any sane person.
I fell sick, I was hospitalized. It had a lot to do with the altitude than my eating, me thinks.
People in Durango cared a lot about me that not for a second did I feel alone, even in hospital bed. The plant doctor was rubbing my forehead. The controller had my stuff packed and delivered to the hotel I stayed at. The plant manager, every morning at breakfast tells me how much he is worried about me, he said I could have gotten into coma if I had not been hospitalized at the right time. I think he was just trying to scare me to pay more attention to my health and food habits.
When I came back, the hotel employees would give me 10000 suggestions on how I could have avoided the fainting incident 
They let me use their kitchen freely at any time of the day. The same at the plant cafeteria too. To top it off, one night a hotel employee knocked at 10.30 pm…I hastily dressed myself and opened the door…expecting a call from work. He told me that the people at the hotel’s restaurant were worried that I did not go to dine that day. Then I explained to him that I had gone to a nearby place on the road 
But, here is the bottomline: Even without a proper verbal communication, people of Mexico made it very clear to me that they cared about other humans that they may not interact with after a few days and did not know a few days earlier. It was as though I was their pet animal whose language they understood by heart and they greatly cared for. I can live in Durango for the rest of my life.
I just wonder what the hell is it that people use violence for when there is so much love in everyone’s hearts.
I have recovered completely since then, esta bien.
touching story. Really , with so many nice people around.. I wonder how violence manages to show its head
Comment by SS — January 29, 2009 @ 12:15 am
Wow, Rev, I did not know you were sick. I am glad that you were surrounded by helpful and caring people! Feel better soon!
Vidya
Comment by Vidya — February 9, 2009 @ 7:28 pm
Your perspective is absolutely spot on…there is still love and humanity in people despite what we are all led to believe…on a different note, you ought to take care of yourself, even if you dont like the food, just gulp it down!!! can’t imagine what could have been….(shudders)!!!
Comment by Prettywoman — March 18, 2009 @ 4:35 pm
Your perspective is absolutely spot on…there is still love and humanity in people despite what we are all led to believe…on a different note, you ought to take care of yourself, even if you dont like the food, just gulp it down!!! can’t imagine what could have been….(shudders)!!!
Comment by Prettywoman — March 18, 2009 @ 4:35 pm
Totally… some people have just lost focus.
Comment by Raaga — April 23, 2009 @ 12:20 am
Wow!!! I want to visit Mexico now. In fact a colleague gave me some similar account of people in Japan and I had been wanting to visit Japan since then.
Comment by Karthik — May 6, 2009 @ 11:11 pm