What will I do?

Thought that keeps going through my head: What will I do for six weeks in Central America?

I live life at such a frantic pace that it is very difficult to slow down. My head is full of thoughts about how I can use this trip to get a jump on my dissertation (which is not due until July 2008) or start reading for my fall classes. I have become a production machine. I read books, write papers, solve problems... Even when I'm not at school, I keep my mind full to capacity. I am part of the MTV generation that processes images at amazing speeds and handle mass amounts of audio input without thinking about any of it.

In Central America (as in Ghana), life happens at a much slower pace. This can be extremely frustrating, but it is also a primary reason to go. It is amazing what can happen in the soul when a person is removed from an overflowing life and forced to exist in simplicity. In the past, after the initial shock wears off, this slowness has caused a calmness in me, a contentment with silence and solitude that is rejuvenating and refreshing in my depths.

Will my drivenness and chronic restlessness be once again transformed into reflection and peace? I long for the therapy of smiling faces, blue sky, bright colors, simple food, deep spirituality, volcanos, and rain storms.