Traveling cognito

To quote our First Lady, "For the First Time in My Adult Lifetime, I'm Really Proud of My Country."

It's been hard traveling to other parts of the world over the past eight years, feeling the need to apologize for the president, for the US electorate for voting in such a president, for the embarassing US policies enacted by right-wing elected officials and administration, etc. Actually, there was a brief window after 9/11, when there was such goodwill toward the US, but how quickly that was squandered.

It was generally easy for me, and such a cop out, to pretend that I wasn't an American. People could look at me and make whatever assumptions they wanted and I didn't bother to set them straight. But, sometimes people knew I really was from the US. Thank goodness, people outside of the US are able to distinguish a country's citizens from its policies.

Now, change has come! I don't have to travel incognito; ergo sum!

May peace come to troubled areas (the audacity of hope is so liberating)

PRW (Proud Re-energized Wicked)

Don’t Cry for Me Argentina

…All through my wild days/My mad existence…

No, I’m not practicing to play Evita on Broadway but I am getting ready to dust off my backpack and hit the road again. I can’t wait to visit Alisa and Nate in Patagonia. Their photos are incredible and I’m excited to have the opportunity to see them and to check out the countryside. And, hey, a little summer weather after a few more weeks of NY winter won’t be too big a hardship.

Thank you, Alisa, for the invitation and to her wonderful, supportive boss who is giving her some time off during my visit. Medical alert to doctors in Argentina/Chile: do not take any time off. There’s always the potential for danger when Alisa and I are traveling together.

In the meantime, I’m plowing my way through a 750-page Che biography – don’t cry for me, (I’m going to) Argentina.