46) marta. (pamplona, navarra. spain.)

(oh, the little yet enormous differences of a different country...)

1. i'm learning it right now. i'm currently in it.
2. human rights that start with respect and equality for everyone.
3. learning english through traveling. new york city would be the place. i have so many images of it in my mind. from tv. from movies. from books. i want to see if it is really what everyone says it is. i imagine that it probably is even better.

45) eunate. (pamplona, navarra. spain.)

(usually i have these charlas--discussions--in spanish. but this eager lady was determined to have it in english. and have a good discussion at that! which we most certainly did. i wish i had the time to transcribe all of the daily discussions i find myself in with all these people. i can't begin to describe all that i am learning here.)

1. people are usually not like they seem. they always do something that you least expect. i want to be open, yes. but i keep my eyes open.
2. the world? i don't know. but in spain, that nobody could smoke inside! i hate it. it always smells. which means i always smell like smoke. i can't go to a café or bar and not leave with red eyes.
3. i'm afraid of it, but africa. i would go to africa. i think i need to think less. thinking gets in the way of everything!

44) lorena. (pamplona, navarra. spain.)

(now that i have this blog, the littlest things catch my eye. and they make me smile.)

1. things aren't always what they appear to be. life shows you one face, but it usually has another!
2. that we would find some stability. it seems that nothing is stable anymore. it would help if the politicians could agree on anything. yes, that would help.
3. i would travel without the fear of being alone. i always think that if i leave here, i will be alone. but i want to see argentina, manhattan, even colorado. all of it seems so beautiful. so bright.

43) inmaculada. (pamplona, navarra. spain.)

(this lady makes sure that my lunch is not only filling but also tasty and healthy. everyone here knows that i prefer the good, fresh stuff over anything sweet. i always joke that "i'm already sweet enough!")

1. don't lie. i hate lying. i hate being lied to. when you walk around telling lies, you don't go anywhere. i want to go places! don't you?
2. that we would be less selfish. it seems like "everything for me, everything about me" is the world motto. the solution to our selfishness is different for each person. but i know for a fact that it starts with a good education.
3. a little dream? open my own children's clothing store. my biggest dream though? buy this huge house with lots of land and take care of abandoned children. i feel a calling within me to help those kids out.

42) maría paz. (san martín de amescoa, navarra. spain.)

("Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger...and did not help you?...i tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." matthew 25. yes, an amazing passage that's very fitting for our amazing lunch ladies. always there for anything we need.)

1. don't criticize. don't be so critical. so harsh. there is no reason to talk poorly about anyone. sure, i am honest. but i'm not rude. i never lie. but i also never put others down.
2. that we would see more equality for everyone. that everyone got fair treatment. not just those who think they deserve it. it takes humility.
3. i would start studying again. anything! i want to know. i want to read again. knowledge is wisdom, no?

41) sara. (estella, navarra. spain.)

(simple yet profound conversations on the floor. love it. pull up a pillow, anyone?)

1. you have to be a good person. there are no exceptions. things are always going to be happening. always. get used to it! and have the personality to move forward.
2. more compañerismo--brotherhood. but no de la boca sino del acto--not with the mouth but rather with actions.
3. every day you see so much hardship around the world. but especially africa. children are dying that shouldn't be. i would go there. i may not be a nurse or anything, but i can help out. i can do something.

40) leire. (pamplona, navarra. spain.)

(give us this day our daily laugh. our daily corn flakes. our daily baguette. all three a daily stable in a typical spaniards diet. and speaking of three. this gal is three months and counting. she is beyond thrilled for motherhood to come. no morning sickness for this one! nothing seems to slow her down.)

1. tolerance. understanding. trying to respect others. to understand them and see their point of view. and beyond that, i learned that i always need my independence. even as a wife and future mother, i need it. i crave it. and i have it!
2. that there wouldn't be such extremes between people. differences are great. but not when they are unfair.
3. i would drop everything and voyage around the globe. and i would stay extra long in australia. so far away from here. so different. i have to go!

a world of firsts.

so different. so diverse. so special. i am that child again. that baby. everything amazing. i can't put it to words. even the simplest thing like getting my "first" haircut has a whole new labryinth of words, phrases, expressions, culture and customs. (no "rayos." no tipping. it's not a "one" on the sides so what is it? dry razor on the neck. open in the morning. but never the afternoon. come back in the early evening.)

God forever and always gets the credit. He is the First. the Alpha and the Omega. the most Amazing. all of this. through Him.

39) mohamed. (agadir, marruecos. aka. morocco.)

(this guy was camera shy. no photos for him. i told him that i would keep it blurry and respect his privacy. what made this discussion interesting was that he barely spoke any spanish. so while i made my way through the questions and later chat in spanish, he chatted away in french. good times. amazingness. belowm, i also give you a sneak peak at my scribbles from our discussion. all my chats end up in spanish scribbles that i later translate over to this blog.)

1. i don't know yet. i'm still waiting!
2. that politicians would clean up their act. all of it. a general change and cleaning for everyone.
3. ah! my own business. my own! i would work for myself. i would have a repair shop. with myself and all the other mechanics. i would be in my element.

38) birlando. (las tunas, cuba.)

1. finishing years of military service. war changes you. gets inside of you. i wish i could explain it. i can't. i can't find a way.
2. that the whole world would be able to live well. a little bit more of life. a little bit more health.
3. it sounds so simple. but if i had more money, i would only use it to visit cuba. to see my family! once a year would be great. twice a year? a dream!

37) ivan. (pamplona, navarra. spain.)

1. you always want to have a clear conscience. with that, it's all good. everything is calm and okay.
2. honestly, i think real change is impossible. we are too self-destructive.
3. as long as i have good quality of and good people in my life, i have all i need. i'm at peace with myself. i don't need any other goals!

36) inmaculada. (ejea de los caballeros, zaragoza. spain.)

("just lunch." yeah, it's never just a lunch in spain. just a lunch--in this beautiful grandmother's house--included everything from a freshly, butchered lamb with all the fixings to spanish melón wrapped in paper-thin jamón. what a treat! the lamb was gone before i even had a chance to snap a photo. i've learned to never say "no" to anything when i travel. especially from a grandmother!)

1. you have to be generous. you have to daily volunteer your heart to others.
2. that we would see some peace in this world. that includes respecting nature and all that we have.
3. i would be a full-time volunteer--helping out the sick. i would actively "love my neighbor" in a very literal sense.

35) estibaliz. (pamplona, navarra. spain.)

(a smile on this one--and a personality!--as dulce as the treats surrounding us.)

1. motherhood. whew! you suddenly stop thinking of yourself. you have to put others first. you have to. it's an amazing change.
2. that we would all have the freedom to be who we are, express who we are, and actually feel what we feel. freedom of expression. freedom to live. like i said. to be who we are! not someone else's mold.
3. i would venture over to argentina. patagonia! i can't explain it. i just feel like i belong there. like i have to go.

34) ignacio. (san sebastián, país vasco. spain.)

1. life! the day to day. every day surprises you. every day shows you something different.
2. i don't know how, but i want to see the end of terrorism. it destroys everything. it needs to stop.
3. live without working. isn't that everyone's dream? i would do everything that i've always wanted to do. my only work would be three-fold. skiing. cycling. and my family.

33) juan. (pamplona, navarra. spain.)

1. marriage! talk about another life. completely. being a dad. some days it just seems so cloudy, cloudy, cloudy. but when the sun comes out?! there is nothing like it.
2. that people would talk more. it seems like everyday people are going more and more al sur (literally "down south"). we don't talk anymore. we need to have more of this. what we--you and i--are doing right now.
3. australia, mate! yeah, i want to see the whole world. but australia. to go to a place where there is still vast, uninhabited area? wow.