Why is it that everything is so much calmer in the tropical and subtropical parts of the world?  Is it the latitude where the earth is spinning at a different rate than closer to the poles?  Is it the climate with hotter days and perhaps higher humidity?  Are people just born this way or is it a rational decision or is it the way we are influenced by others?  Do the animals learn their behavior or could they be affected by the climate and the latitude?

                Let us look at the animals first:  Were the dogs in the Dominican Republic affected by the heat or were they just plain lazy or were they avoiding being beaten?  Are the bulls here in Honduras calmer and not bothered by sharing the roads with vehicles and people?  And why are we not afraid as we walk down the road and the bulls are sauntering our way?  Are they born that way?

                What about the adults:  Are people calmer in warmer climates if they can be outside most or part of every day?  Doesn’t research show that people are less stressed during warmer weather?  What triggers the leisurely pace and the complete disregard for times and schedules? Should the people here share their secrets for ultimate patience?  Are we conditioned by the people around us?

                How about the children:  Is there less incidence of ADHD in tropical countries?  How can children and youth sit for five minutes doing and saying nothing while another student is working out a problem or finding an answer?  Would that be a result of nature or nurture?   Have we in the USA and other “developed” countries been pushing kids too hard?  But what would happen if we didn’t?

                Obviously I have plenty of time to just sit and think, even with several projects going at once and visitors coming to stay.  I am not bothered by waiting for a bus for an hour or more and rarely get upset when people are late for a meeting.  With no car to hop in and rush off to an activity, I really enjoyed the visit of two volunteers I knew in the Dominican Republic.  They helped with my classes, but then we had plenty of time to walk and talk and eat.  You can see some of my teachers working on their final exams and others making their sock puppet English speaking buddies for the new term that began this week.   On Sunday two new Peace Corps trainees are coming to visit, and they will get to experience life at a much slower pace than they endure during training.  They will also get to help make pasta with pesto for English only game time with some of my students.  If you are feeling stressed, come visit Honduras and experience a different way of life.

                If you are anxious to get out in the hectic pace of life in the USA, I have a suggestion:  Please check out the after July 4th sales for me.  I can use just about anything in red/white/blue for our graduation which doesn’t happen until November.  We need flags, stickers, streamers, plates and other items that can be used either for decoration or for remembrances for my English teachers.  Obviously I haven’t lost my habit of planning for the future.   If you are in western Washington, save the items until September and I can bring things back with me after my last Peace Corps vacation (for my mom’s 90th birthday).