The blogging adventure will continue again once I have moved to Hereford, end September 2022: Estoy en terapia .........

Bonus video! .... Child Street Musicians! But I rather suspect that these children have never seen the inside of a classroom :-(

It’s been a gentle week, not done much, trying still to get over a cold that refuses to go away, the “land of the eternal spring” needs to be renamed the land of the continuously changing weather! To me the weather has been the same since last November, a constant mix of sun, clouds and rain, and micro variations in different towns and villages around Antigua. Last Thursday I was in Santiago Zamora and we had a deluge the small streets turned into rivers and it was cold and thoroughly miserable, 15 minutes and 5 kms later blazing sunshine and not a sign of rain. You can actually stand and watch rain clouds drift up the valley and when they get stuck by the surrounding hills they discharge their cargo and dissipate!

So British to be moaning about the weather.

This week I also started my financial planning in earnest for year two of my adventure. Given that my last birthday marked the start of my pension 24 August is now officially the anniversary of “Knowmadic Mike’s” big adventure! I will take a little time out with Martin and Jean to reflect on year one, and the anniversary will be celebrated! Year two is pretty much formed in my mind and my budget turns out to be £18.21 per day for everything including nearly £2K in airfares this is around £6,450 for the year!!!!! Which is why (happily) the volunteering route is vital to survival, as it provides cheap, safe accommodation, sometimes food and most importantly opens the door to really getting to know a community or group of people.

I am already very excited about the opportunity in Peru and my 5 weeks in Calcutta (now Kolkata) (with the Calcutta Chamber Orchestra) will be an excellent return to the world of music: performing, teaching and conducting. The Peru project is for six months and in a Conservatoire.

One thing I am aware of, is that there are not so many volunteers around of my age, I am generally spending my time with young adults from 18 – 28 and often feel like I am called on to be a “sage” - though I do find myself saying – oh for God’s sake I sound like a (your) father – whilst I actively try not to be “older and wiser” I am also surprised? honoured? embarrassed? and a bit humbled to be consulted on life in general. And I do stress that I am not the best role model as my life has been anything but ordinary, or straightforward.

It does however cause me to think that more people of my age should come and volunteer (maybe for 6 months) – rent out the house in the UK and come and share their skills and experience with people who are keen to have the help and the interaction. And they could learn a language at the same time. A real positive “giving something back” project for “3^rd agers” …….

I don’t shout my sexuality from the rooftop, neither if asked would I deny it, and am happy to “come out” to people as and when appropriate. And I am not ashamed to say I use various websites available for finding like minded guys! Whatever one may think of these types of “social networking sites” in countries where there is no sexual or gay liberation to speak of, for those privileged enough to be able to access the internet these sites do at least provide a means of contact. And I remember back in the 1970's whne via "Gay News" and classified adverts it could take three weeks to meet a prospective friend! So here's to technology! :-)

And I have met some great guys this way, here, increasingly I am chatting to guys definitely young enough to be my son and that my carefully worded “profile” says let’s be friends first and the “con derechos” (with rights/benefits) bit may or may not come later. I do, however, feel I am back to the early 1990’s when I was one of the first “ psychotherapists for gay men in the UK” with a clinic in New Row, Covent Garden [was able to use a nice play on words with “NewRow/Neuro”] ….. anyways I digress, so I often find I am listening to these guys as they come to terms with gay life in a conservative country, dominated by a moral code laid down by the RC Church, and suffering all the agonies of (probably) being “in the closet” but needing to be authentic and to be able to love themselves as a gay man.

These encounters stretch my Spanish to it’s limits, but make me think back to how it was for me and how long that journey of self-acceptance took ,and I try to help a little bit by subtlety trying to use my “therapeutic skills” to boost their confidence and self esteem. And I have to admit, I do feel good when these guys say, how nice it was to meet somebody who wasn’t (just) wanting to get “up close and personal” {my euphemism} ….. even, if I am honest with myself, sometimes, the “up close” … bit would definitely be fun! And of course (more honesty here) I am happily amazed at the number of younger guys who really like the “hombre maduro” though not if they call me “papi” …….. as that has all sorts of resonances which for me are so wrong!

Hmmmm, this blog is always a surprise to me, I never quite now what I am going to write about until I start pounding the keys of my now ancient Laptop. ……

Maybe the seed for this week was planted by an exhibition of simple portrait photos on the theme of diversity in Guatemala currently on in the ground sof the “Cooperación Española” here in Antigua. I am so taken by the amazing vibrabcy of traditional dress of the Mayan communities, especially that fact that the men are the real Peacocks at times.

I was in the City last Tuesday to extend my passport as it runs out on July 29 and I would be illegal for the period to August 14 when I return to UK. Thankfully, the process was painless and within 1 hour all the formalities were completed and I could return in 1 week to collect the visa, all for the fee of £10. I was pretty pleased with myself as I managed to find my way from the bus to the transurbano metro, find the correct stops and even find where to get the bus back to Antigua without incident, despite “the grave an dire warnings” on the British Embassy website warning in the strongest terms NOT to use public buses. The return fares came to Q.20 (£1.80) had I followed the embassy advice and used taxis I would have spent close to Q.400! Talk about there is nothing to fear but fear itself! After my visit to “migración” I was eventually able to meet up with a new friend, and up and coming photographer, Eny (see previous posts) for more coffee and “Spanglish” chatting.

I so hope that in Trujillo there are less people around who speak any English, I am never going to get over this hurdle of fluency until the English option ceases to exist.

Great to see some individuality .... he is a real artist!

Yes, it's a kangaroo! Well done Vict

Finally, I add some pictures of part one of the puppet making with my lovely children at Santiago Zamora.

Volcan Fuego obliged with a discharge of volcanic ash!

Oooooooh! Just looked out my bedroom window to see a hot air balloon in the field down the road …….. it is part of the “Telethon” a weekend of fundraising – like children in need in the UK - this year the theme is disabled children and also the need for men to learn to love their children more (and take more responsibility for their upbringing [which is considered women’s work!])