Peace Corps

I have the outmost respect and admiration for Robyn, the main team leader onboard Ocean Intrigue. She is a woman that carries a lot of hats, and I don't mean that literally. She speaks Spanish, for one, and although back home in Europe bilingualism is not uncommon, it certainly is here. She is extremely effective, strong both physically (she's f***ing ripped!) and mentally, a science major as well as an actress (theatre), and she always smiles and often giggles like a little girl. It's a crazy combination and I love it, not least because it makes her a great boss; she's a good teacher, has high expectations, and is very encouraging.

She also spent a year in southern Honduras volunteering her time for the Peace Corpse. Believe is or not but some of the American tax money goes to rebuilding poor and violent places. They build schools, hospitals, infrastructure, etc. You get the picture. I've been walking around thinking that Americans are ignorant regarding the effects of war and what is really necessary to avoid it in the first place but next to Robyn, I'm the ignorant one. We didn't have much time to talk about it but she mentioned a couple of terrible things that she probably would have preferred to not have gone through. What surprised me was the thing she though was the most important outcome of her time in Honduras. It was cultural exchange; for both parties to realize that there's no devil on the other side.

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