Finishing PC, Ecuador, Coming Home and Complete Reading List during Service
Dear Readers,
It is high time I finally wrote another post. The big news: my time in the Peace Corps is over and I am back in the States. Saying good bye to my host family was easier than I expected and was further eased by the farewell party my counterparts gave me in our library that is finally up and running. For the party, music was played on someone’s stereo system while all of us guys drank beers and the kids from my art workshop flocked around the two computers that we had installed. My host mother Orfelinda joined us later and brought chicken and rice for everyone. Eventually I had to call it an evening and got to bed for a few hours of sleep before getting up and departing in the truck going to Morropón.
The morning I left I gave Orfelinda a hug and tried to give her two sons a hug, but I got the distinct impression they weren’t expecting on. I also said goodbye to my dog (actually Orfelinda’s dog) but he was busy sniffing bathing himself and didn’t pay me any mind.
I made to Piura safe and sound and met a lot of the new volunteers who were nearly done with training and were visiting their sites-to-be. I also spent some time with those friends who were around in the city for a whole day before leaving the afternoon of the next. When I got to Lima I spent much of my time with Julie, another PCV from my group who was in town to see the dentist. I was also very lucky to say good bye to some other PCV friends and staff as I was in Lima for a few days finishing formalities such as turning in my cell phone and giving unused medications to the PC doctor so they could be more safely disposed of than burned or dropped in my garbage pit. It was saying farewell to my fellow volunteer friends and PC staff that was the hardest part for me. It was never overwhelming because I knew it was happening, and it was good to see a lot of my friends again. But it wasn’t easy either.
Carrying my around luggage to the airport was the second hardest part of leaving Peru. By the grace of God I had no overweight fees, although I did have to redistribute my luggage’s weight several times in the Lima and Guayaquil (Ecuador) airports. I managed to pack everything I needed into all of my traveling bags, but it served mostly as a reminder that having more things than you need is more a hindrance in life than a luxury. Nevertheless I made it to Ecuador where I was shocked that I could not exchange Peruvian soles for US dollars (Ecuador uses American bills and a mixture of US/Ecuadorian coins) anywhere but the main bank, and there was no way I was going to hall my luggage across the city to the bank. Fortunately I still had some US currency that Peace Corps gave us to spend in Washington DC back before we had even left the country. Using that I was able to get transportation to the bus terminal (another nightmare due mostly to my luggage) and finally to my friend Emily’s apartment in Salinas. Emily and I had met several months prior in Piura when she stayed at the same hostel the PCVs did. At the time she was the only other American around, so we hung out. She told me she was doing grad school work in Ecuador and invited me to visit her and see the work she does – paleontology. I got to her apartment a little before she and some other volunteers from LA had arrived back from the site of the dig, so I had time to wash up and so forth a bit.
The week spent digging up bones of sloths that had been as big as elephants was an interesting and fun experience. The other people from LA were all very cool and fun to work with, each with a great attitude and sense of humor. At the same time it was very humbling because everyone had experience with paleontology, spoke the same jargon and, aside from just meeting Emily, knew each other. I had no idea how to properly dig up bones and accidentally pulverized the first one I found, thinking it was a clod of dirt that had been next to a bone.
My usual shyness around people quickly melted away as it tends to do, especially when the people around me and I are on similar wavelengths when it comes to telling jokes and stories. At one point during the dig I even said “I should look into doing this professionally; it’s the only job where I can be myself,” to which one of the diggers replied, “That’s the reason we all do this.” Nevertheless, I think that the tediousness would get to me; I would enjoy this as a hobby but not as a profession, but then I’m not much of a person to argue about tediousness: spending several weeks editing a lexicon for a Native American pidgin language I don’t even speak could similarly be regarded as tedious.
I was quite impressed with what little I saw of Ecuador. Normally I’ve had a hard time with Latin American food, and I don’t mean in terms of stomach ailments. I just have never found a liking for it. However, Salinas had a great little restaurant that one hopes is representative of Ecuadorian cuisine. The prices were nice and even more transparent since dollars were used. I can see myself visiting the country again.
I would have liked to have stayed longer at helped more with the dig, and I was sad to part ways with Emily and the people with whom I felt friendships had been started, but I was happy to see my family again at the end of the week. Being back in Nebraska doesn’t feel strange; indeed it feels as if I’d never really left. It is cold, but I’ve come to appreciate the cold more. I’ve been considering jobs I should do now. A friend is trying to convince me I should move to Berlin, and it’s something I’m giving serious thought to. But I have very little savings and also feel like I should stay State-side and work on that a bit. I also have only vague ideas about what I want to do. I have much better ideas about what I don’t want to do: I don’t want to teach English, or teach anything, really. I’m wondering how one goes about becoming a translator, although I’m not sure I want to do that as a full time position. I go back and forth on that. I’m also sure I don’t want to stay in Nebraska. I feel I need to be somewhere more urban, where there is more access to culture that isn’t had in my state. But mostly I am looking forward to going someplace new again, and I am planning on eventually getting back to Europe, if not sooner then later.
I’m going to finish this off with a list of all the books I read while in Peru, since they were my constant companions. Next to a few of them I’ve made little remarks. Some of the authors I’ve forgotten.
1. American Beauty (screenplay) (2nd time), by Allen Ball
2. Angels and Demons, by Dan Brown (2nd time in French)
3. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
4. Assimil New French with Ease
5. Bag of Bones by Stephen King
6. Becoming Enlightened, by His Holiness The Dalai Lama
7. Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West, by Cormac McCarthy
8. Bluebeard, by Kurt Vonnegut
9. Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, by Mary Roach
10. Bourne Identity, The, by Robert Ludlum
11. Breathing Method, The, by Stephen King (Actually this is a novella in the book “Different Seasons” but I counted it because it could be its own book)
12. Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut (I almost gave up reading this book but decided to stick with and it ended up being one of the funniest books I’ve read for its peculiar descriptions of everyday things.)
13. Cardinal of the Kremlin, The by Tom Clancy
14. Catch Me If You Can by Frank W. Abagnale with Stan Redding
15. Cell, by Stephen King
16. Christian Agnostic, The by Leslie D. Weatherhead
17. Christmas Carol, A (Nth time), by Charles Dickens (I enjoy this book because it’s simple to read and available for free in many of the languages I want to study.)
18. Clear and Present Danger, by Tom Clancy
19. Collected Stories by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (I don’t think I’m a fan of this guy, but some of the short stories were great.)
20. Confessions of an Economic Hitman
21. Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue Vol. One by Neale Diamond Walsch (A very interesting philosophical book. I don’t know how I feel about its “revelations,” though.)
22. Crònica de Una Muerte Anunciada, by Gabriél García Marquéz
23. Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The by Mark Haddon
24. Deadeye Dick, by Kurt Vonnegut
25. Debt of Honor, by Tom Clancy
26. Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center General Catalogue 2006-2007 (Actually a catalogue of courses available. I doubt I’ll ever go there since I don’t think I’ll join the military, but I’d love to study here, as it’s supposed to be one of the best, if not the best, language schools in the world.)
27. Desperation, by Stephen King
28. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
29. Do Buddhas Go to Heaven?: The Evolution of the Soul in Myth, Science and Religion by Bob Myer
30. Don’t Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazon Jungle, by Daniel Everett
31. Dreaming in Hindi by Katherine Russell Rich
32. Duma Key by Stephen King
33. Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert
34. Ender’s Shadow, by Orson Scott Card
35. Esperanto: Its Origins and Early History
36. Esperanto kaj la estoneca plurlingvismo
37. Eye of the Needle, The by Ken Follet (Last book I read entirely, finished it my first day in Ecuador on my way to Salinas.)
38. Few Minor Adjustments, A (2nd time), by the Peace Corps
39. Fishbowl
40. Flowers for Algeron
41. Fountainhead, The by Ayn Rand (If the Nobel Prize for Literature is given to those who make great statements about humanity, then I’d give a Nobel Prize to whoever destroys every last copy of this rag. This is almost certainly the worse book I have ever read in my entire life. The only good thing that came out of it is now I finally have the courage to put down a book if it sucks. Until then, I always thought “In the next chapter it might get better.” Since this is an acclaimed classic, I gave this it lots of chances, but it disappointed me so badly I fear my life might be less for reading it. I’d also give this person a Nobel Peace Prize in addition to the Literature Prize for clearing out this blemish of a book.)
42. Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, The by Don Miguel Ruiz
43. Game: Undercover in the Secret Society of Pickup Artists, The by Neil Strauss
44. God Delusion, The, by Richard Dawkins
45. Godless
46. Gospel According to Zen
47. Gospel of Judas
48. Gospel of Thomas
49. Guns, Germs, and Steel, by Jared Diamond
50. Hugo’s French in Three Months, by Ronald Overy and Jacqueline Lecanuet
51. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, by Tucker Max
52. In Persuasion Nation, by George Saunders
53. In Praise of Slowness: Challenging the Cult of Speed, by Carl Honoré
54. Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer (Amazing story. Completely cured me of any half baked notions I might want to try climbing Everest; not that I was really entertaining the thought anyways.)
55. It’s a Magical World (Calvin and Hobbes), by Bill Watterson (Every book in this series is great. If you haven’t checked this comics out, you should.)
56. Jonathan Livingston Seagull
57. Journey to the Center of the Earth, by Jules Verne (4x) (I used this book to help me get a grasp of French by reading it in English while listening to the French audio at the same time. I don’t enjoy that method much I’ve found, but it help get used to the language.)
58. Killer Angels, The
59. Kite Runner, The
60. Language Instinct: The New Science of Language and Mind, The by Steven Pinker
61. Last Lecture, The by Randy Pausch with Jeffery Zaslow
62. Last of the Bush Pilots, The, by Harmon Helmericks
63. Life is Good: Simple Words From Jake and Rocket, by Bert and John Jacobs
64. Life of Cardinal Mezzofanti, The, by C.W. Russell (An old biography of an Italian Cardinal who supposedly spoke at least 38 languages fluently.)
65. Life of Pi, by Yann Martel
66. Little Prince, The (Nth time) (I like how this book is available for free in various languages, but have never really been into the story.)
67. Lost Symbol, The by Dan Brown
68. Navajo Sound System, by Ken Hale and Lorraine Honie (Ken Hale is one of my heroes, but reading this linguistic paper he wrote was one of those “Maybe I don’t want to be a professional linguist” moments.)
69. New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose, A by Eckhart Tolle
70. Next, by Michael Crichton
71. Nine Hills to Nambonkaha: Two Years in the Heart of an African Village, by Sarah Erdman
72. No Country For Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy
73. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King (I really didn’t have high expectations for this book but it turned out that King describes the craft with such life that I could barely put it down.)
74. Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcom Gladwell
75. Pagan Christianity: The Origins of Our Modern Church Practices by Frank Viola
76. Passive Aggressive Notes: Painfully Polite and Hilariously Hostile Writings
77. Perfect Storm, The, by Sebastian Junger
78. Pillars of the Earth, The
79. Plague, The by Albert Camus
80. Polyglot: How I Learn Languages (2nd time), by Kató Lomb (Kató Lomb was a Hungarian translator/interpreter/language genius. I don’t think this book is good at describing her method, but her love for language that shines through is inspiring.)
81. Power of Now (3x), by Eckhart Tolle (As I’ve written about many times in my blog, this book has been one of the most profound works I’ve ever read. I don’t think this book is for everyone, but the message in it – which is really just a rewording of an ancient message from other philosophies and faiths – I think probably would speak to everyone. Very accessible and down-to-earth, which was not what I was expecting when I started reading it.)
82. Princess Bride, The: S. Moregenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure, by William Goldman
83. Prophet, The by Kahlil Gibran
84. Rag and Bone: A Journey Among the World’s Holy Dead by Peter
Manseau
85. Realities of Foreign Service Life, edited by Patricia Linderman and Melissa Brayer Hess
86. Refuse to Choose! By Barbara Sher (2x) (This book took a lot of stress off of me when I read that maybe I can just take life a little easier instead of decide on a career right away.)
87. Road, The by Cormac Mcarthy
88. Rose Madder, by Stephen King
89. Running Man, The by Stephen King
90. Saddest Pleasure, The: A Journey on Two Rivers by Moritz Thomsen (This book, and its prequel “Living Poor” are probably some of the best accounts of both Peace Corps and living in rural South American one can read in English.)
91. Soloist, The by Steve Lopez
92. Sound and the Fury, The, by William Faulkner
93. Speak Like a Native: Professional Secrets for Mastering Foreign Languages by Michael Janich
94. Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife, by Mary Roach
95. Stillness Speaks by Eckhart Tolle
96. Stranger, The (2nd time) by Albert Camus
97. Three Cups of Tea
98. Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold, by C.S. Lewis
99. What Does the Bible Really Teach?
100. What Dreams May Come (This was one of those books I put down only to sleep – I read while I ate. It completely blew me away.)
101. What’s Your Poo Telling You? (Very normal and candid conversation topic among PCV’s.)
102. Why is God Laughing? : The Path to Joy and Spiritual Optimism by Deepak Chopra
103. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
104. World Without Us, The by Alan Weisman
105. Writing Life, The by Annie Dillard
106. Year of the Hare, The (A humorous Finnish novel that unfortunately I had to read in English. There was something about the story that was just so chilled out. I felt relaxed just by reading it.)
107. You’re Born an Original, Don’t Die a Copy! by John L. Mason
Peace,
Tristan
It is high time I finally wrote another post. The big news: my time in the Peace Corps is over and I am back in the States. Saying good bye to my host family was easier than I expected and was further eased by the farewell party my counterparts gave me in our library that is finally up and running. For the party, music was played on someone’s stereo system while all of us guys drank beers and the kids from my art workshop flocked around the two computers that we had installed. My host mother Orfelinda joined us later and brought chicken and rice for everyone. Eventually I had to call it an evening and got to bed for a few hours of sleep before getting up and departing in the truck going to Morropón.
The morning I left I gave Orfelinda a hug and tried to give her two sons a hug, but I got the distinct impression they weren’t expecting on. I also said goodbye to my dog (actually Orfelinda’s dog) but he was busy sniffing bathing himself and didn’t pay me any mind.
I made to Piura safe and sound and met a lot of the new volunteers who were nearly done with training and were visiting their sites-to-be. I also spent some time with those friends who were around in the city for a whole day before leaving the afternoon of the next. When I got to Lima I spent much of my time with Julie, another PCV from my group who was in town to see the dentist. I was also very lucky to say good bye to some other PCV friends and staff as I was in Lima for a few days finishing formalities such as turning in my cell phone and giving unused medications to the PC doctor so they could be more safely disposed of than burned or dropped in my garbage pit. It was saying farewell to my fellow volunteer friends and PC staff that was the hardest part for me. It was never overwhelming because I knew it was happening, and it was good to see a lot of my friends again. But it wasn’t easy either.
Carrying my around luggage to the airport was the second hardest part of leaving Peru. By the grace of God I had no overweight fees, although I did have to redistribute my luggage’s weight several times in the Lima and Guayaquil (Ecuador) airports. I managed to pack everything I needed into all of my traveling bags, but it served mostly as a reminder that having more things than you need is more a hindrance in life than a luxury. Nevertheless I made it to Ecuador where I was shocked that I could not exchange Peruvian soles for US dollars (Ecuador uses American bills and a mixture of US/Ecuadorian coins) anywhere but the main bank, and there was no way I was going to hall my luggage across the city to the bank. Fortunately I still had some US currency that Peace Corps gave us to spend in Washington DC back before we had even left the country. Using that I was able to get transportation to the bus terminal (another nightmare due mostly to my luggage) and finally to my friend Emily’s apartment in Salinas. Emily and I had met several months prior in Piura when she stayed at the same hostel the PCVs did. At the time she was the only other American around, so we hung out. She told me she was doing grad school work in Ecuador and invited me to visit her and see the work she does – paleontology. I got to her apartment a little before she and some other volunteers from LA had arrived back from the site of the dig, so I had time to wash up and so forth a bit.
The week spent digging up bones of sloths that had been as big as elephants was an interesting and fun experience. The other people from LA were all very cool and fun to work with, each with a great attitude and sense of humor. At the same time it was very humbling because everyone had experience with paleontology, spoke the same jargon and, aside from just meeting Emily, knew each other. I had no idea how to properly dig up bones and accidentally pulverized the first one I found, thinking it was a clod of dirt that had been next to a bone.
My usual shyness around people quickly melted away as it tends to do, especially when the people around me and I are on similar wavelengths when it comes to telling jokes and stories. At one point during the dig I even said “I should look into doing this professionally; it’s the only job where I can be myself,” to which one of the diggers replied, “That’s the reason we all do this.” Nevertheless, I think that the tediousness would get to me; I would enjoy this as a hobby but not as a profession, but then I’m not much of a person to argue about tediousness: spending several weeks editing a lexicon for a Native American pidgin language I don’t even speak could similarly be regarded as tedious.
I was quite impressed with what little I saw of Ecuador. Normally I’ve had a hard time with Latin American food, and I don’t mean in terms of stomach ailments. I just have never found a liking for it. However, Salinas had a great little restaurant that one hopes is representative of Ecuadorian cuisine. The prices were nice and even more transparent since dollars were used. I can see myself visiting the country again.
I would have liked to have stayed longer at helped more with the dig, and I was sad to part ways with Emily and the people with whom I felt friendships had been started, but I was happy to see my family again at the end of the week. Being back in Nebraska doesn’t feel strange; indeed it feels as if I’d never really left. It is cold, but I’ve come to appreciate the cold more. I’ve been considering jobs I should do now. A friend is trying to convince me I should move to Berlin, and it’s something I’m giving serious thought to. But I have very little savings and also feel like I should stay State-side and work on that a bit. I also have only vague ideas about what I want to do. I have much better ideas about what I don’t want to do: I don’t want to teach English, or teach anything, really. I’m wondering how one goes about becoming a translator, although I’m not sure I want to do that as a full time position. I go back and forth on that. I’m also sure I don’t want to stay in Nebraska. I feel I need to be somewhere more urban, where there is more access to culture that isn’t had in my state. But mostly I am looking forward to going someplace new again, and I am planning on eventually getting back to Europe, if not sooner then later.
I’m going to finish this off with a list of all the books I read while in Peru, since they were my constant companions. Next to a few of them I’ve made little remarks. Some of the authors I’ve forgotten.
1. American Beauty (screenplay) (2nd time), by Allen Ball
2. Angels and Demons, by Dan Brown (2nd time in French)
3. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
4. Assimil New French with Ease
5. Bag of Bones by Stephen King
6. Becoming Enlightened, by His Holiness The Dalai Lama
7. Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West, by Cormac McCarthy
8. Bluebeard, by Kurt Vonnegut
9. Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, by Mary Roach
10. Bourne Identity, The, by Robert Ludlum
11. Breathing Method, The, by Stephen King (Actually this is a novella in the book “Different Seasons” but I counted it because it could be its own book)
12. Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut (I almost gave up reading this book but decided to stick with and it ended up being one of the funniest books I’ve read for its peculiar descriptions of everyday things.)
13. Cardinal of the Kremlin, The by Tom Clancy
14. Catch Me If You Can by Frank W. Abagnale with Stan Redding
15. Cell, by Stephen King
16. Christian Agnostic, The by Leslie D. Weatherhead
17. Christmas Carol, A (Nth time), by Charles Dickens (I enjoy this book because it’s simple to read and available for free in many of the languages I want to study.)
18. Clear and Present Danger, by Tom Clancy
19. Collected Stories by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (I don’t think I’m a fan of this guy, but some of the short stories were great.)
20. Confessions of an Economic Hitman
21. Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue Vol. One by Neale Diamond Walsch (A very interesting philosophical book. I don’t know how I feel about its “revelations,” though.)
22. Crònica de Una Muerte Anunciada, by Gabriél García Marquéz
23. Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The by Mark Haddon
24. Deadeye Dick, by Kurt Vonnegut
25. Debt of Honor, by Tom Clancy
26. Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center General Catalogue 2006-2007 (Actually a catalogue of courses available. I doubt I’ll ever go there since I don’t think I’ll join the military, but I’d love to study here, as it’s supposed to be one of the best, if not the best, language schools in the world.)
27. Desperation, by Stephen King
28. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
29. Do Buddhas Go to Heaven?: The Evolution of the Soul in Myth, Science and Religion by Bob Myer
30. Don’t Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazon Jungle, by Daniel Everett
31. Dreaming in Hindi by Katherine Russell Rich
32. Duma Key by Stephen King
33. Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert
34. Ender’s Shadow, by Orson Scott Card
35. Esperanto: Its Origins and Early History
36. Esperanto kaj la estoneca plurlingvismo
37. Eye of the Needle, The by Ken Follet (Last book I read entirely, finished it my first day in Ecuador on my way to Salinas.)
38. Few Minor Adjustments, A (2nd time), by the Peace Corps
39. Fishbowl
40. Flowers for Algeron
41. Fountainhead, The by Ayn Rand (If the Nobel Prize for Literature is given to those who make great statements about humanity, then I’d give a Nobel Prize to whoever destroys every last copy of this rag. This is almost certainly the worse book I have ever read in my entire life. The only good thing that came out of it is now I finally have the courage to put down a book if it sucks. Until then, I always thought “In the next chapter it might get better.” Since this is an acclaimed classic, I gave this it lots of chances, but it disappointed me so badly I fear my life might be less for reading it. I’d also give this person a Nobel Peace Prize in addition to the Literature Prize for clearing out this blemish of a book.)
42. Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, The by Don Miguel Ruiz
43. Game: Undercover in the Secret Society of Pickup Artists, The by Neil Strauss
44. God Delusion, The, by Richard Dawkins
45. Godless
46. Gospel According to Zen
47. Gospel of Judas
48. Gospel of Thomas
49. Guns, Germs, and Steel, by Jared Diamond
50. Hugo’s French in Three Months, by Ronald Overy and Jacqueline Lecanuet
51. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, by Tucker Max
52. In Persuasion Nation, by George Saunders
53. In Praise of Slowness: Challenging the Cult of Speed, by Carl Honoré
54. Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer (Amazing story. Completely cured me of any half baked notions I might want to try climbing Everest; not that I was really entertaining the thought anyways.)
55. It’s a Magical World (Calvin and Hobbes), by Bill Watterson (Every book in this series is great. If you haven’t checked this comics out, you should.)
56. Jonathan Livingston Seagull
57. Journey to the Center of the Earth, by Jules Verne (4x) (I used this book to help me get a grasp of French by reading it in English while listening to the French audio at the same time. I don’t enjoy that method much I’ve found, but it help get used to the language.)
58. Killer Angels, The
59. Kite Runner, The
60. Language Instinct: The New Science of Language and Mind, The by Steven Pinker
61. Last Lecture, The by Randy Pausch with Jeffery Zaslow
62. Last of the Bush Pilots, The, by Harmon Helmericks
63. Life is Good: Simple Words From Jake and Rocket, by Bert and John Jacobs
64. Life of Cardinal Mezzofanti, The, by C.W. Russell (An old biography of an Italian Cardinal who supposedly spoke at least 38 languages fluently.)
65. Life of Pi, by Yann Martel
66. Little Prince, The (Nth time) (I like how this book is available for free in various languages, but have never really been into the story.)
67. Lost Symbol, The by Dan Brown
68. Navajo Sound System, by Ken Hale and Lorraine Honie (Ken Hale is one of my heroes, but reading this linguistic paper he wrote was one of those “Maybe I don’t want to be a professional linguist” moments.)
69. New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose, A by Eckhart Tolle
70. Next, by Michael Crichton
71. Nine Hills to Nambonkaha: Two Years in the Heart of an African Village, by Sarah Erdman
72. No Country For Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy
73. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King (I really didn’t have high expectations for this book but it turned out that King describes the craft with such life that I could barely put it down.)
74. Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcom Gladwell
75. Pagan Christianity: The Origins of Our Modern Church Practices by Frank Viola
76. Passive Aggressive Notes: Painfully Polite and Hilariously Hostile Writings
77. Perfect Storm, The, by Sebastian Junger
78. Pillars of the Earth, The
79. Plague, The by Albert Camus
80. Polyglot: How I Learn Languages (2nd time), by Kató Lomb (Kató Lomb was a Hungarian translator/interpreter/language genius. I don’t think this book is good at describing her method, but her love for language that shines through is inspiring.)
81. Power of Now (3x), by Eckhart Tolle (As I’ve written about many times in my blog, this book has been one of the most profound works I’ve ever read. I don’t think this book is for everyone, but the message in it – which is really just a rewording of an ancient message from other philosophies and faiths – I think probably would speak to everyone. Very accessible and down-to-earth, which was not what I was expecting when I started reading it.)
82. Princess Bride, The: S. Moregenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure, by William Goldman
83. Prophet, The by Kahlil Gibran
84. Rag and Bone: A Journey Among the World’s Holy Dead by Peter
Manseau
85. Realities of Foreign Service Life, edited by Patricia Linderman and Melissa Brayer Hess
86. Refuse to Choose! By Barbara Sher (2x) (This book took a lot of stress off of me when I read that maybe I can just take life a little easier instead of decide on a career right away.)
87. Road, The by Cormac Mcarthy
88. Rose Madder, by Stephen King
89. Running Man, The by Stephen King
90. Saddest Pleasure, The: A Journey on Two Rivers by Moritz Thomsen (This book, and its prequel “Living Poor” are probably some of the best accounts of both Peace Corps and living in rural South American one can read in English.)
91. Soloist, The by Steve Lopez
92. Sound and the Fury, The, by William Faulkner
93. Speak Like a Native: Professional Secrets for Mastering Foreign Languages by Michael Janich
94. Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife, by Mary Roach
95. Stillness Speaks by Eckhart Tolle
96. Stranger, The (2nd time) by Albert Camus
97. Three Cups of Tea
98. Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold, by C.S. Lewis
99. What Does the Bible Really Teach?
100. What Dreams May Come (This was one of those books I put down only to sleep – I read while I ate. It completely blew me away.)
101. What’s Your Poo Telling You? (Very normal and candid conversation topic among PCV’s.)
102. Why is God Laughing? : The Path to Joy and Spiritual Optimism by Deepak Chopra
103. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
104. World Without Us, The by Alan Weisman
105. Writing Life, The by Annie Dillard
106. Year of the Hare, The (A humorous Finnish novel that unfortunately I had to read in English. There was something about the story that was just so chilled out. I felt relaxed just by reading it.)
107. You’re Born an Original, Don’t Die a Copy! by John L. Mason
Peace,
Tristan
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