Today is one of those days I love…random in a way that I just couldn’t have imagined when I got up in the morning. I mean, picture me sitting around this morning eating organic oatmeal and pondering why my computer has decided to forsake me…and then rushing to my 10am meeting unsure if where I think it is it actually is (it is).
Three hours later I’m filled with all sorts of information about zed’s health system – its strengths and weaknesses, how pacific islanders work in that system, how public health can have a synergistic relationship with other governing bodies and affect real change…it was amazing.
So arms filled with stuff to read and mind spinning on stuff to do I decide to mosey down queen street in search of shoes. Here is where my day gets interesting. While trying on a shoe an older gentleman says, “nice shoes”. And that begins a mini conversation. He’s from Ecuador so I say, “buenos dias” and away we go.
We spent the day speaking in Spanish and talking about our worlds…his 53 years globe trekking, importing, exporting, and leather making. We wandered through a market, to coffeehouses, met a mutual friend from Burundi, compared experiences, ate food, bought stuff. I really don’t know where the 5 hours went.
I leave for Wellington in 8 hours and he leaves for Tasmania, Ecuador and the us in a day. But he returns in may and we have plans to hang out again. This time I’ll get to see some of his work and practice some more Spanish…or French…or Portuguese…he speaks them all so I have an abundance of languages to pick from…being that my Spanish isn’t that great I think I’ll stick with it and see what I can learn.