2.24.09
This past weekend I met an interesting character. Meeting interesting people that have bizarre stories and adventures to share is all part of the fun of exploring a new nation. His name was Francisco, a tall gangly character with a scruffy chin and neck. His fingernails were dingy, his teeth revealed signs of chain smoking, and his hair seemed to be plastered with gel that hadn’t been washed our for several days… But, now that I think of it, his half spiked hair style must have been placed so by the natural oils that must have been accumulating on his scalp for weeks without washing. Even though his shorts were tattered and his vest faded he was chipper and jolly; clearly the rum flows freely on his ship. Anyway, he passed me as I was sitting eating a sandwich and asked if I would like to take a walk with him. I could tell immediately that this was an intriguing man, but honestly, I just accepted his offer because I wanted to bum a cigarette.
Turns out that Francisco is a sailor; I should have known, and somewhere between coffee and rum Francisco told me all about his live as a sailor. Briefly, he mentioned what he refers to as his ‘past life’. Before sailing the seas endlessly he was a professor of philosophy at a university in France. Six months ago he retired from his job, gave up all his possessions, family and friends and decided to start sailing. He bought a boat and has been sailing around the world for 6 months with no real plan on where to go next or for how long to stay. He only dreams of finding a sailor girl to join him on his adventure, find a cozy place on the sea shore to settle, build a house, fish and live out the rest of their days. Sounds romantic, huh?
Before St. Lucia, Francisco spent 2 months in different parts of Africa. He sounded like a character straight out of a story book; speaking about how mystical Africa was and how lovely and kind people are all over the world. His tales were incredibly marvelous. It’s incredible how some people are able to just take a risk and go anywhere their heart desires. After our chatter came to an end the sailor sipped down his last drop of rum and went back to the marina; I think he had a chess match to attend on one of the other ships.
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2 comments:
Please continue writing. Interesting stories. I'm a St. Lucian living in NYC, I'm thinking of relocating back to St. Lucia & starting a business there, which is a big decision for me considering I haven't lived there since the age of 7, I'm in my late twenties now. I've followed the blogs of other peace corps volunteers there and I guess for me it's a way, through your experiences, to figure out if this is something I can do. Keep up the good work down there, your help is well needed!
Does sound like something out of a storybook. Cool experience for sure!
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