just let it slide

"The absurdity of life reaches me more than ever."
He wrote.

Another interesting character I met in Mexico. Back in Hong Kong, despite the 14-hour difference, we manage to have a little online chat.

He is pretty philosophical, he is very intelligent, on the hand, very chaotic at times.
tracing back to the root cause, what has shaped the way he is profoundly, again,FAMILY.

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Though being random, one of his stories has helped to embark my long journey from Mexico crossed the boarder through the most dangerous city in Mexico---Ciudad Juarez, to Texas, BY BUS, like many poor Mexicans do. (hahaha, indeed, I was broke.)

Running away from the Mexico bus stop when the boarder officer demanded me to pay for the return visa, which was nonsense, --- "man, I am leaving, won't return at least for a while"; Getting stranded at the boarder; sitting outside the immigration department in a frigging chilly night for 2 hours only to find out I had waited in the wrong place; missed the last bus, slept over in a bus station with a group of African Americans....

All these were in an attempt to keep a promise in spite a broken one...

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He told me that, he had a deal with his previous girl friend, going to Cuba together. Before the promise was materialized, they broke up.

Nonetheless, he went to Cuba by himself. "I guess she did the same too." He said.

I don't know why, the story has deeply moved me.

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Before going to Mexico, I went to Ghana for a field trip. During Ghana days, there is a sage-like African -American lady, who returned to Ghana after years of root-finding.

When it comes to the slavery issue, against the conventional victimized sense of tragedy, she said, "to me, it is a triumph of human spirit. what made them (slaves) wake up everyday despite the pressing life? It's their children. Hope them can get a better life. To me, each Child is an embodiment of a dream, accumulated from generations. and because of that, all the cultures come together. You have raggae, R&B, Blues, Hip Hop... "

We just spent two days together, already, her charisma has impressed me a lot. I wanted to learn from her.

When she knew that I was going to Mexico for exchange, she invited me to visit her during Christmas when she would having a business trip in New Mexico, the US.

I wrote to her at the begging of December, all were set. when I wrote to ask where I should meet her exactly after I returned from the south of Mexico to Monterrey, (the north of Mexico), she never replied.

Two options were open to me: either go directly to Los Angeles (a friend is there and I would fly back to HK from there ) or to New Mexico.

During the decision Making process, His story popped up. and I decided to go to New Mexico by myself despite knowing no one, despite the two luggages I had with me....

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Courch surfing saved me. In one week, I stayed with 3 families. all are distinct in their stories.

Havah, 25-year old girl, already planning the second divorce in marriage.
19-year her had carried the dead body of her own child, running on the street in a rainy, chilly night in search of a free coffin;
23-year her fell in love with a Pakistani in LA. Although she knew that he married her just in an attempt to get a green card, she helped him, she even converted from being a Jew to a Muslim.
but now,she is getting a divorce with him.

Mayra, a 32-year old biologist. living alone. the strict family upbringing has already made her give up upon love. She brought me to snow-shoeing, to the indigenous village in New Mexico;

Rob and Catherine, a devoted Christian Couple. It was New Year Eve, Rob is an Italian. He told me his pretty screwed up life. Well, again, broken family, drug addict, leading his first broken marriage. while he was thinking to be a car driver, illegally trafficking drugs from Colombia to the US. He got the divine calling. Life is not easy on him, but gradually he manged to turn a new leaf.

He just told me, "Honey, you need a home."


During the first couch surfing, I met two siblings, a brother and a sister. one's father married the other's mother, that's how they become siblings.

Nizmo, the sister, 21-year-old, healthy-conscious girl, like being alone, walking alone, jogging alone, did two month traveling in Canada (alone?) by hitchhiking;

Andrew, the brother, also 21 years old, has a rebellious/ self-imposed exile back in 19-year-old self. following a group of hippies, traveling around the US by hitchhiking, jumping on the train...

Needing a break/ escape, just brought a ticket to Thailand without any prior knowledge, plans on the landing, and spent one-month there, "same-same but different." he told me....


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So what I wanted to say here, the absurdity of life strikes us at different times, and will constantly come back....

Well, just let it slide, life is absurd, just let it slide...........