Am not!- AM TOO!

And so here we meet, all together, very different but all the same in that fact. (thanks ryan). Spanish has been enlightening on so many levels. Beyond the basic need to breakdown the communication barrier, I have learned so much about myself and my tendencies through the mirror of language. Samuel Fernandez, my spanish teacher explained to us that in Espana, people are more apt to use the present tense juxtaposed against the tendency of Americans to speak in the future and the past.

Take a step back, now why does this even matter, and what are the implications?

First, calm down, its going to be fine. Secondly, let's examine our own culture. So much of what America is founded in is focused on prospering, and excelling in hopes of a fulfilling life down the road. People working to retire (and then enjoy life) or get to gray hair and tell stories all day long.

Something called life happens in between all of that static. There is never enough family in Spain. Lunches for 3 hours, joking, chatting, and the world comes to a halt for it. Most of you can count on one hand how many times your family has gotten together in the past year. Most of the time, it is simply tolerated.

"But I have to work, to get things, to make money, to have a family, and leave them content."
Just show up and be there, that is where it's at.

By golly, just give everyone a chance to prove themselves.

So go make a jello mold for your neighbor. Everyone deserves a thumbs up.

Ciao- Gooford.

and for a bit of musica for those who need a kick

The French Kicks- So Far We Are
check the side bar

Wake Up

so people. who ever is out there. this is appropriate for two reasons. gooford is back, but never really got started, so wake up already! And arcade fire is a finer thing of life. 

ciao

-gooford

Wake Up from gohn on Vimeo.

Peace and Mullet Grease

Bigger is better, Manifest Destiny lives, and capitalism and materialism define an identity that is America. Indulge as much as you please in this society wherever, at a buffet or a mall. Thank the Lord for the economy bringing us back to the root of what matters, people. Gooford is moving to Spain. In order to truly appreciate and intentionally experience what is in store, we must define what is America. Then we can vividly see the dichotomy in the cultural boundaries. Instead of taking the easy way out, we took the pathway that would lead us to understanding these American ideals. Its name is I-40. 

Oxford, MS to Orange County, CA is 1,876 miles. The trip took us through the Ozarks of Northern Arkansas, through the barren wasteland and densely native Oklahoma, to Shamrock, TX, to Santa Fe, NM, to the Grand Canyon, arriving at the paradigm of bubble lifestyles in Orange County. Experiencing the culture, the people, and the quaintness in America gives me a pretty good idea of what we are. I may not always look like everyone I come across. Some people tend to have more body odor than others, or look like me in the 90’s, but in the end people are people. Although many of us find identity in our culture as well as a level of comfort, that should never get in the way of people being people and interacting without deprecation or prejudice.

-Gooford S.