No, the Equator is not some flashy new Vegas-esque themed restaurant. Yes, it is the actual equator. The part of our beloved planet that remains tropical year round. That equator that happens to run through Southeast Asia among many other fabulous holiday destinations. And no, they don't celebrate Valentine's Day there.
While I am normally not all wrapped up in Valentine hoo-hah, having my chosen loved one south of the equator in Palambang, Indonesia has brought a newly found sentiment for today and it's not one you would probably find on a card at your local Hallmark. Well, if we still had a Hallmark store.
While Mr. Wells has been gone, he has dutifully sent emails and pictures from all of his locales. With each passing day, I am more in awe of the world we live in and especially appreciative for the country in which I currently reside. There is a great big world out there and much of it is underdeveloped, simplistic in it's basic needs of housing and transport, and ill-equipped to handle even the most basic of technologies. Valentine's Day is certainly not on their radar.
My family's livelihood is, in part, based on the numerous rubber trees and manufacturing facilities in southeast asia (that have never heard of OSHA by the way.) No tire manufacturer could exist without them. It is easy to overlook the methods and materials needed to make those tires when living around the corner from the nearest megamart that sells the little black cylinders that enable us to rip and romp over our paved roads. On this Valentine's Day, I love those paved roads even more.
The terms "raw materials" and "natural resources" have gained whole new meaning for me. They aren't just lists of products I had to search for during my fifth grade social studies classes. I now have more refined mental images and thank goodness I got to miss out on the smells. To say the least, Palambang is both raw and natural. Dirt roads, houses on stilts, muddy canals, tropical plants and trees, a powerful stench, water everywhere, and flat, flat, flat. Delta through and through. Quite frankly, I don't know that I could ever live there, but it does hold a certain charm.
I find it fascinating that something can be both beautiful and horrifying. Just depends on the eye of the beholder. I suppose the same could be said for Valentine's Day. Or as a dear friend likes to say "Happy Singles Awareness Day."
Happy Valentine's, Baby! See you when get you back to this side of the equator!
No comments:
Post a Comment