“Yes. You know, for the frontier country, you volunteers have a pretty good life out here.” I said as I looked around.

“It’s funny you said that. When I left for the Peace Corps, I was under the impression that I’d have to make do in tough conditions. But, as you can see, I have everything -Internet, even cable TV.”

“Not everyone has it like this. These are city volunteers. You should talk to country volunteers. Like us.” Said Grits.

“I don’t have electricity.” Said Scott.

“Or proper toilets.” Said Mike.

“Dang man I don’t even have a basic clean water supply out where ah am.” Said Erin.

“What did you say, Erin?” Asked John jokingly.

Erin shot back, “shuddup man.”

“Alright guys, get your stuff repacked. We leave at 2 PM.” Said John as he sent off his last email.

“Nice meeting you, Linda.” I said as I shook her hand.

“Likewise. Have fun guys. Try not to get killed.”

We repacked our things, and stashed the rest in Dan’s apartment. We took only the essentials. I packed two of my panniers with two sets of cloths, food, water, and survival equipment. I saddled up my bike while the rest finished packing their backpacks. The bus station was a large gravel lot, and it was full of rusting, white, miniature versions of chicken buses. The dust flew around us in white clouds as we boarded. As we left the lot and followed a one lane road into the jungle, I watched as the homes changed from mud adobe with tin roofs into mud homes thatched with palm leaves. The road soon gave way to rough dirt and ravines, and soon there were no homes at all as we traveled several hours into the jungle. Despite the jolting ride, I dozed off.

Afterword and Acknowledgments

Making a decision to publish a book is a lot like deciding to get married or to have a child. Up front, it sounds like a wonderful endeavor. There’s fortune and glory. There’s the pride in seeing your work in print. There’s the endless possibilities that could happen from publishing a book.

It’s all bunk. It’s long nights, often for months and years, of staring at the computer screen until your eyes ache and your butt goes numb. Then you stand up and feel a rush of dizzying blood go through your head, feel like you’re going to faint, lean over the computer and ask yourself, “why the hell am I doing this?” "