There is something luxurious about going on a cruise.

Its always a personal journey for me and also a huge privilege.

I don't gamble, drink, play games or even go to the shows… so I guess that might seem  boring to some.

Its all there for me to do… but when I'm teaching it's a serious business and I need to concentrate on that. But…. I'm in wonderful places, I'm with fabulous people and I get to interact with folk from all walks of life!

Today we decided to hire a taxi at 1/4 the price of a tour bus and have a private tour… Poor driver, he had to stop at  cemeteries, he had to answer lots of questions and at the end of our tour the vehicle broke down and we found ourselves stranded until another taxi from the same company picked us up. It bought back memories of being hijacked in Haiti.

This morning, browsing through the shops  in a small ocean side suburb,  my eyes locked on to  the very thing I was hoping to find.  It was a Guatemalan embroidery with an array of Mayan symbols and pictures. The warm, orange fabric was crammed full of brightly colored symbols and men adorned in feathers. Of course it was Orange and I fell in love with it immediately.

I was told it was Mayan and I know it was made in Guatemala.

It can take a year to make a piece like this and I was bartering with the shop owner. I always feel guilty, but the shop owners are the final recipients, I'm sure the maker got very little for her work. She  should be recognized for her art and I hope to feature it in some way in my home or studio.

Traveling as  do I often encounter people who have less than I. It was evident today in the streets, small boys seemed to attach themselves to us. We had long conversations about school and the Island. They followed us from place to place and it became obvious that they wanted money at the end of our walk.

We came upon a small stall and the owner was cooking pork and plantains. I watched the expressions on the boys faces as they were telling me how good the pork was they were probably  aged around 10 years old and younger.  I purchased a few servings and told them to share. Ginger, our friend who was shopping with us slipped the smaller boys a dollar and said "don't tell the bigger boys or they will take it from you" The smaller one in his innocence said, "Oh we give it to the man at our house and he buys things with it"

I was so pleased we had just given them a treat for themselves.

This trip is about sharing. Sharing our ideas of quilting and the art, but its also about education.The challenge is also to look past our own wants, our own celebrity status and to recognize that sometimes we must share what we have rather than look inwards.

Listen and see.