my last post was just after having visited Niagara Falls, which provided one of the most memorable moments of the trip. many of the other memorable moments have been meaningful spiritually or emotionally or intellectually. this one was raw physicality. we took a boat out to the falls, and it gets right up close to the bottom of the Canadian horseshoe falls, so that firstly you feel and look as though you're in the rain, and secondly you feel the power of that water tumbling over the edge. it is awesome. I kept taking pictures in a feeble attempt to capture the moment, but you can't, this is one of those times in life where, really, you just had to be there. having experienced this, I couldn't believe that the waiter serving us in the Hard Rock Cafe has lived there for 20 years and never been out on the boat, never had that experience. we urged him to do it.
this awe and joy was followed by an experience of shame and discomfort. on the way to Washington, D.C., we travelled through Amish country. hearing the stories of these communities was fascinating, and we had watched a movie about an Amish community that I had enjoyed. but when we drove past the houses in which Amish families live, and our guide was pointing them out, it felt as though we were on safari in Africa, chasing a glimpse of a lion in the wild. it was demeaning and disrespectful. a young boy was in a shed and ran to hide as our bus approached - people laughed. children ran from the bus, not knowing whether to wave or hide - people clambered over one another to take a photo. I hung my head in shame and felt I would either cry or vomit, this whole experience made me feel so ill. we don't drive through other countries and say - look there's a native Parisian, let's take a photo. these are fellow human beings living a life of peace. we would be better to learn from their way of life of peace and harmony, than to rush to the other side of the bus to photograph them at lunch or play.
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