Unexpected experiences

We were so tired by this point. Half a day of travelling on an old US school bus or three will do that to you. El Salvador is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been but their roads could do with some fresh tarmac. Still, this was nothing new, we were pleased to have arrived safely. Just one short bus journey left until we arrived in Alegría (Joy) from Berlin (not that one) and we could find a place to rest. A minor problem reared its head. There was no obvious place to get on the next bus from and there were no signs, timetables or anything else. Backpacks on, front bags held close and legs heavier than both bags put together, we asked around until we were pointed towards a lady who looked like she was waiting for something. There was no bus stop and still no timetable but Gloria, as we came to know her by, looked certain of her spot so we asked her if she was going towards Alegría and when the next bus was expected to arrive.

Thankfully, we had made it before the final bus for the day departed. There were only 2 buses per day anyway! We had some time to wait but that time flew by. Gloria started asking us all about our travels and when we told her of our plan to venture through much of Central and South America, her eyes lit up. She had her own wonderful stories to share. Stories of her time living in the USA, of joy, hardship, hard work and a return to her home, between Berlin and Alegría. By the time we had made our way by bus towards her stop, she kindly invited us to come and visit her home. "Just go into the village and ask for me, you'll find my place easily. Come any time." We promised we'd take her up on the offer and we like to keep our promises. Her village was only a forty minute walk from Alegría and we had enjoyed our time together.

I'll get to the story of the evening storm, the desperate search for accommodation, the eventual stay in a converted priesthood school dorm and the fiesta in the small town another time. For this story, we'll focus on Gloria. We made our way towards her village in the early afternoon, the following day. Upon reaching her bus stop, we took a right, into the muddy, naturally forged path and towards the small village. It wasn't long before we started to notice the change in houses. The stone built, relatively modern properties were quickly replaced by metal huts. They looked well made but clearly by hand and each one was unique. We hadn't entered a rich village, at least if money is your measurement of wealth but by the way that people were interacting, we could quickly feel that it was rich in community and soul.

As instructed, we asked for Gloria. This did not go as well as we hoped at first. "?Gloria? No la conozco" (Gloria, I don't know her) was the reaction. The village was pretty well populated and although it wasn't wide, it was deep so we moved further in and asked again. Eventually, we were pointed in the right direction. When we got to her place, we looked around with no sight of Gloria. We were greeted by a lady who was understandably confused by these two foreign looking strangers exploring the surroundings of her hut. We apologised and said we must have the wrong place, that we were looking for Gloria. "Oh, that's my sister, she's at work. What do you need her for?" Explaining the situation, we were ready to turn on our heals and head back, laughing at the idea that we hadn't worked in months and forgetting that people had their own lives to lead. Why would Gloria be available in the middle of the day?

Maria with her family and my partner Sian.

Leaving wasn't an option though. Maria, Gloria's sister, insisted that we stay. They hadn't eaten lunch yet and they always had enough for guests. We were invited to sit outside with Maria, her father, her mother, her children and some of their children too. We politely declined, not wanting to impose but the insult would have been stronger if we didn't stay. A couple of hours and a bigger belly later, Maria called Gloria at work to tell her they had company. Gloria said she would rush back but we insisted that she finished her day at work. It was our mistake not to think ahead. We'd had a wonderful time, embracing the warmth of our hosts and finding out about their lives in the village. Gloria's father was 105 and still moved around like a not yet retired 60 year old. He had worked in the land all his life and still wasn't ready to stop. Everything was stored in their two huts. The hammocks they slept in, the pots, pans, crockery, all split between those two rooms. It was cosy to say the least but it was theirs and the material things weren't what made it home, the love of their family and friends was.

Learning from life

Experiencing the kindness of strangers and being welcomed in a way that we couldn't ever imagine where we're from taught us so much. More than many of the travelling adventures we've had, this moment will stick with us forever. It's these life experiences that often push us further than formal education as this week's podcast guest, Florentina Martin will tell you. A daily commute on packed Indian trains could have been just another part of life but Florentina learned so much from all of the little moments in between. So much so that these journeys became a place to inspire her creativity. Find out more by clicking on the picture below to listen to Florentina's episode.

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Replacing schadenfreude with empathy

Nick Diakanastasis had some very strong views on the closed minds of others when it came to working from home. Being in his own surroundings and getting things done in the way he wanted to, without the pressure of commuting, constant in person meetings or the insistence on being social seemed blissful. At first, anyway. Watch this short story to see how a life experience started to chip away at that mentality.

Experience life and come back each week for a new story

It's not an original thought to say that many of us spend too much time getting lost in the comments sections of social media but thinking back on these stories definitely made that hit home again. Let's make a conscious choice to experience life so that we can create more stories to share when we come back to the scrolling. What life events strongly affected you?

We'll be back next week

If you can't wait until then, you can find more from Puck Creations by checking out?King Puck's Wisdom ?and you can listen to every podcast released so far by visiting our?Puck Podcast ?page. See you soon.