Wednesday, June 29, 2016

"Seasickness is just a misunderstanding in the inner ear."


An unlikely oil scion who would have made an excellent Muppet for reasons too numerous to mention, Marc has nearly completed eleven years of training to become a Jesuit priest. He is funny and irreverent; he swears and he smokes. He beats me by 0.7 seconds with every witty quip, but he's also the first person to hug and thank someone who shares a personal insight during evening reflection. 
Marc chose a window seat directly behind me on the bus, where he sat for six days sharing a few personal reflections of his own, on everything from solar panels to sunflowers to acute motion sickness. "Press your fingers on the tendon in your wrist," I told him, "and look at the horizon." A diving guide named Octavio taught me that in Mexico. It doesn't work, but it gives you something to think about. 
 I was pressing my own wrist when we made the approach to Montserrat,  a rising series of switchbacks that reminded me of a marble maze. In the back of the bus, Kendra inquired about the window hammer. In case of emergency, you tap it in a rectangle shape around the window and force the glass out. "Just use it on me," Marc moaned.


title credit Paul Theroux

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