el reccorido vs tour

Hi

 Was doing a lesson on a different language site and “reccorido” came up as “tour”  Do they have the same meaning or are they interchangeable

Thanks Maxie

Ha ha, having a slow day Allan?

Hi Scott_C

That made me smile.  Oh my word what a missive!

Maxie 

Hope you are having a good day

Hi Alan

You don't offend me at all.

Maxie

No offense taken and none intended. It was just a really long (but as usual, informative and entertaining) answer.

That was taken in Farah, Aghanistan at one of our stops during a day of flying on a C-130.  Among my many activities in the Air Force, I was a flight surgeon and one of the best benefits of that job is you are required to fly each month.  We are there to evaluate the crews and to have a better understanding of what they go through (to better make decisions about their fitness to fly). The first part is the most important as I am an outsider talking to them about thier communication or teamwork.

Interesting fact about Farah's runway was it curved significantly to the left. It was a dirt runway, so I asked several crew why didn't we just straighten it out and always got the same response. “No big deal, we just have to steer a bit when taking off or landing.”

I suspect the invisible line was actually a thin red line on the tarmac. If you cross that line without a badge or at the wrong spot, you definitely get to meet some of the Air Force Security Forces folks.  Most of the time it is about protecting the planes from some yahoo damaging them, but several bases I have been at have Secret and Top Secret aircraft on the ramp (the planes are rarely classified, it is the equipment in or on them that is classified). At those bases the response can be especially vigorous!

Hi You 2

What interesting lives and adventures you both seem to have had. Ne not so much. A stay at home with 4 kids that were homeschooled some of the time. Was born in Zimbabwe, lived in Mozambique (Hence my Portuguese) the then Swaziland (Eswatini), South Africa. Then Singapore and Brunei and finally Canada, Vancouver island. That said grew up on an amazing farm bordering the Kruger Park. Had lions about, a hippo and rhino in our garden and elephants around too. An idyllic childhood.

Maxie

I do miss the African bush terribly

I spent a month in Swaziland (as you point out, now Eswatini) working at a mission hospital there when I was a 4th year surgery resident. I really enjoyed my time there and I learned more than I taught!  We went to Kruger several times and found it fantastic.

Maxie, it sure looks to me that you had some great adventures as well.  Be careful walking the shores in Vancouver, you don't want to find any of those washed up shoes with feet in them!

Hi Scott

Swaziland was lovely. Lived on a farm too. I believe that British military doctors were being sent for training in S.A hospitals. Apparently due to the horrific violent crime there,it was the closest they were going to  experiencing battlefield injuries. Sadly the crime is just awful now and often very violent. I grew up during the apartheit era and thank goodness that has changed. As a child one is quite oblivious to those inequalities, but became very aware of that by the age of 10. Having lived in Mozambique and also visted there regulary did not grow up racist. Sadly it is still a very racial society and I had so many hopes that when the government changed it would eventually staighten itself out, but it hasn't. 

Maxie

I trained in a Level 1 trauma center and thought I saw a lot. Nothing compares to combat injuries. Not even close. The weapons are just so much more powerful and the use of explosives is a game changer (as far as severity of wounds go).

Hi Scott

Just reading this makes me feel ill. I just can't imagine living through this. It never ceases to amaze me what human beings are capable of doing to each other. Just started reading a book on Armenia and what happened there. Just horrible. Will humans never learn. Just saw your post on Italy. I read that with interest. Am also doing Rocket Italian and German. My Italian is a lot more advanced than my Spanish. I hope to visit Italy at some stage, but my husband isn't, so will probably go with my sister or daughters. 

Take care

Sharon

Italy is awesome, but sometimes the pace aggravates people (Duomoni is their favorite word).  I think it is one of the aspects of the Mediteranian Diet we are missing. Sure the food is good, but the culture is more relaxed and they have very strong family units.

Yea, it is awful. Which is why combat exposed medical staff ("exposed" includes treating casualties right off the front line) are in the top 3 for PTSD in the Air Force.

Hi both of you

I just can't imagine going through that. And talking about it would relive some of the horrors experienced. As a child I remember seeing some of the photographs from Life magazine taken in Vietnam. Those images have never gone away, Left quite the impression. Having lived in South east Asia and been on walks through those jungles. Hot,  humid, leeches  to name a few. 

Really beautiful, but not a place I would like to live in. 

Maxie

If most people heard the jokes or comments we make in the OR, they would be highly offended. It is us dealing with an awful situation the best we can.

I almost never talk face to face with someone about Afghanistan casualties (or most of it to be honest).  Just too painful and the fear of where it could go is real.  Over a forum, I am much more in control, so I can talk it little bit more. With folks who have “been there and done that”, I might talk a bit more, but to be honest, it doesn't come up. I guess most people are like me and don't want to relive it. I do agree the people who tell vivid stories of when they were “in the shit” probably were nowhere near the shit.  

They are updating the website, so some things are changing. No official word on what, so it is like your birthday - lots of unexpected surprises.

Hi Scott

I was chatting to my husband and he wondered what mission hospital you worked in in Eswatini. He had his appendix out in a mission hospital in Manzini. His youngest sister was born there too by caesarean section. We lived quite near Manzini near Big Bend. I was in grade 1 and went to Big Bend primary school. Only 2 teachers and 4 grades, after that we moved to a farm near Malelane. Where I spent about 20 years. The mission hopitals did an amzing job in those small communities and I assume thay still do.

Maxie

I couldn't remember the name the other day, sorry. Manzinin does sound familiar but I am not sure. What I can tell you is we had lepers who stayed on the campus. Not sure if that differentiates it (not sure how common that is).  I have pictures somewhere, but we still have a lot of stuff in boxes.

Hi Scott

Leprosy was fairly commen. I was 6 when we were in Swaziland, so have no idea. Never went to a mission hospital. Just remember going to Manzini for a TB innoculation and going to the Swazi market in Manzini. I loved swaziland even if we were there for only a year. he farm was fabulous. Moving to S,A was quite an adjustment. Was putting into an Afrikkans school, as there was no English school in the village. My sister and I didn't speak a word of Afikaans. Welll Baie dankie means thank you very much. We though it very funny as sounds like buy a donkey. My parents didn's want to send us to boarding school. 

My father was Afrikaans and could help us. Within a term we were speaking Afrikaans. We just had to as no one spoke English at school. Believe me was quite an adjustment. 

We went to school in Malelane. The Swazi border was about a 40 minute drive max. The farm I grew up on was right next to the Malelane gate to the Kruger. In fact the gate was on the farm property. May go back to S.A for a visit, as miss the bush

Take care

Sharon