Our Park
We have a park nearby to us which has not changed very much over the last year that I have been here. Broken lights, broken swings, no paint left on anything, overgrown pathways, and more broken bits and pieces. Rubbish adds to this scene, strewn as it is over every part of the grass.
Now I do not understand how the grass itself always remains short over the whole park, as I have never seen anyone actually cutting it. It could be that all of the stray horses and other animals are providing a natural cutting service, or perhaps it is happening when I am not nearby. In any case, this is one redeming feature about it and means that it is still useable.
There are many horses in our neigborhood.
Fixing Broken Things
There has been many discussions between Chris and I about the possibility of fixing this old park up one day. We have considered that it would not take a lot of effort, and if we involved the students also then it would be even easier. With a newly restored park, it could well become even more of a center point of family life to what it is.
It was only the other day that I decided that I would actually do it. Moving from the talking-about-it phase into the actually-about-to-do-it phase sometimes takes a while. I know for me it did. But now I am ready to do something about it... or I was.
Sleeping Dogs Waking Up
Talking with one of the people on the base I discovered that I am not the first person who wanted to do this, nor the first who was about to try it either. Not too long before I arrived here in Corrientes another young guy went over to the park and started the process of fixing things. He never made it very far.
Within the first moments of starting the process, he was approached by some people from the houses adjoining the park. They promptly informed him that although his intentions may be good, there was a committee assigned to do this sort of work.
This committee was formed out of a number of different local families and outside help was definitely unwanted. If he continued it was indicated that there would be some sort of consequence for his actions. So the park remained as it was.
One of the better park playgrounds during a very busy local event.
My Dilemma
The irony of this is that no work ever gets done on the park. There appears to be a strong political stronghold on this whole area, and as a result the park remains broken and derelict.
So what do I do now? Do I go ahead and try again, or let sleeping dogs lie?
Well, not being one that likes to give up easily, I am about to wage a war. Hopefully it will all turn out good in the end. My intentions are to start the process of fixing the park anyway, and wait for the inevitable intervention. When this occurs, I hope to try and find some agreeable way to continue my work. But this is where the crunch comes.
What Then...
If there is no agreeable way to continue my work, what do I do? Well, perhaps it is best to wait until that moment comes before making a decision. But for now, I am off to improve a park.