It was a rough life with no refinements. Everything was done the hard way, for there was no other means, but my years there were not wasted. What progress I have made toward being a person, the measure of maturity I have been able to achieve, has deep roots in that country. Its people, without pretense and real as the rock of their canyons, will forever live in my memory with deep tenderness and thanksgiving that the human spirit can be so tough.