Eso es alcanzar lo más alto,

lo que tal vez nos dará el Cielo:

no admiraciones ni victorias

sino sencillamente ser admitidos

como parte de una Realidad innegable,

como las piedras y los árboles.

Jorge Luis Borges

Fervor de Buenos Aires (1923)

This is the best that can happen,

What heaven perhaps will grant us:

Not to be wondered at or required

To succeed

But simply to be let in

As part of an undeniable Reality,

Like stones of the road, like trees.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Recapping 2010, looking forward to 2011

I haven’t written much lately because I don’t feel like I have a whole lot to say but I will try to give some sort of an update anyway.

So to recap 2010…
  • I finished my master’s,
  • quit my job,
  • left my family,
  • gave away my dog,
  • sold almost everything I own including my jeep,
  • rented out my place (is this starting to sound like a country song?)
…all for the adventure of a lifetime to rough it in central America.  And you know what, I’m not one bit sorry.

Most likely I’m still in the upward swing/honeymoon phase of culture shock (been there before) so cheers to psychological defense mechanisms.  But that’s not to say there haven’t been difficulties, especially wanting to be with family over the holidays, and spending the last 6 weeks talking like a 3 year old and often feeling like one.  Despite this, I am still excited to continue learning Spanish and am very excited for the time when I’ll be in El Salvador working with local communities there.  I’ve dreamed about doing international aid work for years and so this is a dream come true.

As for hopes for the future, I would really like to make some local friends, and I’ll be here for 2 more months so I think that should be possible, I’m just finding it hard to meet local people because there are so many security issues I always have to be aware of and they really limit me sometimes.  I want to build up enough tolerance to local food so I don’t have to keep taking antibiotics.  I want to work like crazy at Spanish so that I can have the advanced level completed by the time I go to El Salvador.  By the time I leave I want to watch a movie in Spanish at the theatre without subtitles and be able to pretty well understand what’s going on.  I want to have my reading comprehension high enough that I can read something by Carlos Zafon (one of my favourite Spanish authors) and not have to pull out my dictionary at every other word.  I’d also love it if someone from home were able to visit by Christmas time next year, so I’ll wait and see about that.

2 comments:

  1. Hey....Happy New years to you. The day will come when you will find yourself thinking in Spanish and the day will come when you won't be able to find a word in English or German but the spanish one will be out of your mouth first.
    Wish you all the best.

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  2. Ohhh, this post kinda made me sad :( I don't know why, probably because I miss you like crazy and really want to hug you right now! I was just telling Elaine, ( like 2 min ago) that I REALLY missed my brother :( Anyway, I'm so proud of you and everything you gave up to be there, even though I know its what you wanted and you don't regret it! I can't wait to visit you and I'm making plans on next fall. We'll see, I hope so :) Anyway, I hope your weekends great and i hope my skype is fixed soon!!!! Love you Brother!

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