A lot of people have made comments about how adventurous and daring I was to move to Paraguay without knowing the Spanish and only knowing Ben and trying to teach English, etc. etc. And I appreciate those comments. But I received some visitors this week that made my living situation seem ridiculously safe and comfortable.
My family moved to the country when I was 5, and Tennille lived just down the road and around the corner, but we preferred to travel through the woods between our houses. I spent the majority of summer during my elementary school years in our secret fort with a real linoleum floor and an upstairs, even though the upstairs was filled with mouse poop and the bottom flooded every spring, and the game ended in sixth grade when my brother and his annoying friend discovered it, although I suppose by that time we were already losing interest in playing house and preferred volleyball instead. So for the next six years, we played on every single sports team together and in the end spent a total of twelve years riding the bus together before we went our separate ways. Oh wait, she also drove me to school during one semester of university.
Anyways, Tennille has been traveling around South America since April with only a backpack full of clothes, her visa card, and a Lonely Planet Guidebook. It took me months to be able to ask directions from people in the street or feel confident ordering food, but she has been alone for the majority of five months doing just that after only one semester of beginner’s Spanish. Her older sister Tessa joined her a few weeks ago, and I still think it is a miracle that they were able to find me having only the names of two intersecting streets. Actually, I was walking back with my roommate from the grocery store on Sunday night and I just heard someone without an English accent yell my name from a taxi. They are already on their way to southern Argentina to go whale- watching, but we spent two really great days together. They oohed and awed over the Kraft Dinner and French toast meals I made for them, and even learned to like instant coffee! I let them sleep until 9:30 everyday, which I could see they really needed the rest after all that travelling. I taught them how to drink tereré, a few words in Guarani, and recounted some Paraguayan history. I talked the whole time about how great my church and all the people in it are, which is why I am able not just to survive here but be happy. I think the best part of their stay was the last night when we had dinner at Pastor Pedro and his wife Mary’s house. Tennille’s guidebook says that the real treasure in Paraguay is the people, and I think this proved true as we were able to sit down and share a meal with the family. I know I taught Tennille well, because as we were about to leave the girl mentioned that she liked the pin Tennille was wearing, and immediately she took it off and gave it to the little girl, who was ecstatic.
In Spanish, to say you have been to a place, you say that you “know” it. I wonder sometimes how much all of my visitors over the past two months were able to really experience, when I have spent almost a year here and I am still learning new things every day. I don’t know now if I would ever be able to go to a place for a week or even a month and feel like I “know” it. Remembering all those years at home with Tennille seems so far away (both in space and time) and I wonder how well I even know home anymore. I think when I go back it will be just as adventurous looking at North America through new eyes. I hope I can be a traveler and retain this sense of wonder for the rest of my life no matter where I am. Like the song says “this world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through…”
# posted by Ellen @ 7:49 PM
